Vaccine News and Research

Latest Vaccine News and Research

Body Shop founder Roddick reveals she has Hepatitis C

Anita Roddick the founder of the Body Shop has revealed she is suffering from the disease Hepatitis C.

14 Feb 2007

Warning over new rotavirus vaccine RotaTeq

Reports in the United States of cases of infants suffering a serious bowel condition as a result of taking a new vaccine against the rotavirus, have prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue a warning about the drug.

14 Feb 2007

Seasonal flu vaccine offers some protection from H5N1

The yearly influenza vaccine that health officials urge people to get each fall might also offer certain individuals some cross protection against the H5N1 virus commonly known as bird flu, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

13 Feb 2007

Texas lawmakers ask Gov. Perry to rescind order mandating HPV vaccination for girls entering sixth grade

Thirty-two Texas lawmakers last Thursday sent a letter to Gov. Rick Perry (R) reiterating their plea for him to rescind an executive order that would mandate vaccination against human papillomavirus for girls entering the sixth grade, the AP/Dallas Morning News reports.

13 Feb 2007

Actions taken on HPV vaccine proposals in Alabama, Louisiana, Utah, Washington

The following highlights recent news of state actions on human papillomavirus vaccine proposals. Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline's HPV vaccine Cervarix in clinical trials have been shown to be 100% effective in preventing infection with HPV strains 16 and 18, which together cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases.

13 Feb 2007

G7 nations plan to adopt vaccine purchase plan for diseases such as HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria

The Group of Seven industrialized nations on Friday plans to sign an agreement to provide $1.5 billion to develop vaccines for diseases -- including HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria -- that largely affect developing countries, the government of Italy announced on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

13 Feb 2007

Wealthy nations launch vaccine purchase plan for diseases such as HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria

Officials from a group of wealthy nations on Friday launched a $1.5 billion plan to provide and develop vaccines for diseases -- including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria -- that largely affect developing countries, the New York Times reports.

13 Feb 2007

Nanoparticle boost for antitumor vaccines

Researchers have known for some time that certain sequences of synthetic DNA induce potent immune responses when injected into animals and humans.

12 Feb 2007

British bird flu - who's to blame?

The Hungarian Agriculture Ministry has admitted that turkey meat from a plant near the site of a Hungarian bird flu outbreak was sold to various parts of Europe including Britain.

12 Feb 2007

Vaccine against group B Streptococci

The search for a vaccine against group B streptococci Group B streptococci are one of the leading causes of infection in newborn infants, causing pneumonia, septicaemia or meningitis.

12 Feb 2007

Changes in breast cancer management

Aggressive research currently underway brings hope of dramatic advances in breast cancer management, according to a new review.

12 Feb 2007

South Africa starts major HIV/AIDS vaccine trial

The launch of the first large-scale study to evaluate a candidate HIV vaccine on the African continent was announced today by study collaborators in the United States and South Africa. The trial will involve up to 3,000 participants at five sites throughout South Africa and is expected to continue for four years.

11 Feb 2007

Fighting influenza with 40,000 blood samples

Four million people die every year from respiratory diseases such as viral influenza. For elderly people in particular, an infection can be dangerous. What is more, the flu vaccine is not as effective with this risk group as it is with younger people.

7 Feb 2007

Rift Valley Fever crosses into Somalia and Tanzania as Kenyans get tough

The major outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in Kenya has now claimed 139 lives and authorities say the highly-contagious disease has spread into neighbouring Tanzania.

7 Feb 2007

Most of Medicare and Medicaid savings in Bush's budget proposal come from reducing growth in Medicare provider payments

The "lion's share" of the Medicare and Medicaid savings over five years proposed in President Bush's fiscal year 2008 budget proposal comes from limits on annual inflation adjustments for reimbursements to hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers for Medicare, amounting to $39.5 billion, CQ HealthBeat reports.

7 Feb 2007

13 new AIDS vaccine clinical trials initiated in 2006

The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative's (IAVI) January 2007 Annual Issue of VAX, an editorially independent bulletin on AIDS vaccine research published by IAVI, reports that 13 new preventive AIDS vaccine trials were initiated in eight countries around the world in 2006.

6 Feb 2007

Hurricane style warning system will help U.S. cope with a bird flu pandemic

The plan is an early-warning ranking system similar to that deployed at times of hurricanes and is intended to protect and mobilize the country against a flu pandemic.

4 Feb 2007

Peptide vaccine fights off breast tumors with help of bacteria-mimicking agents

With the help of immune system-stimulating molecules that mimic bacterial components, researchers have used a type of cancer vaccine to both delay and prevent breast tumors in mice.

1 Feb 2007

Disappointing end to trials of new gel to protect women against AIDS

In what appears to be a disappointing outcome, trials of a new gel designed for women to protect themselves from the AIDS virus were stopped this week when researchers found that women using it became infected at a higher rate than women not using it.

1 Feb 2007