The Prospect of a Third Dose of MMR
How does that wonderful quote about insanity go again? Oh yeah… “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” It is quote that is commonly but mistakenly attributed to Albert Einstein. It appears the more accurate source may be author Rita Mae Brown in her 1983 book “Sudden Death.” The saying has become a cliché, but it still rings true to me.
Sneaky Lyme Bacterium Avoids Detection, Defies Treatment
Lyme disease has been around for thousands of years. The tenacious bacteria were found in the 5,300-year-old mummy known as “Ötzi” or the “Iceman,” and Lyme is widely regarded as the most common tick-borne illness in North America. Despite pervasiveness of Lyme, currently…
Study: Cows Used to Develop HIV Vaccine
Findings from a study published in Nature in July 2017 reveal that scientists are using cows to better understand the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and develop an HIV vaccine. After decades of research, including clinical trials of different HIV vaccine candidates, there is still no effective vaccine because the virus mutates…
Odds of Vaccine Harm are One in a Million?
It is commonly believed that vaccines are safe. Many doctors and public health officials will tell you that serious adverse effects from vaccines are “extremely rare”—that they occur in less than “one in a million” vaccine doses given. One in a million. It sounds like pretty good odds…
A Polio Vaccine Made from Tobacco Leaves?
Seeking an alternative to using live poliovirus to create the polio vaccine, scientists are infecting a relative of the tobacco plant with a virus “containing the genetic material of polio” to manufacture a new polio vaccine from the modified plant leaves. If the experimental technique is considered successful once the vaccines have been tested in…
