What we know about the norovirus vaccine
We hate to say it, but norovirus season has arrived. The winter vomiting bug is notorious for being highly contagious and can put people out of commission for between one to three days.
The number of people who catch norovirus each year in the UK is astronomically high - as many as four million people are struck down by it annually.
It is also thought to be responsible for around 12,000 hospital admissions in the UK. According to the BBC, norovirus costs the NHS roughly £100 million annually.
But scientists are hoping that a new, world-first vaccine will help people avoid norovirus and, as a result, reduce the "burden on the NHS".
Here’s everything we know about the new norovirus vaccine:
Is a norovirus vaccine available?
No, currently there is no vaccine for norovirus anywhere in the world. This new vaccine, which is being sponsored and trialled by Moderna, will be the first ever vaccine to protect against norovirus.
However, the vaccine is still in its trial phase and is considered "investigational", according to the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
So it will not be made available to the public until the trial ends and it is deemed safe and effective. The trial hopes to recruit 2,500 participants in the UK between late October and early 2025.
It will take place at 39 sites across the country, including 27 NHS primary and secondary care sites. Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups, of which one will receive the vaccine and the other will receive a placebo.
Anyone aged 18 and over who meets all the inclusion criteria is eligible for the trial, but researchers are especially looking to recruit participants aged 60 and over as this age group is more likely to be severely affected by norovirus.
The trial will run for approximately two years and include at least six in–person visits to the clinical trial site and five phone calls with the trial team.
It will also be conducted globally and aims to enrol around 25,000 participants all over the world.
The trial is being run in the UK as part of a 10-year partnership between Moderna and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
How does the norovirus vaccine work?
The vaccine is a mRNA vaccine. mRNA, or ‘messenger ribonucleic acid’ forms part of every human cell and delivers instructions in our genes to make certain proteins.
When used in a vaccine, mRNA delivers instructions for replicating proteins identical to ones found in a particular virus, which prompts the immune system to recognise it as a foreign body.
The immune system then produces antibodies that will attack the protein if they encounter it in an actual virus, thus protecting the body against the virus.
The new vaccine will target three major strains of norovirus.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said: "Norovirus is highly infectious and puts the NHS under huge strain every winter, costing taxpayers around £100 million a year.
"The UK is leading the way to develop a world-first vaccine for this vomiting bug, starting with this innovative vaccine trial delivered through the government-funded National Institute for Health and Care Research.
"Not only is this a huge vote of confidence in the UK’s life sciences sector, but a successful vaccine will help shift our health system away from sickness and towards prevention - reducing pressure on the NHS and keeping people well during the colder months."
What do the experts say?
Dr Patrick Moore, chief investigator of the study and South West director of NIHR, told PA Media: "Norovirus is what we know as the winter vomiting bug, and it’s highly transmissible.
"It causes vomiting and diarrhoea, usually for two to three days. It can affect people of all ages, and it usually peaks in the winter months in the UK…but we do see norovirus throughout the whole of the year.
"About one in five cases of gastroenteritis are caused by norovirus – that’s about four million cases annually in the UK and about 685 million globally."
Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, added in a statement on the platform X, formerly Twitter: "Norovirus is common, highly infectious, can cause serious and unpleasant illness, closes hospital wards especially over winter and is a risk to care homes.
"A norovirus vaccine, if effective, would be a major step forward. Thank you to those taking part in and running this trial."
NIHR chief executive and Chief Scientific Adviser to DHSC, Professor Lucy Chappell said: "This novel vaccine could make a difference to the lives of many - especially our most vulnerable citizens - and reduce the burden of seasonal illness on the NHS.
"Leveraging the UK’s expertise in vaccine development, the DHSC through the NIHR and Moderna are delivering this large-scale trial at pace, so that people across the UK and the world can benefit sooner."
Read more about norovirus:
Four norovirus myths debunked, and how to avoid catching the bug (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)
'Red flag' symptom of virus sweeping UK which means 'don't go to work for 48 hours' (BirminghamLive, 2-min read)
Little-known way highly contagious vomiting bug norovirus spreads (BelfastLive, 3-min read)
