Scientists identify molecular biomarkers of vaccine immunity
Testing the efficacy of vaccines in clinical trials takes years, even decades. Yet challenging infections like HIV, malaria and dengue are striking today. To speed up vaccine testing, scientists at the...
View ArticleFlu vaccine not working well; only 23 percent effective
As predicted, this year's flu vaccine is doing a pretty crummy job. It's only 23 percent effective, primarily because it doesn't include the bug that is making most people sick, according to a...
View ArticleFlu's grip on U.S. starting to weaken: CDC
(HealthDay)—After a rough start to the flu season, the number of infections seems to have peaked and is even starting to decline in many parts of the nation, federal health officials reported Thursday.
View ArticlePreteen whooping cough vaccine loses strength over time, CDC finds
(HealthDay)— A booster shot of the whooping cough vaccine that is given to preteens loses a large measure of effectiveness within a few years, new research reveals.
View ArticleCervical cancer vaccine might work after just one shot, not three
Protecting girls from cervical cancer might be possible with just one dose of the HPV vaccine rather than the three now recommended, a new analysis suggests.
View ArticleMedia coverage of HPV vaccine boosts reports of adverse effects
The number of adverse events associated with the HPV vaccine reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appeared to be related to media...
View ArticleGinseng can treat and prevent influenza and RSV, researcher finds
Ginseng can help treat and prevent influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a respiratory virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages, according to research findings by a scientist in...
View ArticleVaccines have low risk of serious side effects, review study reports
Some childhood vaccines are linked to serious side effects, but they are quite rare and do not include autism, food allergies or cancer, said a review of scientific literature Tuesday.
View ArticleFlu vaccine may hold key to preventing heart disease
A new study in Vaccine explains how flu vaccines prevent heart attacks
View ArticlePowdered measles vaccine found safe in early clinical trials
A measles vaccine made of fine dry powder and delivered with a puff of air triggered no adverse side effects in early human testing and it is likely effective, according to a paper to be published...
View ArticleWhen parents hesitate about vaccines, what should health-care providers say?
In recent years, the US has witnessed multiple outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses, including pertussis (whooping cough) and measles. In the same time frame, vaccine refusal rates have gone up,...
View ArticlePersistence yields progress in AIDS vaccine research
Phil Berman has been working to develop an AIDS vaccine for nearly 30 years, first at the pioneering biotech company Genentech, then as cofounder of VaxGen, and now at UC Santa Cruz, where he is the...
View ArticlePatients with flu-associated pneumonia less likely to have received flu vaccine
Among children and adults hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia, those with influenza-associated pneumonia, compared with those with pneumonia not associated with influenza, had lower odds of...
View ArticleStudies raise questions about impact of statins on flu vaccination in seniors
A new pair of studies suggests that statins, drugs widely used to reduce cholesterol, may have a detrimental effect on the immune response to influenza vaccine and the vaccine's effectiveness at...
View ArticleAge-related response to the hepatitis B vaccine linked to inflammation
Physicians have known for years that patients respond differently to vaccines as they age. There may soon be a new way to predict and enhance the effectiveness of vaccinations, in particular the...
View ArticleHybrid vaccination protocol could cut whooping cough cases by 95 percent
Whooping cough is making a major comeback in the United States right now, and public health officials are struggling with what to do about it. Now, two SFI researchers have a surprising proposal: go...
View ArticleEfficacy of DTaP, tdap holds despite pertactin deficiency
(HealthDay)—Despite an increased proportion of Bordetella pertussis isolates lacking pertactin, vaccine effectiveness (VE) is still high in Vermont for the five-dose diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular...
View ArticleNew testing of Ebola vaccine to start next month in Canada
An Ebola vaccine developed by Canadian researchers and considered by the WHO to be the first effective treatment against the virus will soon start a new phase of clinical trials, Ottawa announced Tuesday.
View ArticleMore are positive about HPV vaccine on Twitter than not, study finds
Like it or not, social media has become a driving force in the way many people get information on health topics.
View ArticleEffectiveness of one-dose MenACWY-D drops over time
(HealthDay)—For adolescents, the effectiveness of the one-dose meningococcal (groups A, C, W, and Y) polysaccharide diphtheria toxoid conjugate vaccine (MenACWY-D) decreases at three to less than eight...
View ArticleMajority of Americans say benefits of childhood vaccines outweigh risks
Despite debate about the safety of childhood vaccines among some groups in the public, an overwhelming majority of Americans (82%) support requiring children attending public school to be vaccinated...
View ArticleCDC backs breast-feeding, despite false story
A widely shared story that U.S. health officials are recommending a delay in breast-feeding to improve vaccine effectiveness is false.
View ArticleWhy your child still needs vaccines, even if you may not know someone with...
At the turn of the 21st century, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published an article about the 10 greatest public health achievements over the past 100 years, from 1900-1999. One of...
View ArticleDevelopment of a novel vaccine for Zika
Research presented by Farshad Guirakhoo, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, GeoVax, Inc., at the ASM Microbe 2017 meeting showed a new Zika virus vaccine that gives 100% protection in mice. The vaccine...
View ArticleOntarians still skeptical of flu shot
Half of all people who avoid the flu shot do so because they question its importance and effectiveness, a new study from the University of Waterloo reports.
View ArticlePro-vaccine messages can boost belief in MMR myths
Current strategies for correcting misinformation about the dangers of vaccinations have the opposite effect and reinforce ill-founded beliefs, a study suggests.
View ArticleLive attenuated flu vaccine not effective for children in 2015-16
(HealthDay)—During the 2015 to 2016 season, influenza vaccines reduced the risk of influenza illness, but the live attenuated vaccine was ineffective among children 2 to 17 years of age, according to a...
View ArticleBCG jab may protect against TB for nearly twice as long as previously thought
Previously thought to be effective for 10-15 years, a new case-control study found that if given in early teenage years (12-13), the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine protected over 50% of UK...
View ArticleInfluenza picking up in U.S., predominantly A(H3N2)
(HealthDay)—Influenza activity was low during October 2017 but started increasing in November, with influenza A, predominantly A(H3N2), most commonly identified, according to research published in the...
View ArticleFlu vaccine could work as well as last year's shot: study
(HealthDay)—As the flu barrels across the United States, the good news is that this year's vaccine may work better than many expected.
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