New Vaccine Cuts Severe Diarrhea Deaths in Young Kids by 48%
A groundbreaking oral vaccine has shown it can cut severe diarrhea cases by nearly half in young children, offering hope against a disease that kills tens of thousands of kids under 5 each year. After decades of research, the vaccine is moving to its final testing phase.
Every year, tens of thousands of children under 5 die from severe diarrhea caused by a common bacteria, mostly in countries where clean water is scarce. Now, a new vaccine called ETVAX is showing real promise to save those lives.
Researchers tested the oral vaccine on nearly 5,000 children aged 6 to 18 months in The Gambia, working with the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. The children received either three doses of ETVAX or a placebo, then were followed for up to two years.
The results, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, revealed the vaccine reduced severe illness from enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) by 48%. When researchers looked only at children without intestinal parasites that also cause diarrhea, protection jumped to 80%.
Timing matters significantly. Children vaccinated before 9 months old had 68% protection, compared to 48% in older children. The vaccine also cut severe diarrhea from any cause by 21%, similar to rotavirus vaccines that UNICEF now gives to 40 million children worldwide.
No serious side effects appeared in any of the vaccinated children. The vaccine triggered strong immune responses against the bacterial factors that cause the disease.
The study marks a breakthrough after several decades of research led by Professor Ann-Mari Svennerholm at the University of Gothenburg, working with Swedish biotechnology company Scandinavian Biopharma. The team tested ETVAX step by step across different age groups and countries before this African trial.
"For many years, we have worked to develop a vaccine that can protect the youngest children, where the need is greatest," says Svennerholm. "The results indicate that the vaccine has great potential."
The Ripple Effect: The European Medicines Agency has greenlit ETVAX for Phase 3 trials, the final and most extensive stage of vaccine development. This means testing will expand to multiple countries, bringing the vaccine closer to reaching millions of vulnerable children. If approved, ETVAX could join the small but growing arsenal of tools protecting young lives in low-income countries, where diarrheal diseases remain a leading killer of children under 5.
A decades-long effort to save the world's most vulnerable children is one step closer to reaching families who need it most.
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Based on reporting by Medical Xpress
This story was written by BrightWire based on verified news reports.
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