Testing Of Breakthrough Vaccine For Meningococcal

Written by OJ Fagbire

Sunday, 20 May 2007

Tag it:

Researchers are calling for toddlers and older children to test a breakthrough vaccine against the deadly meningococcal B infection. They have preformed successful adult trials of the vaccine last year and have led to further national studies that are now under way.

Toddlers aged 18 to 36 months and children aged 8 to 14 years are needed to take part in the trial to test the "safety, tolerability and immune response" of the new vaccine.

There are About 100 toddlers that are expected to take part nationally.
The head of the women's and Children's Hospital Paediatric Trials Unit Dr Helen Marshall said “it was hoped a vaccine might be available within three to five years.”
"This is a vaccine we really need because there is so much meningococcal B infection in Australia,"

Then she went on to say, "It is still very early days but we've moved on to adolescents and toddler studies which is the next step towards a vaccine. "We would hope to have a vaccine within five years. "But it depends what strains are in other countries to say whether it could be used internationally. Different countries have different strains. There's a lot of variability.”

The meningococcal C vaccine has seen a large reduction in cases in the UK and Australia." The meningococcal disease affects about 500 Australians each year, with meningococcal B accounting for the majority of cases.

It is an acute bacterial infection that can cause death within hours if not recognised or treated in time. It can occur year-round and in all age groups, but is most common during winter and early spring in children under five years and adults aged 15 to 24.

There is a 10 per cent fatality rate and about 20 per cent will have permanent disabilities.

The symptoms in infants and young children are fever, irritability, and grunting or moaning, a dislike to being handled, sensitive to light, drowsiness and a red-purple rash of pinprick spots or larger bruises.

To participate in the vaccine trial participants will need to visit the hospital six times during an eight-month period. All costs are covered.

Tag it: