Norovirus vaccine shows early progress
Immunized individuals experienced less vomiting, diarrhea
By Nathan Seppa
SAN FRANCISCO — A vaccine in early testing partially protects against a common diarrhea-causing virus, a small trial finds. The culprit, norovirus, is a group of viral strains that includes the infamous Norwalk virus, which plagues some cruise ships. Norovirus causes up to 21 million infections each year in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates.
Most people have experienced a norovirus infection, said study coauthor David Bernstein, an infectious disease physician at the University of Cincinnati. He presented the study’s findings October 4 at ID Week, a meeting of infectious disease specialists. Symptom severity varies widely, but the infections can be lethal in elderly and immune-compromised people, he said. Norovirus kills up to 800 Americans every year, according to the CDC.