Two Infants in India Die Following Pentavalent Vaccination
Two babies have died and seven others were hospitalized following vaccination at a clinic near Karnataka’s Mandya district in India.1 The children were injected from the same vial of a pentavalent vaccine that administers five different vaccines in one shot. The combination vaccine, which includes vaccines for diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B and haemophilus influenza type b (Hib), is traditionally…
CDC Advisory Committee Flip Flops on FluMist
On June, 22, 2016, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended against using the live nasal spray version of the influenza vaccine known as FluMist during the 2016-2017 influenza season. After reviewing data for 2013-2016, ACIP…
India’s Rotavirus Vaccine Receives WHO Prequalification
Bharat Biotech of India announced that the World Health Organization (WHO) awarded the its rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac, prequalification status. The company introduced Rotavac into India’s national immunization program in 2016. However, the prequalification designation by the WHO is necessary for United Nations…
Indian Study Reveals Birth Dose of Hepatitis B Vaccine Unnecessary
A study funded by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and published in the Indian Journal of Pediatrics was recently conducted by a group of pediatricians to examine if the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine is crucial for acquiring full immunity against hepatitis B infection.
Kenyan Baby Dies After Receiving Measles Vaccine
A baby in Bomet county in Kenya died earlier this week shortly after receiving the measles vaccine at a government health center in the town of Mogogosiek. Four other babies—all under one year of age—were also given the measles vaccine at the health center and became swollen and critically ill.
New Typhoid Fever Vaccine Prequalified by WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) has prequalified the first conjugate vaccine for typhoid fever. The new typhoid fever vaccine, Typbar-TCV, is produced by Bharat Biotech International of Hyderabad, India. Prequalification means that the vaccine meets the WHO’s “acceptable standards of quality, safety and efficacy” and will now be available to be purchased by…