Scientists are less than five years away from producing a
vaccine that could put an end to virulent norovirus outbreaks
that plague hospitals, long-term care facilities and cruise
ships. “We are going to have a vaccine,” researcher Charles
Arntzen said at the American Association for the Advancement of
Science conference in Vancouver on Friday. Yet he cautioned it
would take more tweaking and clinical testing. “The current
vaccine as formulated is not ready for prime time,” said
Arntzen, of the Arizona State University Centre for Infectious
Diseases and Vaccinology. “If things go well, four to five
years.” A norovirus vaccine could save 20 million Americans each
year from suffering the extreme vomiting and diarrhea caused by
the virus. It could save money too: Norovirus costs the U.S.
health care system $2 billion a year. Arntzen’s team at BioVaxx
Inc. are working on culturing a norovirus-like molecule in
tobacco plants to create a powder vaccine, which is then
combined with aloe plant-derived extracts and de