Diarrhea vaccine may help travlers

As spring break planning season, many students cut out Mexico and many other countries where the water is, well, not up to par because as much fun as it would be to wear sombreros and shoot tequilla for a week, the consequence are not always worth it. We've all heard the stories of those students who partied the week away in Cancun, but they are still feeling those margaritas a week later because of unclean water that causes - diarrhea.

It's an icky subject to talk about because no one wants to say they have ... diarrhea.

A new study found that a vaccine for travelers' diarrhea shows promise.The study found that travelers who took the Iomai Corp. vaccine were significantly less likely to sickened compared to the travelers who took the placebo, according to "Diarrhea vaccine shows promise, maker says" on Sept. 19.

Iomai's patch-based vaccine is designed to stimulate an immune response using the so-called ETEC toxin, Iomai said.

Of the 59 people who received a patch-based vaccine, only two suffered moderate and one suffered severe diarrhea. Whereas 23 of the 111 people who received the placebo suffered moderate or severe diarrhea, 12 of those people suffered severe diarrhea.

Iomai plans to begin a late-stage program for the vaccine in 2008.

But for the time being, spring breakers must still beware of those alluring Latin American beach getaways ... don't drink the water.