 News
3rd March 2006
Vaccine developed to combat ear infection
A vaccine which could help prevent ear infections in young
children has been developed by Czech scientists.
Also known as acute otitis media, ear infections are common in childhood
and can be very painful.
According to the report published in the British Medical Journal, the
vaccine was effective against two bacteria - the streptococcus pneumoniae
and haemophilus influenzae.
The study looked at 5000 children who were given either this vaccine
or a hepatitis A vaccine between 3 and 15 months.
By the age of two 333 of the children given the new vaccine had a middle
ear infection, compared with 499 in the control group.
Dr Roman Prymula, from the University of Defence at Hradec Kralove, who
led the study, said, "We found a reduction in ear, nose and throat specialist-confirmed
episodes of acute otitis media by about a third in infants in the vaccine
group compared with controls."
However, Antony Tucker, an ear, nose and throat surgeon at Bradford Royal
Infirmary said there are concerns about vaccinating children against what
was generally a mild infection.
"The suggestion here is giving a vaccination against something that isn't
a life-threatening condition," he said.
"In addition, only a proportion of ear infections are caused by bacteria,
and only some of those by these bacteria."
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