New Patch can Stop Travellers’ Diarrhoea

A new vaccine patch could help stop diarrhoea ruining your well-planned foreign holiday, claims new US research.

The patch, worn on the upper arm, contains a small dose of the toxin produced by the food poisoning bacterium E.Coli, the most common cause of tummy upset. It must be worn for a 6-hour period three weeks before travel. A booster patch is worn one week before travel.

In a study of 178 people researchers found that wearing the vaccine patch compared to a placebo reduced the rate of traveller’s diarrhoea by 75%. Of those who did fall ill, patch-wearers recovered far more quickly.

Many people suffer from tummy upset when travelling abroad and it can ruin the holiday. Researchers say that the patch works like a vaccine by stimulating the immune system to cope better with a full blown infection.

The results are published in the medical journal The Lancet.

Posted Wednesday 18th June 2008