More Parents in U.K. Refuse Childhood Vaccinations
In late 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that there had been a decline in state required vaccines from 95 percent to 93 percent among kindergarteners during the 2020-2021 school year compared to the 2019-2020 school year.1 2 Now, public health officials in the United Kingdom also are reporting lower […]
Guillain-Barré Syndrome ‘More Common Than Expected’ in Early RSV Vaccine Trial
Reports of the nervous system disorder Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) were “more common than expected” in the older adult population who received the new vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The data, reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), matched trial data reported earlier this year.1 GBS is a “polio-like” inflammatory autoimmune […]
FDA Licenses Merck’s Capvaxive Pneumococcal Vaccine
On June 17, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed Merck & Company, Inc.’s new pneumococcal conjugate vaccine Capvaxive (formerly V116) for adults 18 years of age and older. The vaccine is designed to protect against 21 types of the bacteria causing pneumococcal disease, which can lead to severe infection in the lungs […]
Finland Offers Bird Flu Vaccine to Farm Workers
Public health officials in Finland are preparing to offer H5N1 influenza (also known as avian influenza or bird flu) vaccines to people at who they believe are at risk of exposure to an avian influenza strain spreading among farmed and wild animals. Finland is the first country to administer avian influenza vaccines to certain populations […]
Study Finds Measles Vaccine Far More Likely to Fail in C-Section Babies
According to a new study published in Nature Microbiology, babies born via Caesarean section (C-section) are likely to fail to respond to one dose of the live attenuated MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. In fact, researchers found it is 2.6 times more likely that the vaccine is ineffective for babies who are born via C-section […]
Moderna Stops mRNA COVID Biologics Plant Construction in Kenya
Moderna, Inc. announced recently that it has suspended its efforts to build a $200–$500 million mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) biologics manufacturing facility in Kenya while it determines projected future demand for mRNA biologics in Africa. Company officials concluded that, since the end of the COVID pandemic, interest in COVID-19 biologics in Kenya and Africa has […]