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Doctors have begun trials for the world’s first mRNA vaccine against the deadly vomiting bug norovirus, which hopes to bring huge health and economic benefits, in the UK. Norovirus is a common, yet highly contagious virus – which causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. It has symptoms similar to stomach flu - but with different causes. According to experts, norovirus spreads easily through close contact or on contaminated food or surfaces.

Also known as the ‘winter bug’ - the virus is linked to thousands of hospital admissions across the world. The jab, which uses mRNA technology - the same used in COVID-19 jabs – informs tell the immune system to recognize a "foreign" protein in viruses and mount an attack.

In this case, it targets three strains of norovirus.

Doctors said even though most people recover from the infection within two to three days, the virus is very serious, particularly for younger children or the elderly who have an underdeveloped or weakened immune system.

According to Dr. Patrick Moore, the national chief investigator for the trial in the UK, ay at present there have been no approved vaccines for norovirus in the world, while people who become very ill were simply given intravenous fluids. “The burden of the bug was huge, with about 685m cases and 200,000 deaths globally each year. In the UK it is thought there are about 4m norovirus cases annually, with 12,000 hospitalizations a year in England alone,” he told The Guardian.

Known as Nova 301 – Dr. Moore said the phase 3 clinical trial would run for two years while enrolling around 25,000 participants with a focus especially on those over the age of 60 years, from countries across the world, including Japan, Canada, and Australia.

Nearly 40 27 NHS primary and secondary care sites from England, Scotland, and Wales are involved in the trial – which began earlier this month. The team is using mobile units to make it easier for people to take part.

The British arm of the study is part of the 10-year Moderna-UK Strategic Partnership and involves a collaboration between the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), and the pharmaceutical company Moderna, which is producing the vaccine.

Moderna says will analyse whether the vaccine should be used as a seasonal jab like the flu vaccine, or whether it could offer lifelong immunity.

According to experts, there are various strains of norovirus - in the Caliciviridae family which cause inflammation of your stomach and intestines. Norovirus outbreaks occur most often between November and April in countries above the equator and between April and September in countries below the equator. A few symptoms include:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Stomach pain
• A headache
• Fever
• Body aches

Symptoms usually appear 12 to 48 hours after exposure to the virus and last one to three days.

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