Polio News and Research

RSS

Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that invades the nervous system and can cause severe paralysis. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralyzed, 5-10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. Polio mainly affects children under five years of age. Naturally occurring polio was eliminated in the U.S. in 1979 and in the Western Hemisphere by 1991; however, worldwide efforts are continuing towards eradication of this contagious and devastating disease.

As covid slogs on, seniors find fortitude waning and malaise growing

Late one night in January, Jonathan Coffino, 78, turned to his wife as they sat in bed. "I don't know how much longer I can do this," he said, glumly.

18 Feb 2022

Polio, chickenpox, measles, now covid. It’s time to consult history on school vaccine mandates

The rapid spread of omicron across the nation — and the finding that vaccines continue to provide strong protection against severe disease — brings covid-19 one step closer, perhaps, to truly earning its place on the list of diseases that have been tamed by vaccines.

9 Feb 2022

Vaccine hypersensitivity in children

A new paper published in Pediatric Allergy and Immunity provides a useful overview of such reactions in relation to pediatric vaccines.

31 Jan 2022

Oral polio vaccine could play a role against COVID-19

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers performed an economic evaluation of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) to illustrate the potential non-specific (heterologous) effects (NSE) of live attenuated vaccines (LAVs).

25 Jan 2022

Vaccine wars ignite in California as lawmakers seek stronger laws

California is poised to become the front line of America's vaccination wars. State lawmakers are drafting the toughest covid-19 vaccine legislation in the country, backed by a new pro-vaccine lobbying force promising to counter anti-vaccine activists who have threatened government officials and shut down public meetings across the state.

24 Jan 2022

As omicron surges, effort to vaccinate young children stalls

Two months after Pfizer's covid vaccine was authorized for children ages 5 to 11, just 27% have received at least one shot, according to Jan. 12 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only 18%, or 5 million kids, have both doses.

15 Jan 2022

Recombinant adjuvanted zoster vaccination associated with lower risk of COVID-19 diagnosis and hospitalization

A new study suggests that RZV may elicit durable innate immune responses in the elderly conferring heterologous protection against COVID-19. .

30 Dec 2021

How LA, calling the shots on school vaccine mandates, can lead the way on covid rules

On March 31, 1977, as a measles epidemic swept through Los Angeles, the county health department issued an ultimatum to the parents of the county's 1.6 million schoolchildren: Get your kids vaccinated within a month or keep them home.

13 Dec 2021

Omicron and other coronavirus variants: What you need to know

Americans, already weary of a pandemic nearly two years long, were dealt a new blow during the long Thanksgiving weekend: the announcement that a new coronavirus variant had emerged.

30 Nov 2021

SARS-CoV-2 reinfection and the natural immune response

Researchers review available literature on immunity and SARS-CoV-2 infection to elucidate mechanisms behind SARS-CoV-2 immunity and reinfections.

24 Nov 2021

Schools, pediatricians look to make up lost ground on non-covid vaccinations

Melissa Blatzer was determined to get her three children caught up on their routine immunizations on a recent Saturday morning at a walk-in clinic in this Denver suburb. It had been about a year since the kids' last shots, a delay Blatzer chalked up to the pandemic.

18 Nov 2021

Aptamer Group and DeepVerge expand partnership for Optimer-enabled wastewater monitoring

Aptamer Group Ltd., the developer of Optimer® binders to enable innovation in the life science industry, is pleased to announce the expansion of its existing partnership with DeepVerge PLC.

4 Nov 2021

Inactivated polio vaccine induces antibodies that block SARS-CoV-2 RNA synthesis

A new study introduces the possibility that the inactivated polio vaccine can elicit antibodies that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid synthesis.

10 Oct 2021

Drought may affect child vaccination coverage in Africa, study finds

A new study published September 28 in PLOS Medicine found that drought may hinder child vaccination coverage in Africa.

30 Sep 2021

WHO emphasizes the necessity to address acute health needs in Afghanistan

We recently completed a high level mission to Kabul, Afghanistan, where we met with senior members of the Taliban leadership, UN partners, health care workers and patients, and WHO staff.

27 Sep 2021

Factors predicting vaccine hesitancy in India

A recent study discusses vaccine hesitancy in India, which is one of the most populous countries in the world.

26 Sep 2021

Penn scientists win 2021 Lasker Award for the discovery of therapeutic mRNA technology

As mRNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are deployed to protect hundreds of millions of people across the world and point the way to end the deadly global COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Pennsylvania scientists whose prescient discovery science effort laid the foundation for swift vaccine development have been awarded the 2021 Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award.

24 Sep 2021