Dukoral

ndhillon

Can anyone share their experience taking a relatively new oral vaccine called
DUKORAL? Apparently, this can prevent many "water born" illnesses , by protecting against strains of E coli. If I take it, does that mean I may "drink" the water ??

Wanderer22

I don't think it claims 100% protection so common sense is called for. It's quite possible that contaminated water could have several pathogens present. I took Dukaral earlier this year and still had a case of diarrhea that needed treatment. Fortunately the problem was not very severe so perhaps the Dukaral helped.
Do a search on this site for Dukaral and you'll probably turn up more information.

W22

Baby Zebra

does anyone know if there's still a way to get this stuff in london or the u.s.?

wonderwomanusa

>If I take it, does that mean I may "drink" the water ??<

Oh, please don't tempt the gods in that manner! There's bottled water everywhere, and it's cheap! Or take some iodine with you, to purify the tap water.

vistet

I talked this over with my infectious diseases specialist before going in September. In the end he left the decision with me : it has some effect against E. coli toxins , which are structurally close to cholera , the original indication, but far from a cure-all.
Some effect , but not cost effective seems to be the consensus. ( Here in Sweden , where it´s produced, the two dose regimen costs around 40 Euros - more expensive in most countries).

Vespar

We finished our last dose last week. No side effects so far. Will not really know how good it is until we return in April. It was recommended in Australia as we are doing a 3 month stint. However, I wasn't too happy with the cost. $100 later so I hope it works.

nedhopkins

I took Dukoral before my month-long trip to India last December. Although I cannot prove the drug saved me from cholera, diarrhoea, or both, the fact is I did avoid them -- even though I was not pathologically scrupulous in what and where I ate and drank.

Even if it provides only 80, 60, or 40 percent protection, that is a whole whale of a lot better than no protection at all. And what is Euros40 or even US$180 against the possibility your vacation might be ruined or your health destroyed?

Chandra

To quote myself (different thread):

Good luck!

C

Padma

I got Dukroal as a vaccine for Cholera and no doctor ever suggested it protected against anything else. I would check very carefully before you try and use it as a preventative for anything other than it's intended purpose. I certainly got sick from ordinary bacteria after having it, though happily, no cholera.

I doubt there is anything that can totally protect you from bugs while travelling and I don't thin Dukoral is intded for this purpose but then I'm not a doctor. Maybe ask the doc where you were to be given (or got) it.

Have a great trip.
Padma

vistet

Well, that would be the professional attitude : no doctor would suggest it just because it increases your chances with the inherent risks of people taking greater risks .

As I said earlier, protection against E. coli-induced diarrhea is not listed as indication in the official pharmaceutical handbook, but it goes on to say that the two toxins are "structurally , functionally and immunologically" similar.

Well put - apply some basic rules (boil it , peel it or forget it ) , and try not to obsess about it after that.