A vaccine for infant diarrhoea

The first oral vaccine for infant diarrhoea has been successfully developed by a team of Gujarat scientists. The diarrhoea is caused by shigellosis- an acute invasive infection disease of the lower intestine. It is caused by a bacteria called shigella. Symptoms include diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps. Globally, the shigellosis infection affects an estimated 165 million cases of people, especially children in developing countries like India. Of these, about one million people succumb to the disease. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), shigellosis is the second most fatal disease after rotavirus which is antibiotic resistant. Shigellosis is a contagious disease. It is important to wash hands thoroughly and to supervise children when they wash their hands. Soiled diapers should be disposed of in a proper way. Former vice-chancellor of Sardar Patel University(SPU), professor Harish Padh was the head of the team which developed this important oral vaccine. It is one of the most important medicines to fight the harmful bacteria shigella. The best part is that it is an affordable vaccine. Padh said that in India, shigellosis is most prevalent among children under the age of five. Efforts were being made to develop an effective vaccine against this fatal disease. The Gujarat team finally met with success.