New vaccine would target ear, sinus infections

A US research group said they would begin trials for a new vaccine aimed at preventing childhood ear and sinus infection, as well as bronchitis in adults. The vaccine will target Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae or NTHi, which is the main remaining cause of ear and sinus infections and bronchitis. "For ear infections they are the No. 1 cause, for sinus infections they are the No. 1 cause and for bronchitis in adults they are the No. 1 cause, but they do not invade the bloodstream and cause life-threatening illness in normal people," Pichichero said. Ear infections are almost never fatal, however, they occur in over eighty percent of children before the age of three. Many doctors agree that antibiotics are overused in America, wasting money and helping to develop immune strands of bacteria. Infections in children is one of the leading reasons for antibiotic prescriptions. This vaccine would help to prevent such overuse.

This vaccine is interesting because it is one of the first vaccines aimed not at saving lives but at preventing nuisance illnesses. Testing is now beggining and if successful, cold viruses would become the leading cause of repiratory diseases.

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