Vaccine News and Research

Latest Vaccine News and Research

Vaccine purchase plan for diseases auch as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria needs political will, funding pledges

The advance market commitment plan aimed at funding the development of vaccines for diseases -- including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria -- that largely affect developing countries is "a new way for partners in the private and public sectors to solve an old problem".

7 Jan 2007

Physician groups, CDC recommend HPV vaccination for girls ages 11, 12

Changes to the 2007 immunization schedules for children and adolescents in the U.S. -- issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics on Tuesday and approved by CDC and the American Academy of Family Physicians -- include recommending that girls ages 11 and 12 receive Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil, Reuters Health reports .

7 Jan 2007

HHS and BioCryst advance development of new influenza drug

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced that the Department has awarded a $102.6 million, four-year contract to BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for advanced development of their influenza antiviral drug, peramivir.

7 Jan 2007

DNA vaccine for H5N1 avian influenza enters human trial

The first human trial of a DNA vaccine designed to prevent H5N1 avian influenza infection began on December 21, 2006, when the vaccine was administered to the first volunteer at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD.

3 Jan 2007

New vaccines against HPV could save hundreds of thousands of lives if delivered effectively

The introduction of new vaccines against Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes cervical cancer, could have a major impact on the health of women in the developing world. More than 250 000 women died from cervical cancer in 2005 - the vast majority in developing countries.

12 Dec 2006

Bird flu vaccine ready in a year but who will get it first?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says a vaccine against the killer H5N1 bird flu virus could be licensed for humans within a year.

11 Dec 2006

An effective malaria vaccine by 2025

A report by the world's leading international health organizations today calls for joint action to accelerate the development and licensing of a highly effective malaria vaccine.

4 Dec 2006

Australia to provide Gardasil at no cost to girls and women ages 12 to 26

Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Wednesday announced that the government will provide about $342 million for a program that will offer Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil at no cost to girls and women ages 12 to 26 living in the country, Bloomberg reports.

2 Dec 2006

New Hampshire to provide Gardasil at no cost to girls

New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services officials on Wednesday announced plans to become the first state to provide Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil at no cost to girls ages 11 to 18 as part of a state program that offers immunizations to minors, the AP/Nashua Telegraph reports.

2 Dec 2006

How to save a million lives a year

A promise of $200 million from some of the world's richest nations to fight diseases in poor countries will save more than a million children's lives a year.

1 Dec 2006

Bird flu hits another farm in South Korea

A second outbreak of the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu at another poultry farm has been confirmed by South Korean authorities; the farm is just 3 km from the first case in North Cholla province in the country's southwest.

29 Nov 2006

Call for safe access for polio vaccinators in Afghanistan's south

The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, concerned about the health of all people in Afghanistan, especially the health of children, called for the safe access of local health workers and vaccinators during polio immunization campaigns and other health activities all over Afghanistan, but particularly in the Southern Region.

23 Nov 2006

US orders more bird flu vaccine for the stockpile

The U.S. government has ordered enough vaccine to protect another 2.7 million people against bird flu.

22 Nov 2006

HHS purchases more vaccines for an influenza pandemic

HHS has announced the purchase of additional vaccine that could be used in the event of a potential influenza pandemic.

20 Nov 2006

Experts say Britain vulnerable to bird flu pandemic

Experts in Britain believe the government should have stockpiled more than one antiviral drug in order to tackle a bird flu pandemic and say Britain has been left vulnerable because the stockpile of anti virus drugs is deficient.

20 Nov 2006

India's persistent polio problem could be solved with a new vaccine

Today Polio has been eradicated in much of the world and is now only found in a few countries such as India, Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

20 Nov 2006

Africa is developing solutions for fighting disease and improving health

The signs are everywhere, across the continent: Africa is finding African approaches to solving its health problems.

20 Nov 2006

Brookhaven target compounds to fight SARS

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have set the stage for the rapid identification of compounds to fight against severe acquired respiratory syndrome (SARS), the atypical pneumonia responsible for about 800 deaths worldwide since first recognized in late 2002.

20 Nov 2006

40% of U.S. women ages 18 to 75 know about human papillomavirus

Forty percent of U.S. women ages 18 to 75 have heard about human papillomavirus and of those women, 20% are aware that it can cause cervical cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute's 2005 Health Information National Trends Survey, which was presented on Sunday at the American Association for Cancer Research's Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Meeting in Boston, Reuters Health reports.

14 Nov 2006

Brookhaven target new anti-SARS virus drugs

Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have set the stage for the rapid identification of compounds to fight against severe acquired respiratory syndrome (SARS), the atypical pneumonia responsible for about 800 deaths worldwide since first recognized in late 2002.

14 Nov 2006