Massachusetts Health Care Workers Refusing Free Flu Shots
Story Highlights Hundreds of health care workers in Massachusetts are declining the annual flu shot. Health care worker flu shot requirements vary from state to state. A recent study questions the scientific validity of mandating annual influenza vaccinations for hospital workers. Hundreds of health care workers in Massachusetts, including those in nursing homes and kidney […]
New Technology to Store Vaccination History in the Body
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) News reported that researchers at the university have developed a way to record a person’s vaccination history and store the data in a pattern of dye, invisible to the naked eye, by infusing it under the skin at the same time the vaccine is given.1 The idea is to […]
Tamiflu on Track to Be an Over-The-Counter Drug
In July 2019, drug and French vaccine manufacturer Sanofi signed a deal with Roche Pharmaceuticals to obtain exclusive over-the-counter (OTC) rights for Tamiflu (oseltamivir), an antiviral drug licensed for the treatment of influenza infections. Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, currently sells Tamiflu in the United States only for prescription use.1 Tamiflu is a […]
Vaccine Market Valued at $93 Billion by 2026
A recent report by Fortune Business Insights projects the value of the world market for vaccines to reach $93.08 billion by 2026, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.7 percent during the forecast period.1 One of the main drivers of the vaccine market is the need for greater supplies of vaccines, given stricter government […]
Higher Humidity in Buildings Can Help Lower Infections
Harvard Medical School graduate and pediatric oncologist Stephanie Taylor, MD once took care of children with cancer at a teaching hospital. She wondered why many of her young patients contracted infections, such as influenza, despite the hospital’s heavy emphasis on prevention. Taylor began to suspect increased susceptibility to contracting infections might have something to do […]
Stress Prevention Vaccine On the Horizon
Story Highlights Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder say that a vaccine to prevent stress is on the horizon. According to the study, a bacterium found in soil called Mycobacterium vaccae injected into rodents showed that the injections reduced stress in the rodents. The medical literature shows that spending time in nature and handling soil significantly […]