Some people get a UTI once in a blue moon. Others get them again and again — and every round means another course of antibiotics. 💊
Here’s the twist: UTI vaccines exist. A Medscape podcast episode (InDiscussion: UTIs, Season 1 Episode 1) had two urology experts — Drs Anne Lenore Ackerman and Curtis Nickel — talking about exactly this.
First, what counts as “recurrent UTI”? 🔁
- 2 or more UTIs in 6 months, or 3 or more in a year.
- About 1 in 9 women get a UTI every year — and over a quarter get another within months.
- Each round means antibiotics. Too many rounds, and the germs learn to fight back.
So how does the vaccine work? 🧬
- The best-studied one is MV140 (brand: Uromune) — a spray pumped under the tongue, daily for 3 months. No needle.
- It’s made from 4 killed UTI-causing bacteria. It trains your immune system to recognise them before an infection even starts.
- In a clinical trial, about 57% of women stayed UTI-free, versus 25% on placebo. Other studies show roughly 70% fewer UTIs.
- Another vaccine, StroVac, is given by injection — but the evidence for it is less consistent.
The catch 👀
- These vaccines are for prevention, not treatment. A UTI you have right now still needs proper treatment.
- Availability is patchy — used in parts of Europe, the UK and Canada, but not officially available everywhere yet, including Malaysia.
- Not everyone with recurrent UTIs needs one. Sometimes the real fix is something else — that’s a conversation to have with a doctor.
Real talk 💯
- If UTIs keep coming back, don’t just repeat antibiotics forever. Come in — we’ll find out why they keep returning.
- Drink enough water, pee after sex, don’t hold it in. Boring advice, but it works.
- Curious about UTI vaccines? Ask us — we’ll tell you what’s available and what’s coming.