Vaccine News and Research

Latest Vaccine News and Research

$3.5 million grant to develop AIDS vaccinations

Researchers at the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute (VGTI) and the Oregon National Primate Research Center at Oregon Health & Science University have received a $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop new methods for vaccinating humans against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS.

25 May 2004

Bacteria found in the mouth can block the HIV virus

Certain strains of bacteria that occur naturally in the human mouth can snare the HIV virus and even cells it has infected, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry. They report their findings today at the 104th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

25 May 2004

Collusion seen after release of flawed vaccine-autism report

America's leading scientific organization investigating the risks that mercury-containing medical products pose to our children-has posted the results of an investigative analysis of several authors relied upon for the flawed Institute of Medicine (IOM) report issued last week attempting to purport a lack of evidence to the mercury-vaccine-autism link.

25 May 2004

Health-care providers can now review and update immunization records for patients online

Health-care providers can now review and update immunization records for patients online using the new and improved Web-based CHILD Profile Immunization Registry. The system is operated by the Department of Health and makes it easier for health-care professionals to keep track of immunization records.

25 May 2004

New AMA guide - Adults Only Vaccination: A Step-by-Step Guide

New for physicians is “Adults Only Vaccination: A Step-by-Step Guide," a comprehensive resource by the Immunization Action Coalition that covers all aspects of a vaccination program – from assessing vaccine indications and contraindications to determining billing codes.

24 May 2004

KETEK® (telithromycin) is highly active in vitro against Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) isolates

Results from an ongoing surveillance study, PROTEKT US (Prospective Resistant Organism Tracking and Epidemiology of the Ketolide Telithromycin – United States) Year 2 (2001-2002), suggest that KETEK® (telithromycin) is highly active in vitro against Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) isolates, including those resistant to other antimicrobial agents.

24 May 2004

Canadian healthcare policy under the microscope

Healthcare policies and programs come and go. Yet the professionals who design the medical services we use are rarely mentioned in the general healthcare debates. That's about to change.

23 May 2004

China commences first clinical test of SARS vaccine

The Xinhuanet Chinese news agency reports that four volunteers are in good health following injections of the world's first clinical test of a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) vaccine.

23 May 2004

Suspension of the initial dose of hepatitis B vaccine appears to have contributed to fewer newborns being vaccinated in 2000

A temporary suspension of the initial dose of hepatitis B vaccine appears to have contributed to fewer newborns being vaccinated for hepatitis B in 2000 than in 1998, according to a study published in the May 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

22 May 2004

Clusters of viral meningitis found in two Manhattan schools

Working closely with the New York City Department of Education (DOE), the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is investigating clusters of viral meningitis in two Manhattan schools (4 students at La Guardia High School, 2 students at Stuyvesant High School).

21 May 2004

Network formed to tackle potentially fatal reaction to smallpox vaccine

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), launched the Atopic Dermatitis and Vaccinia Network (ADVN), a nationwide research group that seeks to reduce the risk of eczema vaccinatum (EV), a severe and potentially deadly complication of smallpox immunization.

19 May 2004

$20.7 million to make smallpox vaccine safer

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded a five-year, $20.7 million grant to National Jewish Medical and Research Center to lead a consortium of academic medical centers trying to make smallpox vaccines safer for millions of people with atopic dermatitis, also known as eczema.

19 May 2004

Multimillion-dollar electron microscope unveils shapes of viruses and proteins

With a multimillion-dollar electron microscope and computer programs that can pick out the shapes of structures only six atoms wide, Dr. Wah Chiu and his colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston are attempting to explain the intricate structures of viruses and proteins.

19 May 2004

Report rejects childhood vaccines as a cause of autism

A pivotal report issued today by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) rejects childhood vaccines as a cause of autism. The findings, based on reviews of current scientific evidence, are a significant affirmation of vaccine safety, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

19 May 2004

GlaxoSmithKline and Boehringer Ingelheim agree to assess the development of important HIV medicines for the developing world

GlaxoSmithKline plc and Boehringer Ingelheim announced today that both companies welcome the United States' continued involvement in the global response to HIV/AIDS.

17 May 2004

Higher rate of cardiac complications from smallpox vaccinations for US military

While adverse reactions from smallpox vaccinations given to military personnel in the wake of renewed threats of bioterrorism remain minimal, the rate of cardiac complications has been higher than expected, according to a clinical review presented at an American Medical Society media briefing on cardiology today.

16 May 2004

Canada announces new HIV/AIDS funding of $84.4 million annually

Health Minister Pierre Pettigrew today announced that funding for the Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS (CSHA) will double over the next five years to $84.4 million annually. In the first year, funding will be targeted to support community-based organizations working with populations most at risk of infection.

15 May 2004

Influenza vaccine does provide protection against influenza in most asthma patients taking inhaled steroids

The influenza vaccine protected asthma patients who use inhaled steroids against type A flu, although its protection against type B flu was significantly reduced in those taking high doses of inhaled steroids, said a researcher from Baylor College of Medicine in a recent publication.

15 May 2004

Genetically engineered viruses may create new class of cancer therapies

A genetically engineered virus can selectively kill cancerous cells in the lung and colon while leaving healthy cells intact, according to new research published today in Cancer Research by William Wold and colleagues at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

15 May 2004

Women are not checking for colon cancer

Many women who regularly get checked for breast cancer and cervical cancer still don’t go for a test that could save them from another big killer -- colon cancer – according to new University of Michigan research. But perhaps their mammogram and Pap smear appointments could be used as “teachable moments” to help prompt them to get their colons checked, the researchers suggest.

15 May 2004