Needle-free vaccine may stop Montezuma's Revenge

This could really go far. Imagine going on vacation and bringing along the patch to keep you free of Montezuma’s Revenge, or any time you travel. The patches are being tested and so far the results look good as 70% reported no illness when using the patches. It also protects against other forms of diarrhea. This could open up an entire new market, especially since this is a patch with no needles involved. BD

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A needle-free vaccine protected more than 70 percent of visitors to Mexico and Guatemala from traveler's diarrhea, popularly known as Montezuma's Revenge, researchers reported on Wednesday.

Even if travelers did get infected with the stomach bug, Iomai Corp.'s experimental vaccine patch prevented severe illness, the researchers reported in the Lancet medical journal. "I think it's one of the most exciting new developments in travel medicine," said Dr. Herbert DuPont of the University of Texas in Houston, who helped test the vaccine. "People could buy this and put it on themselves whenever they take a trip. It is the most convenient form of immunization I have ever seen," DuPont said in a telephone interview.