A vaccine could help cruise ship passengers avoid the norovirus, the bug that has sickened many people on recent voyages, a Baylor College of Medicine study found.
"It is possible to prevent infection and illness with a vaccine for norovirus," Dr. Robert Atmar, a professor of medicine and molecular virology at the university told HealthDay. But "we have to figure out the best way to give it and how long protection lasts."
Norovirus often occurs on cruise ships due to their crowded quarters, and spreads from person to person, causing cramping, diarrhea and vomiting. Twenty-one million cases of the virus occur in the United States each year, researchers said. Experts said poor restroom cleaning or unsanitary food handling can speed up the spread.
The study looked at 98 people with a gene making them susceptible to the norovirus, who got either the vaccine or a placebo. Seventy percent of recipients responded to the vaccine by making antibodies. Those who got the vaccine were less likely to develop the illness, and were affected by it less frequently than those who got the placebo.
The new vaccine takes the form of two doses three weeks apart via a nasal spray. Atmar it could be given to people before they leave for a cruise, or regularly to other vulnerable populations, such as active military or the elderly. Norovirus has different strains that circulate annualy, like the season flu, so annual updates may be needed.
"There are a number of studies that have to be done before this would be possible," he said.
The study appeared Dec. 8 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
