Meningitis C vaccine 'wears off in early teens'

Three-quarters of children vaccinated against meningitis C lose their protection against the disease by their early teens, research suggests.

The Oxford team which did the work says its findings fuel calls for a booster jab to be offered to adolescents.

The study of 250 children aged six to 12, presented to a European conference, looked at immunity seven years after the jab was given.

UK experts agreed a booster may be needed in the future.

The research was carried out by the Oxford Vaccine Group at Oxford University.

The group tested the children, who had all been vaccinated against meningitis C, for levels of antibodies against the bacteria in their bloodstream.

It was found that just 25% of the children had sufficiently high levels of the antibodies to give them protection against the disease.

The researchers say that British children are still protected against the potentially fatal bacteria at the moment, through the existence of herd immunity.

That means that vaccination has significantly reduced the level of meningitis in the population, and so even people who are not vaccinated are also protected.

But the researchers, led by Professor Andrew Pollard, told the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) meeting in Nice, France, that if herd immunity starts to decline many children will be vulnerable.

'All time low'

Professor Pollard said: "This study is just the latest to show that the personal protection given by meningitis C vaccines in early childhood doesn't last forever and several countries have now responded to these findings by introducing teenage boosters, before protection fails in the population."

Falling immunity levels against meningitis C vaccination have been reported in Greece, the Netherlands and Spain.

Austria, Canada and Switzerland have already introduced booster jabs.

Dr Jamie Findlow, deputy head of the Health Protection Agency's Vaccine Evaluation Unit in Manchester, said: "By giving each teenager a booster dose of meningococcal vaccine as they are entering adolescence, we can ensure that they are protected when they most need it."

Professor Ray Borrow, head of the unit, said: "Parents should not be worried - at the moment cases of meningitis C are at an all time low.

"In 2008-2009 in England and Wales there were just 13 cases - and nine of these were in adults over 25 who may not have been vaccinated.

"We and other researchers are looking at how and when a booster could be introduced, but it doesn't have to come tomorrow."

He said herd immunity should last until around 2015.

Sue Davie, chief executive of the Meningitis Trust said the Oxford team's research raised "significant concerns".

"Vaccination is the only way to prevent meningitis and save lives. We support the use of safe and effective vaccines and encourage people to receive the vaccines that are currently available.

"If, as a result of this research, a booster programme is introduced, we would actively encourage the introduction of this."

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "The number of cases of meningococcal C disease is currently very low.

Pick the right veg' for health

Obvious choices of fruit and vegetables are not necessarily the healthiest, say researchers.

According to US experts, making simple swaps like eating sweet potatoes instead of carrots and papaya rather than oranges could make a difference.

Foods, like raspberries, watercress and kale, are richer in phytonutrients which may help prevent disease, they told a US meeting.

UK nutritionists said a balanced diet is essential to good health.

The British Nutrition Foundation warned that relying on eating a few select food types to boost health was ill-advised and said there was no such thing as a "superfood".

Experts recommend five portions a day of fruit and veg in a healthy diet.

Plant foods are known to contain "phytonutrient" chemicals that can protect the heart and arteries and prevent cancers.

But the most popular varieties may not be the best, according to US researchers.

They analysed data from US health surveys of people's dietary habits to look at the most common sources of phytonutrients.

They found that for 10 of the 14 phytonutrients studied, a single food type accounted for two-thirds or more of an individual's consumption, regardless of how much fruit and veg they ate overall.

Carrots were the most common source of beta-carotene, oranges and orange juice the most common source of beta-cryptoxanthin, spinach the most common source of lutein/zeaxanthin, strawberries the most common source of ellagic acid and mustard the biggest provider of isothiocyanates.

However, for each of these phytonutrients there was a richer food source available.

Richer foods

Switching from carrots to sweet potatoes would nearly double beta-carotene intake, say the researchers.

Similarly papaya contains 15 times more beta-cryptoxanthin than oranges, while kale has three times more lutein/zeaxanthin than spinach.

Raspberries have three times more ellagic acid than strawberries and one cup of watercress contains as much isothiocyanate as four teaspoonfuls of mustard.

Study leader Keith Randolph, who is a technology strategist for the supplement company Nutrilite, said: "These data highlight the importance of not only the quantity but also the significant impact the quality and variety of the fruits and vegetables you eat can have on your health."

Dr Emma Williams of the British Nutrition Foundation said: "They are right that some foods are richer sources of phytonutrients.

"But at the end of the day, to be healthy you need to make sure you have a varied and balanced diet.

"No one food can give you everything you need."

The findings were presented at the 2010 Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, California.

Private zoo discovered at Kyrgyz ex-leader's home

Two snow leopards were found among the private collection of exotic animals

A pair of snow leopards and two bear cubs were among the exotic animals found in the private zoo of ousted Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

A golden eagle, two falcons, four African peacocks and Indian ducks were also found in the zoo at the family home in the southern Jalalabad region.

Investigators found the collection when they raided the estate after Mr Bakiyev fled the country. He is now in Belarus.

He has been charged in absentia with organising mass killings.

Mr Bakiyev was ousted in protests on 7 April in which more than 80 people died.

The interim government says his administration ordered troops to open fire on protesters. It plans to seek Mr Bakiyev's extradition from Belarus to face trial.

The former president also kept an African ostrich and Austrian white and black swans in his private menagerie, investigators said.

"The prosecutors are considering measures to evacuate those animals for their protection," the prosecutor general's office said.

Brunettes have more beaus? Hair color facts

Your mane offers surprising insights into your mental, physical well-being

Our hair is our most noticeable trait — and we obsess over it accordingly. But even though we spend lots of time enhancing and re-enhancing our tresses, we probably haven't considered something pretty cool: What's underneath all the glosses and highlights can be a health barometer of sorts.

