Flu Vaccine Effectiveness Pegged at About 50 Percent
Each year, the influenza vaccine is promoted across the country—recommended by public health authorities, advertised widely, and often required by medical workplaces, schools, and childcare centers. Yet, the vaccine’s effectiveness remains uncertain, as it is formulated months in advance based on predictions of which influenza virus strains will predominately circulate. This season, the flu shot’s […]
NIH Cuts Funding for “Vaccine Hesitancy” Research
Certain areas of research funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) is being reduced or discontinued with the justification that these areas no longer align with the agency’s current priorities. One of the areas in which funding will be cut is millions of dollars in NIH grants for studying vaccine hesitancy and strategies […]
Are Influenza Vaccine Failures One Reason for Declining Flu Shot Uptake?
The rates of adults and children in the United States receiving influenza vaccinations have been steadily declining in recent years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During the 2019-2020 “flu season,” 63.7 percent of American children between six months to 17 years of age received flu shots, compared to 55.4 […]
‘Mysterious’ Pneumonia Outbreaks Reported in China
News reports of outbreaks of a bacterial respiratory illness known as mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) in northern China began to emerge in October 2023. The outbreaks, primarily among children, have been attributed by public health professionals to “declining immunity levels” in people as a result of “preventive measures” taken in over the past three years […]
U.S. Colleges, Companies Reinstate COVID Mask and Vaccine Mandates
Even though the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. government declared an end to the COVID-19 public health emergency in May 2023, some colleges and companies in the United States have announced they will be reinstating mandates to force people to wear masks and get COVID shots as a condition of getting a college education […]
Novel mRNA Lyme Shots Could Be Released in 2025
Two novel messenger RNA (mRNA) shots for Lyme disease currently in late-stage clinical trials could hit the market as early as 2025, Moderna announced earlier this year. Also in the race to develop the first-ever mRNA product to prevent Lyme disease are Pfizer and Austria-based Valneva, which entered into a collaborative agreement in April 2020 […]