Vaccine

Brazil confirms first bird flu case on farm, raising global supply fears

The disease has spread around the globe in the past years, leading to hundreds of millions of poultry being culled. It has also been reported in dairy cows, cats, and humans

Mexico scrambles to contain measles outbreak linked to Mennonite community

In a rickety white Nissan, nurse Sandra Aguirre and her vaccination team drive past apple orchards and cornfields stretching to the desert horizon. Aguirre goes door to door with a cooler of measles vaccines. In one of Latin America's biggest Mennonite communities, she knows many will decline to be vaccinated or even open their doors. But some will ask questions, and a handful might even agree to get shots on the spot. We're out here every single day, said Aguirre, pausing to call out to an empty farm, checking for residents. To gain trust of the Mennonites -- because they're reserved and closed-off people -- you have to meet them where they're at, show a friendly face. Aguirre's work is part of an effort by health authorities across the country to contain Mexico's biggest measles outbreak in decades, as cases climb not only here but in the US and Canada. In Mexico, cases have been concentrated in the Mennonite community -- long skeptical of vaccines and distrustful of authorities --

Shingles vaccine may reduce heart disease risk by 23%, says report

Getting vaccinated against shingles could lower the chances of a cardiovascular event, such as stroke or heart failure, by 23 per cent, according to a study. Protective effects of the vaccine for shingles -- a viral infection that causes painful rashes -- could last for up to eight years and be stronger among men and people aged under 60. Researchers, led by those from the Kyung Hee University's college of medicine, South Korea, looked at over 12 lakh residents of the country, aged at least 50. Data on shingles vaccination status was collected from 2012 onwards and analysed together with cardiovascular health and lifestyle. Published in the European Heart Journal, the study is "one of the largest and most comprehensive" to provide evidence at a population level, allowing the team to look at the link between vaccination and 18 different types of cardiovascular disease. "There are several reasons why the shingles vaccine may help reduce heart disease. A shingles infection can cause .

FDA review of Novavax Covid-19 vaccine sparks uncertainty about other shots

The Trump administration's effort to impose new requirements on Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine -- the nation's only traditional protein-based option for the coronavirus -- is sowing uncertainty about updates to other vaccines, too. Novavax said on Monday that the Food and Drug Administration was asking the company to run a new clinical trial of its vaccine after the agency grants full approval. The company said it had responded and that it believed its shot remains "approvable". But a weekend post on social media by FDA Commissioner Marty Makary suggested the prospect of needing a new trial before the shots' yearly strain update -- something unlikely to be possible before fall. That's raised questions about whether other vaccines will be caught in the turmoil. "I don't think because there's a strain change that this is a new product," said Dr Jesse Goodman of Georgetown University, a former FDA vaccine chief. If that's the new policy, "you'd always be doing clinical trials and you'd nev

China unveils booster to amplify immune responses against cancer, viruses

This technology is capable of amplifying immune responses against tumours and infections up to 150-fold

Will 1 million children die? Trump's vaccine cuts could spark crisis in US

Trump's vaccine funding cuts could leave 75 million children around the world without immunisation, risking a global health crisis and putting one million young lives in danger

Decades of AIDS vax research imperiled by Trump's withdrawal of US funding

The US cut HIV vaccine funding, forcing IAVI to halt work and lay off staff, while the South African Medical Research Council will receive only $9 mn of its planned $45 mn for multi-country trials

Zydus Lifesciences to develop world's first dual vaccine for typhoid

Typhoid and shigellosis remain serious public health threats, particularly in low-resource settings

Vaccine makers can add clinical trial sites through Sugam, says CDSCO

The recent notice brings applications for biological products such as vaccines and recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA)-based drugs under the online ambit

President Trump's team weighs pulling funds for Moderna bird flu vaccine

The bird flu shot contract was awarded to Moderna in the Biden administration's final days, sending the company's stock up 13 per cent in the two days following the Jan 17 announcement