If you're a blonde...

...protect your peepersWomen have a higher risk than men of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye condition that can cause blindness. And fair-haired females are especially prone to AMD, says Svetlana Kogan, M.D., founder of Doctors at Trump Place in New York City. A diet rich in the natural compounds lutein and zeaxanthin — found in kale, spinach, and snow peas — can help fend it off. Kogan suggests munching on one cup of the green veggies every day.

Melanin gives skin its color and helps shield it from harmful UV rays, says dermatologist Joel Schlessinger, M.D., president emeritus of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery. Thing is, blondes produce less of the stuff, which leaves their skin (and especially their scalps) at a higher risk for melanoma. Buy a full-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen that shields against harmful UVA and UVB rays. And don't neglect your head: "Blondes should always wear a hat when they're in direct sunlight," says Schlessinger.

If you're a brunette...

...hold on to your hairMore than half of the 30 million American women with visible hair loss are brunettes. That could be because they have less hair to begin with: "Brown tresses are generally coarser and thicker than blonde or red strands, and your body produces fewer of them," Schlessinger says. So when brown hair follicles die, they leave behind more noticeable thin patches. Stave off sparse coverage by eating right. Low iron can contribute to hair loss, so start swallowing 18 milligrams a day; one cup of fortified oatmeal will provide your daily fill.

...stub out that buttYour chestnut mane is the result of lots of melanin, which could fast-track your dependency on nicotine. The reason: Melanin prevents your liver from quickly metabolizing the drug, and the longer it's in your system, the faster you become hooked. Animal studies suggest that vitamin C helps keep your liver in top shape. Swallow 75 milligrams a day in the form of half a cup of red peppers or a medium-size orange. Your best bet, though, is never to pick up a cancer stick. Period.

 

 

Vaccine 'could cut HIV TB deaths'

A vaccine could cut tuberculosis cases among HIV-positive Africans by almost two-fifths, a US study suggests.

The lung infection is the most common cause of death among HIV patients in the continent.

Journal Aids reports that Dartmouth Medical School research involving 2,000 people found significantly fewer TB cases in vaccinated patients.

An expert said the jab could be a cheaper option for countries struggling to find money for extra anti-HIV drugs.

HIV patients are particularly vulnerable to TB because their immune systems are compromised.

The vaccine works by boosting the immune responses of patients who have already been given the BCG vaccine earlier in life.

In itself, the BCG jab may offer some protection against TB, but this is far from certain, and protection may only last a few years after immunisation.

The researchers from Dartmouth Medical School in the US tested it among 2,000 HIV positive patients in Tanzania over a seven-year period.

The number of confirmed TB cases was 39% lower in the vaccinated group.

First vaccine

Professor Ford von Reyn, who led the study, said it was a "significant milestone".

One theory now suggests that patients could be given the booster jab as soon as they are diagnosed with HIV, before antiretroviral drugs are needed.

Alvaro Bermejo, executive director at the International HIV/Aids Alliance, said that the other way of fighting TB in HIV patients might be to give them antiretrovirals earlier, an expensive option compared with a vaccination programme.

He said: "This is a very important finding - it is the first time we are going to have a vaccine which is influential in preventing opportunistic infections in HIV patients.

"TB is a massive problem - a third of people living with HIV in Africa are infected with it.

"The reduction of 39% seen in Tanzania, although not fabulous, is a good result."

Prions 'may keep nerves healthy'

Experiments on mice may help scientists understand the workings of the prion protein linked to brain disease vCJD.

Swiss researchers say there is evidence that prions play a vital role in the maintenance of the sheath surrounding our nerves.

They say it is possible that an absence of prions causes diseases of the peripheral nervous system.

One expert said there was growing evidence that the prion had a number of important roles in the body.

As well as the latest research in the journal Nature Neuroscience, other studies have indicated prions may protect us from Alzheimer's disease or even play a role in our sense of smell.

The prion protein only came to the attention of scientists in recent years as they searched for the cause of vCJD - the human variant of BSE, or Mad Cow Disease.

This degenerative and incurable brain condition is now thought to be caused by a "mis-folded" version of the prion.

However, there is still little understanding of what the protein is supposed to do in its normal, healthy, form.

Healthy prions

The study, by scientists at the University Hospital in Zurich, looked at mice bred with fewer prion proteins.

While these mice are known to be resistant to prion diseases equivalent to vCJD in humans, they showed a number of abnormalities, including a degeneration, later in life, of the peripheral nerve cells, and the protective myelin sheath which surrounds them.

Peripheral nerves are those which link the limbs and organs to the central nervous system - the spinal cord and brain.

Looking more closely, researchers examined the effects of removing the prion protein in both the nerve cells themselves, and the Schwann cells surrounding them, which are responsible for making the myelin sheath.

While removing protein from the Schwann cells had no effect, taking it from the neurons led to a breakdown of the myelin and degeneration of the nerve cells.

They said that the knowledge that prion protein played some role in the healthy upkeep of nerve cells could offer a new avenue of research into diseases affecting humans.

However, scientists caution that it is too early to pick out a particular peripheral nerve condition which might correspond to the mouse experiments.

Recent work

Professor Nigel Hooper, from the University of Leeds, agreed that the role of the protein was not well understood.

His own work, published in 2007, suggested that it might offer some protection from the development of Alzheimer's disease.

But he said this was unlikely to be the complete answer.

He said: "Most people started by focusing on prions in relation to a human disease, and have only recently started to examine what it normally does.

"There is some evidence that it could have a number of different roles, depending on its whereabouts in the body - a recent paper linked it to olfaction or the sense of smell."