Polio News and Research

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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.

Poliovirus detected in New York City wastewater

Researchers in New York detected the presence of the poliovirus in wastewater samples.

14 Aug 2022

Big pharma went all in to kill drug pricing negotiations

For decades, the drug industry has yelled bloody murder each time Congress considered a regulatory measure that threatened its profits.

12 Aug 2022

Covid sewage surveillance labs join the hunt for monkeypox

The same wastewater surveillance techniques that have emerged as a critical tool in early detection of covid-19 outbreaks are being adapted for use in monitoring the startling spread of monkeypox across the San Francisco Bay Area and some other U.S. communities.

9 Aug 2022

What the polio case in New York tells us about the end of polio

No one studying polio knew more than Albert Sabin, the Polish-American scientist whose vaccine against the crippling disease has been used worldwide since 1959.

29 Jul 2022

India, Pakistan tackle backslide in child immunizations

India and other South Asian countries must deal with a dangerous backslide in routine infant vaccinations during 2019—2021 brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions imposed to counter its spread, say UNICEF officials.

27 Jul 2022

Conservative blocs unleash litigation to curb public health powers

Through a wave of pandemic-related litigation, a trio of small but mighty conservative legal blocs has rolled back public health authority at the local, state, and federal levels, recasting America's future battles against infectious diseases.

18 Jul 2022

Using microparticles to create 'self-boosting' vaccines

Most vaccines, from measles to Covid-19, require a series of multiple shots before the recipient is considered fully vaccinated.

13 Jul 2022

DZNE and Intravacc receive € 2.5 million EU funding to develop a prototype ALS vaccine

DZNE and Intravacc B.V., a world leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) of preventive and therapeutic vaccines, have been awarded a funding of € 2.5 million from the European Union (EIC Transition Grant) to further develop a prototype ALS vaccine, including process development, scale-up, and toxicology study.

6 Jul 2022

Study underscores the strong protective effect of flu vaccine against Alzheimer's disease

People who received at least one influenza vaccine were 40% less likely than their non-vaccinated peers to develop Alzheimer's disease over the course of four years, according to a new study from UTHealth Houston.

24 Jun 2022

The effect of immunization with bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine on the incidence of COVID-19

Researchers evaluated the impact of the OPV on the incidence of COVID-19.

23 Jun 2022

Will the US overcome its covid complacency even as the threat returns?

A few months ago, it seemed as though the country was poised to finally tame the pandemic, after two years of restrictions and tens of billions in government spending.

15 Jun 2022

New evidence confirms that enterovirus D68 causes acute flaccid myelitis

A case report published in the New England Journal of Medicine provides evidence that enterovirus D68 directly infects spinal cord neurons and that a corresponding robust immune response is present – a direct causation to the polio-like paralyzing illness, acute flaccid myelitis (AFM).

26 May 2022

The enigma of post-acute infection syndromes

In a recent review published in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers summarized known literature findings of the unexplained post-acute infection syndromes (PAISs).

20 May 2022

First oral antiviral approved for early treatment of COVID-19

The United States Food and Drug Administration granted an Emergency Use Authorization in December 2021 for the first oral antiviral, a pill containing two protease inhibitors – nirmatrelvir and ritonavir (Paxlovid, Pfizer) – for early treatment of COVID-19.

11 May 2022

Study offers insight into how remote learning impacts motivation of school students

Over 40% of parents of primary school students and 38% of parents of secondary school students felt their child found remote learning 'difficult' or 'very difficult', according to new data from the Schools Infection Survey (SIS).

3 May 2022

World Immunization Week 2022: Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance on the equitable and sustainable use of vaccines

As part of World Immunization Week 2022, News Medical speaks to Thabani Maphosa, the Managing Director of Country Programmes at Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, about their work to increase equitable and sustainable use of vaccines by maximizing financial investments, bringing the best partners to the table and driving innovation.

27 Apr 2022