LONDON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Giving just one fifth the dose of
a commonly used meningitis vaccine may be as effective as using
the full dose, researchers said on Tuesday.
The finding should allow medics to stretch scarce vaccine
resources, especially during epidemics in Africa.
A clinical study conducted in Uganda by Epicentre -- the
research arm of medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres --
found similar immune responses in patients given low and full
doses of Sanofi-Aventis's vaccine Menomune.
Serum bactericidal activity (SBA) response with a one-fifth
dose was comparable to full dose for three bacteria types
targeted by the vaccine, though not a fourth.
Although another measure of immune response, IgG level, was
lower for fractional doses, the researchers said short-term
protection needed during mass vaccination programmes was best
measured by SBA.
"In view of the current shortage of meningococcal vaccines
for Africa, the use of one-fifth fractional doses should be
considered as an alternative in mass vaccination campaigns," the
research team reported in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical
Diseases.
Meningitis epidemics occur nearly every year across a large
part of sub-Saharan Africa spanning Senegal to Ethiopia, dubbed
the "Meningitis Belt".
Meningitis infects the lining of the brain and spinal cord
and can cause high fever, blood poisoning and brain
damage, as well as death in up to 10 percent of cases.
The full report on the study is available online at
http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0000342
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Andrew Macdonald)
Content Provided by
Reuters Reuters is the largest international news agency -- providing professionals around the world with stories that move the markets.
- 
- 
- 
Welcome,
Guest!
News
