E. Coli Vaccine
Look, another opportunity for the drug companies to stick us with needles! Afraid of E. coli? Time for another hyper-marketed super-vaccine. According to Andrew Pollack of The New York Times an E. coli vaccine is on the horizon:
Shousun C. Szu, a scientist at the National Institutes of Health, says the best way to prevent people from being poisoned by deadly E. coli would be to vaccinate all infants against the bacteria.Clearly more fallout from the spinach E. coli crisis—fear, a powerful thing.
Graeme McRae, a Canadian biotechnology executive, says it would be more practical to inoculate cows instead.
Vaccines for people and for cattle are just two approaches under development to prevent or treat food poisoning by the strain E. coli O157:H7.
Right now, scientists can do little medically to fight the pathogen, which was responsible for two severe outbreaks last fall, one from contaminated bagged spinach and a second from tainted lettuce served in chain taco restaurants.
The main approach has been to try to prevent contamination through careful handling, rigorous inspections and government regulation.
Maybe we can develop vaccines against diabetes, heart disease, cancer ...
Seriously, though, aren't vaccines for viruses?
I'm no fan of drug companies, but unless you've watched your child suffer from an illness that MIGHT have been prevented by a vaccine, don't be so quick to condemn the idea! My child had 3 bouts of viral meningitis, which put him at greater risk of getting the worse meningococcal kind! FINALLY, after begging his doctor to give him the vaccine for three years, she relented, and should consider herself VERY lucky he never got the bacterial kind! This country, by the way, is now in an epidemic of preventable diseases because people have stopped vaccinating their kids--WAKE UP, folks!