Biological E teams with Danish vax firm to give Chikungunya jabs to LMICs

The manufacturing agreement is to provide Chikungunya Vaccine to low-and middle-income countries

India's vaccine aid during Covid saved many lives, says Guyana minister

Anthony recalled how India did not hoard vaccines like other countries, even when India was itself struggling with Covid management

Trump calls for halting funds to schools, colleges that need Covid vaccines

Schools, colleges and states that require students to be immunised against COVID-19 may be at risk of losing federal money under a White House order signed Friday by President Donald Trump. The order is expected to have little national impact because COVID-19 vaccine mandates have mostly been dropped at schools and colleges across the United States, and many states have passed legislation forbidding such mandates. The order directs the Education Department and Health and Human Services to create a plan to end vaccine mandates for COVID-19. It isn't clear what money the plan would use as leverage. Most federal education money is ordered by Congress. It aims to fulfil a campaign promise from Trump, who often said he would not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate. The order applies only to COVID-19 vaccines. All states have laws requiring that children attending schools be vaccinated against certain diseases including measles, mumps, polio, tetanus, whooping cough a

Biovet's LSD vaccine gets CDSCO nod, to make 500 million doses per year

In the last two years, around 200,000 cattle have died, millions lost their milk production capabilities due to LSD nationwide

HMPV poses great risk for children, can lead to severe illness

While HMPV may affect anyone with a weakened immune system, young children and people above the age of 65 are at higher risk

What is HMPV? Everything you need to know about the respiratory virus

Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a globally recognised respiratory virus that recently gained attention after its outbreak was reported in China. Two cases of HMPV were recently reported in Karnataka as part of routine surveillance by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Here is an explainer on the HMPV: What is HMPV? HMPV is a viral pathogen that causes respiratory infections in people of all age groups. First discovered in 2001, it belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family and is closely related to Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). HMPV spreads through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing, as well as by touching contaminated surfaces or coming into direct contact with infected individuals. This virus is known to cause illnesses ranging from mild respiratory discomfort to severe complications, especially in vulnerable populations such as infants, older adults and individuals with weakened immune systems. It is prevalent globally and tends to peak during late winte

Covid's lessons ignored: The world risks repeating past mistakes

The vaccines allowed Covid to be treated as an aberration, but we must not forget what it really was: A preview of the kind of planetary challenges that await us

Serum Institute ties up with Bavarian Nordic to manufacture Mpox vaccine

Bavarian Nordic will transfer the technology of the current manufacturing process to SII to enable supply for the Indian market, the company said in a statement on Monday

Trump nominees should 'steer clear' of undermining polio vaccine: McConnell

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, said any of President-elect Donald Trump's nominees seeking confirmation should steer clear of efforts to discredit the polio vaccine. Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed they're dangerous, McConnell said in a Friday statement. Anyone seeking the Senate's consent to serve in the incoming Administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts. The 82-year-old lawmaker's statement appeared to be directed at Trump's nominee for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., after a report that one of his advisors filed a petition to revoke approval for the polio vaccine in 2022. It was a sign that Kennedy, who has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism, could face resistance in the soon-to-be GOP-controlled Senate. Mr. Kennedy believes the Polio Vaccine should be available to the public and thoroughly and properly .

Leading docs sign petition for suspension of all Covid-19 mRNA vaccines

Several doctors and healthcare professionals have signed a petition calling for the immediate suspension of all COVID-19 mRNA products because they fear the jabs could be contributing to an alarming rise in excess deaths. A petition known as the HOPE Accord attracting signatures from around the world went online recently to alert the international community on the continued use of the COVID mRNA vaccines. These vaccines, using gene-based technology, were given emergency use authorisation as one of the tools to address the coronavirus pandemic. A growing body of evidence suggests that the widespread rollout of the novel Covid-19 mRNA vaccine products is contributing to an alarming rise in disability and excess deaths, reads the Hope Accord petition. This new technology was granted emergency use authorisation to address a situation that no longer exists. Going forward, the burden of proof falls on those still advocating for these products to compellingly demonstrate that they aren't .