Health center fights colds among Navy recruits

Health officials say they’re reducing illness among Navy recruits with a two-pill vaccination against a common virus.

The Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago started giving the adenovirus vaccine to recruits in October.

Since then, the average number of colds with fever has fallen significantly.

Lovell officials say the vaccine is considered a great success because it keeps Navy recruits healthy and in training.

The vaccine is manufactured by Barr Laboratories Inc. and has been approved for Department of Defense personnel entering basic training. It’s not currently available to the general public.

Recruits received the vaccine for about 25 years until the late 1990s when original maker Wyeth Pharmaceuticals stopped production.