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Does anyone know when, in a general sense, a norovirus vaccine will be available?

Please, only serious, educated answers. I have searched online for the latest information regarding a norovirus vaccine, and when one would be available to the general public - some articles have said "within 5 years," some say "by 2014-15" and some say it wouldn't be available for another 10 years. There are various independent groups of scientists working on this, in addition to Lygocyte (now Takeda) - so does anyone have any good/educated idea as to what kind of time frame we could be looking at?

It couldn't come soon enough, for me...

Update:

Thank you. I know that a norovirus vaccine would likely be a yearly thing, much like the flu vaccine, needing to be updated to include new strands, and I have read that immunity to a certain strand of norovirus only lasts a little over a year (though I have read conflicting studies). Of course I wouldn't let hopes of a vaccine substitute for basic hygiene and precautions, but a vaccine could really curb the spread of the virus and really shrink its footprint, much like Polio (also a viral infection spread via the fecal-oral route. The development of a vaccine has virtually eliminated the threat of Polio) - also, Noroviruses do mutate, but their mutations are relatively small compared with those of influenza.

Update 2:

Yes, a vaccine is not a "cure," but it could be a very helpful preventative measure in addition to hygiene. Conscientious people can wash their hands and sanitize surfaces all day long, but they can't control the actions of those who "don't care" - so personal preventative measures can only go so far.

2 Answers

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  • 5 years ago

    2

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  • 8 years ago

    Here is the thing. With illnesses such as Norovirus and Norwalk etc. also known as the "stomach flu" there really can't be a for sure cure. Just like with the flu vaccine. The flu vaccine, is not 100% for all people and it doesn't necessarily mean you wont get the flu. It means that you have been given the dead virus so that your body can build antibodies for a specific strand of flu out of many different strands. Norovirus, you can get more than once, but just like the flu, once you get a specific strand, i am almost certain you cannot get that one strand again. I wouldn't depend on the vaccine. In stead, keep yourself healthy and wash your hands before you eat or touch your face and try to stay away from people you know are sick.

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