Croup Vaccine Safe in Early Study

A new vaccine that may help protect children against croup is being tested by scientists at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

A new vaccine that may help protect children against croup is being tested by scientists at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.The vaccine, delivered via nose drops, is designed to protect against human parainfluenza virus-type1 (hPIV-1), the most common cause of croup. Hospitalizations and emergency room visits linked to croup number in the tens of thousands each year in the United States, as anxious parents seek help for coughing, congested babies. The first-ever clinical trial for the new vaccine included nine healthy adults. The results, published in the current issue of the journal Vaccine, showed that the vaccine was safe and well-tolerated. In future trials, the vaccine will be tested on children, and then infants.Currently, there is no effective hPIV-1 vaccine. A nasally administered vaccine would spare babies the discomfort and complications of injections, the scientists say.(Source: Healthday News, Yahoo Health, AMA US, August 2004)