Hay Fever Vaccine

Research conducted by Imperial College London and King's College London has suggested that a new Hay Fever vaccine could be developed as a cure for the sufferers. This is great news for those who do suffer from Hay Fever, the number of them exceeding 10 million in England alone, with the current vaccine only benefiting about 1,000 people. The main treatment is in the form of drugs including antihistamines and steroids, with injections of pollen under the skin being reserved for the serious cases due to the expensive nature of the treatment. The research team endeavoured to use shallowed injections in an area of the skin which is densely packed with white blood cells, allowing them to use a dose which is 1/2000th of the current injection. In the test group of 30 patients, it was suggested that the allergic reaction to grass pollen decreased because of the vaccine. A clinical trial with 90 patients is now commencing in order to find if the vaccine can combat symptoms other than grass allergy including sneezing. The relatively small dosage and the fact that fewer injections need to be administered per patient makes this method of treatment a lot more cost effective than previous attempts, and with Allergy UK describing this breakthrough as very encouraging, there is a strong possibility that within the next few years suffering from hay fever will be a thing of the past.