Vaccine to protect kids against deadly HFMD
Source: Agencies |
May 30, 2013, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Chinese scientists have developed the first vaccine to protect children against a virus called enterovirus 71, or EV71, that causes the common and sometimes deadly hand, foot and mouth disease.
The vaccine, made by Beijing Vigoo Biological, was developed for use in the Asia-Pacific region, which accounts for most of the serious cases of the disease that can cause potentially fatal meningitis and encephalitis.
Since its discovery in 1969, EV71 has caused major outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease around the world, affecting mostly children.
Outbreaks of HFMD occur every few years in different parts of the world, the World Health Organization says, but in recent years these have occurred more in Asia. An outbreak infected about 35,000 people and killed 17 in China's Hunan Province in June last year.
Symptoms of the disease include mouth sores, skin rashes and fever.
Until now, there have been no effective vaccines against EV71. But in trial data published in The Lancet medical journal on Tuesday, researchers said Beijing Vigoo's vaccine gave 90 percent protection against EV71-associated hand, food and mouth disease, with 80.4 percent protection for at least 12 months.
The trial took place at four sites across China - three in Jiangsu Province and one in Beijing. It involved 10,245 babies and children aged 6 to 35 months who were randomly assigned to get two doses of the vaccine or a placebo.
The researchers, led by Zhu Fengcai of the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control, said the vaccine was safe and well-tolerated and side-effects were similar in both the vaccine and placebo groups.
But they cautioned that there was no evidence the vaccine would cross-protect against coxsackievirus A 16, which is often found circulating with EV71 and also causes hand, foot and mouth disease.
This and several other viruses can cause hand, foot and mouth disease, they added, so using a vaccine against only EV71, even if highly effective, may have a minimal impact on reducing the overall number of cases.
The vaccine, made by Beijing Vigoo Biological, was developed for use in the Asia-Pacific region, which accounts for most of the serious cases of the disease that can cause potentially fatal meningitis and encephalitis.
Since its discovery in 1969, EV71 has caused major outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease around the world, affecting mostly children.
Outbreaks of HFMD occur every few years in different parts of the world, the World Health Organization says, but in recent years these have occurred more in Asia. An outbreak infected about 35,000 people and killed 17 in China's Hunan Province in June last year.
Symptoms of the disease include mouth sores, skin rashes and fever.
Until now, there have been no effective vaccines against EV71. But in trial data published in The Lancet medical journal on Tuesday, researchers said Beijing Vigoo's vaccine gave 90 percent protection against EV71-associated hand, food and mouth disease, with 80.4 percent protection for at least 12 months.
The trial took place at four sites across China - three in Jiangsu Province and one in Beijing. It involved 10,245 babies and children aged 6 to 35 months who were randomly assigned to get two doses of the vaccine or a placebo.
The researchers, led by Zhu Fengcai of the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control, said the vaccine was safe and well-tolerated and side-effects were similar in both the vaccine and placebo groups.
But they cautioned that there was no evidence the vaccine would cross-protect against coxsackievirus A 16, which is often found circulating with EV71 and also causes hand, foot and mouth disease.
This and several other viruses can cause hand, foot and mouth disease, they added, so using a vaccine against only EV71, even if highly effective, may have a minimal impact on reducing the overall number of cases.
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