ETEC vaccine against traveller’s diarrhoea

The vaccine can potentially save the lives of tens of thousands of children and billions of dollars in lost productivity, medical and non-medical costs associated with traveller’s diarrhoea annually.

Every year 10 out of the 60 million people travelling to developing countries will contract diarrhoea due to enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). This constitutes 50% of the traveller’s diarrhoea cases. For adults, ETEC infection is usually not life threatening and rarely causes hospitalisation, but diarrhoeal episodes due to ETEC translate every year into billions of dollars in medical cost and lost productivity. The number or travellers to developing countries is estimated to triple by 2020.

For children under five years of age in developing countries the situation is even more severe: Annually diarrhoea kills 700,000 children making it the second-leading cause of childhood deaths in developing countries, and ETEC is one of the leading causes of childhood diarrhoea. In addition, those who survive acute episodes often suffer from severe malnutrition, growth stunting and cognitive defects.

An ETEC vaccine can potentially save the lives of tens of thousands of children and billions of dollars in lost productivity, medical and non-medical costs associated with traveller’s diarrhoea annually.