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…
New Human Fetal Cell Line Available for Vaccine Production
Since the 1960s, a number of vaccines have been manufactured using “human-diploid fibroblast cell cultures”—cells from tissue of aborted human fetuses.1 2 3 4 5 They include the following 11 vaccines listed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vaccine Excipient & Media Summary table: Adenovirus; DTaP-IPV/Hib (Pentacel); DTaP-IPV (Quadracel); Hep A…
Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness a ‘Dismal 10 Percent’
On Feb. 26, 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated the effectiveness of the vaccine against the predominant influenza A H3N2 viruses for the 2014-2015 season at 18 percent—a level reportedly described by CDC researchers as having “little to no efficacy.”