The scourge of tourists abroad, the so-called travellers’ trots, may soon be cured by swallowing a single pill, according to The Times.
The paper said that clinical trials were due to begin in Britain on an oral vaccine that could prevent nearly two thirds of cases of diarrhoea experienced by people travelling to foreign parts.
The research work is being carried out by a firm called Microscience in Wokingham, Berkshire, and about 40 healthy volunteers would soon be taking the new pill to ensure its effectiveness and safety, The Times added.
The uncomfortable condition is caused by a bug called enterotoxigenic E. coli, or Etec for short.
If the pill proves a success, it could be a boon to people living in poorer countries around the world. The bug is blamed for causing the deaths of more than 500,000 children in the developing world every year.
