Cure for Traveler's Diarrhea

Going to India?  Worried about getting that perennial upset stomach while your mind craves for the chaats and the gol-gappas from the street guy?

Well, the scientists in University of Texas, Houston may be able to help you.  They have come up with a needle-free vaccine – through a patch – which can prevent that.  The diarrhea occurs due to E. Coli and is called Montezuma’s Revenge (or Traveller’s Diarrhea).  It happens to travellers to Latin America as well as to Asia from the Western countries.  Simply because of difference in hygiene conditions.

Traveler’s diarrhea (in American English) or traveller’s diarrhœa (in British English), abbreviated to TD, is the most common illness affecting travelers. Traveler’s diarrhea is defined as three or more unformed stools in 24 hours, commonly accompanied by abdominal cramps, nausea, and bloating.

TD is not directly harmful but the dehydration causes problems and inconvenience to a traveller.

TD usually is a self-limited disorder and often resolves without specific treatment; however, oral rehydration therapy is often beneficial to replace lost fluids and electrolytes. Clear liquids are routinely recommended for adults. Water that is purified is best, along with oral rehydration salts to replenish lost electrolytes. Carbonated water (soda), which has been left out so that the carbonation fizz is gone, is quite useful.

Lomai patch as it is being called has shown good results in the trials so far:

Recent trials conducted by the team found that patients given the vaccine were significantly less likely to suffer from clinically significant diarrhea than those who received placebo.

The patch-based vaccine is part of the Phase 2 study in conjunction with the Iomai Corporation.

This year alone something like 55 million international travelers will travel to countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, where bacteria that cause travelers’ diarrhea are endemic and about 20 million of those will develop travelers’ diarrhea.