Vaccines

While India has been called “The Pharmacy of the World” for its manufacture of nearly 37% of WHO pre-qualified vaccines, only 65% of it population receives basic vaccination coverage.   Other countries with similar or lower per capita GDP have better rates; Brazil stands at…

The cholera vaccine’s effectiveness has long been debated due to variant study findings. To resolve the discrepancies, a team led by JHSPH researchers conducted an extensive literature review.

South Australia seeks to become the third Australian state to fine child care centers and preschools that admit an unvaccinated child. The law would not exempt parents who object to vaccination for non-medical reasons.   The move is the latest in a nationwide effort to…

Hard-won progress against measles in the US could backslide if the vaccination rates dip even a little—and the effects would be costly.   A 5% drop in use of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine would triple the number of annual measles cases among children over 2,…

The future of vaccines may rest in the antibodies of cows. Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute recently published a study in Nature on how cows create antibodies that block HIV infection, even though cows don’t get HIV.

It’s a stubborn problem and a persistent barrier to health: Nearly 1 in 10 infants worldwide—12.9 million—did not receive any vaccinations last year, according to new WHO and UNICEF estimates.Full routine immunization coverage for children has stalled at 86% since 2010, the…

War has thrown a wrench in the effort to get 1 million doses of cholera vaccine to Yemen, despite the mounting caseload.The WHO and several key partners had agreed to send the doses last month to ease what is now the world’s largest cholera outbreak—with more than 313,000…

France is upping its vaccination strategy. It will make vaccines against 12 diseases mandatory for children starting next year.France, along with much of Europe, was hit hard by a measles outbreak earlier this year. “Children are still dying of measles,” Prime Minister…

Clinical trials to test promising new genomic vaccine technology are underway for diseases such as bird flu, Ebola, hepatitis C and HIV, reports Scientific American. Researchers are also testing similar vaccines for breast, lung and pancreatic cancer.

HPV-related oral and genital cancers are on the rise in the US. Yet safety concerns, stigma and lack of knowledge have kept many Americans from using the vaccine that could protect them.