Cheap, heat-proof rotavirus vaccine “game changer” for African children

An inexpensive, heat-proof vaccine could mark a turning point in expanding resistance to the diarrhoea-causing rotavirus infection across sub-Saharan Africa, medical aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres said. The new vaccine, known as BRV-PV, was tested in West African country Niger, and shown to be safe and effective against rotavirus, according to trial results published in the New England Journal of Medicine this week. Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe diarrhoea and kills an estimated 1,300 children a day, mostly in Africa. It is preventable, but the two existing vaccines must be refrigerated at all times, making them difficult to transport and administer in hot countries where electricity is unreliable. The new vaccine does not require refrigeration, and costs under $2.50 per treatment, about half the price of others. “This is a game changer,” said Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) medical director Micaela Serafini. “It’s a vaccine that fits much more with what we believe are the...