New vaccine to help prevent urinary tract infections –

People over the age of 60 may soon be given a vaccine to protect themselves from urinary tract infections, significantly reducing the number of people suffering from this painful condition each year.

In the coming months, the vaccine will be available in several NHS hospitals as part of a groundbreaking study that will assess whether a single injection can stop cases caused by the common E. Coli bacteria.

The first shots could happen this week, according to Nicki Lakeman, senior research nurse at Dorset University Hospitals, one of the hospitals attending the trial: get vaccinated.

E. coli insects live in the intestines of humans and animals and are generally harmless. However, if certain strains get into sensitive areas of the body such as the urinary tract – a common term for the associated bladder, kidney and tubes – they can lead to debilitating and often dangerous infections (model image)

E. coli insects live in the intestines of humans and animals and are generally harmless. However, certain strains can lead to debilitating and often dangerous infections if they get into sensitive areas of the body, such as the urinary tract, which is a common term for the bladder, kidney, and related tubes.

Women’s health and microbial infections specialist Dr. “UTIs can be caused by a number of bacteria, but about 90 percent of them are caused by E. coli,” says Cat Anderson.

Now researchers at pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson hope E. Coli vaccines will ease the suffering of thousands of people. The trial will give more than 60 Brits suffering from at least one urinary tract infection (UTI) a year the chance to get an injection.

Each year, more than a million Britons, 80 percent of whom are women, get urinary tract infections and experience an extremely burning sensation when urinating. Older people are more at risk because with age, the bladder doesn’t work well and may not empty completely, leaving bacteria in the urinary tract.

Postmenopausal women are also more prone to infections because the female sex hormone estrogen helps protect tissues in the lower urinary tract and vulva. As levels drop, tissues can become more fragile.

Studies show that one in ten women over the age of 65 have had a urinary tract infection in the past year. That comes out to about three-tenths for women over 85. In older patients, infections can cause delirium. They can also lead to sepsis, which causes about 10,000 deaths per year.

Currently, antibiotics are one of the few treatments for UTIs, but these drugs are becoming less and less effective due to the problem that bacteria become resistant to them.

Sadaf Hussan, from the Antibiotic Research UK charity, said: “We are seeing an alarming increase in people suffering from difficult-to-treat urinary tract infections. These patients, mostly women, are desperate for a treatment that works.” Recently, a vaccine called Uromune was tested that targets four of the most common bacteria behind infections. Dr. “We’ve seen very mixed results with Uromune,” Anderson says.

Another option is a type of medication known as antiseptics that inhibits the growth of bacteria.

Scientists do not believe that bacteria can become resistant to antiseptic drugs, and a study by the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust found that an antiseptic drug, methenamine hippurate, is as effective as antibiotics in reducing the number of chronic infections. patients’ experience.

However, the long-term safety of antiseptic drugs is still unclear.

Dr. “We know that antiseptics work well in preventing problems in people with chronic infections, but we still have no evidence that they can cure an infection,” says Anderson.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is designed to stop infections before they have a chance to spread. It trains the immune system to recognize nine different strains of E. Coli and sends out defensive cells called antibodies that attack and destroy bacteria.

The study, which involved several thousand patients at 25 NHS hospitals, hopes to have results by 2025. Experts believe that if effective, the vaccine, which could be offered annually, could significantly reduce the number of Brits affected by infections.

Dr. “If we can identify which patients are at risk of infection and therefore who might benefit most from the vaccine, that could be a great option,” Anderson said.

ONE patient who could benefit from the vaccine is Alison Daunt, 61, from Midlothian, who has suffered from regular urinary tract infections for over 30 years.

A married mother of two first contracted an E. coli infection after giving birth to her second child.

“It often starts with lower abdominal pain, which leads to an extreme burning sensation,” she says. “At worst, I feel like I’m trying to get past the glass when I pee.”

Alison, a former public relations consultant, was initially given three days of low-grade antibiotics, but over the years this has evolved into high-potency pill courses lasting up to two weeks.

“From the first block it was very bad. I started getting a few infections each month. Now I can’t stop my antibiotics for more than 36 hours before the infection returns.

‘Antibiotics make me tired and take my breath away, so activities like walking are very demanding. I don’t go on vacation anymore because I don’t know when the infection will come back.’

Alison said she would have gotten an E. Coli vaccine right away if she had.

“A urinary tract infection vaccine would have changed my life,” he adds. “All I want is to be able to live a normal life again.”