Vaccine trial offers hope for deadly diarrhoeal disease
A new vaccine candidate, WRSs2, has shown 89% efficacy in preventing shigellosis, a major cause of diarrhoeal deaths. Despite the disease's high mortality rate, researchers note that social stigma surrounding the condition often hinders public health attention.
Why it matters
Diarrhoeal diseases remain a leading cause of death for children under five, and this vaccine could significantly reduce global mortality rates if successfully deployed.
A new vaccine candidate offers hope for millions afflicted by diarrhoea, which kills 1m people worldwide every year, with nearly half of them under five.
But in the world of public health, however, the disease often does not get the attention it deserves. It’s because of what researchers call the “poo taboo” – people just aren’t comfortable talking about diarrhoea, reports NPR .
The new vaccine is called WRSs2, named after the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research . It was tested jointly at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre and the Emory Vaccine Centre’s Hope Clinic in Atlanta.
The results were published recently in The Lancet Infectious Diseases: it was 89% effective at preventing one of the leading causes of diarrhoeal deaths, shigellosis.
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