Quest for Universal Flu Vaccine Boosted by $200M NIH Grant to University of Maryland
Story Highlights National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded the University of Maryland a contract for more than $200 million to develop a universal influenza vaccine. Currently, the influenza vaccine used around the world is developed every year by drug companies based on the “best guesses” made by public health officials at the World Health […]
One in Four Vaccinated Children in Chinese City Got Measles
Story Highlights A new study shows that despite a measles vaccination rate of more than 97 percent, over a quarter of vaccinated children in Tianjin, China still became infected with measles. Even with two or more doses of measles vaccine, 8.5 percent of cases in the surveillance dataset and 26 percent in the case series […]
Kenya Launches Malaria Vaccine Pilot Program
Kenya has become the third African country, along with Ghana and Malawi, to launch a pilot program for the world’s first malaria vaccine, Mosquirix, which has been developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The vaccine is available to children from six months of age in specific locations in Kenya due to its phased pilot introduction.1 2 Malaria […]
Executive Order Creates Influenza Vaccine Task Force to Promote “National Security and Public Health”
On Sept. 19, 2019, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order, “Modernizing Influenza Vaccines in the United State to Promote National Security and Public Health.” Describing mass use of influenza vaccines “to combat seasonal flu” and influenza pandemics as “strengthening our Nation’s public health and security,” he announced the establishment of a National Influenza Vaccine […]
Infant Girl in India Dies Day After Receiving Oral Polio and Pentavalent Vaccines
Two-month-old Priyanka Biswal died on Sept. 5, 2019, a day after receiving the live attenuated oral polio vaccine (OPV), pentavalent (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type B) vaccine and vitamin supplements at a Community Health Center (CHC) in Naranapur, India.1 2 A report by the Orissa Post noted, “after intake of the polio […]
American Academy of Neurology Recommends Routine Vaccination for MS Patients
New guidelines released by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) recommend that patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) should get routine vaccinations, including annual influenza vaccinations. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that can affect a person’s brain, optic nerves and spinal cord. Patients with MS often experience muscle weakness and have difficulty with balance and […]