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Study finds no association between MMR vaccine and increased risk of autism

In a study that included approximately 95,000 children with older siblings, receipt of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine was not associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), regardless of whether older siblings had ASD, findings that indicate no harmful association between receipt of MMR vaccine and ASD even among children already at higher risk for ASD, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child health.

22 Apr 2015

New text message alert system helps parents remember child's vaccination appointments

Nearly a third of all children nationwide and in Kentucky aren't up-to-date with the vaccination schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), but not because their parents are refusing vaccines. Evidence suggests parents tend to forget appointments when children are scheduled to receive immunizations.

16 Apr 2015

India and Canada announce funding to improve maternal, child health in India

Grand Challenges Canada, funded by the Government of Canada, and the Grand Challenges India initiative of the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, today announced an investment of $2.5 million (CAD) in five health innovations in India.

16 Apr 2015

STRIVE study to assess safety, efficacy of rVSV-ZEBOV candidate Ebola vaccine

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in partnership with the Sierra Leone College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences and the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation, is now enrolling and vaccinating volunteers for the Sierra Leone Trial to Introduce a Vaccine against Ebola (STRIVE).

15 Apr 2015

Polio immunization campaign targets 5.8 million children in Iraq

A 5-day nationwide polio immunization campaign targeting 5.8 million children under 5 years of age will begin in Iraq on Sunday 12 April. The campaign will be marked by launch events on 12 April in Baghdad, organized by the Ministry of Health, and on 13 April in Erbil organized by the Kurdistan regional Ministry of Health.

15 Apr 2015

Vaccinating adolescent boys against HPV could prevent oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer

A new study indicates that vaccinating 12-year-old boys against the humanpapilloma virus (HPV) may be a cost-effective strategy for preventing oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer, a cancer that starts at the back of the throat and mouth, and involves the tonsils and base of the tongue.

13 Apr 2015

UofL-led study focuses on flu vaccine for children with neurological disorders

Children who have neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy or epilepsy are no more likely to be vaccinated against influenza than youngsters without these conditions, despite the increased risk for complications from flu these children experience.

10 Apr 2015

Public Health Agency of Canada issues statement on measles

The Public Health Agency of Canada is again reminding Canadians of the importance of ensuring their immunizations are up to date, following the confirmation of additional cases of measles in the Vancouver region.

8 Apr 2015

Canada's VSV-EBOV Ebola vaccine proves safe, effective in Phase 1 clinical trial

The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, and Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Gregory Taylor, today welcomed the news of promising trial outcomes of Canada's VSV-EBOV Ebola vaccine. The results of several studies and trials bring the world closer to ending this global outbreak through the provision of a commercially available vaccine.

2 Apr 2015

Antibodies from dromedary camels may prove therapeutic for MERS patients

Antibodies from dromedary camels protected uninfected mice from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and helped infected mice expunge the disease, according to a study published online March 18th in the Journal of Virology, a journal published by the American Society for Microbiology.

31 Mar 2015

New report examines global issues affecting vaccine confidence since the new millennium

A decade on from the Northern Nigeria polio vaccination boycott and its global costs to the polio eradication initiative, a new report examines global issues affecting vaccine confidence and hesitation since the new millennium.

30 Mar 2015

New report explores global issues affecting confidence, hesitation about polio vaccines

A decade on from the Northern Nigeria polio vaccination boycott and its global costs to the polio eradication initiative, a new report examines global issues affecting confidence and hesitation about vaccines since the new millennium.

27 Mar 2015

FDA approves Quadracel vaccine to protect young children from life-threatening diseases

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved use of Quadracel (Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Absorbed and Inactivated Poliovirus; DTaP-IPV) vaccine for active immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and poliomyelitis in children 4 through 6 years of age.

25 Mar 2015

Norovirus vaccine may be available in the future

A multivalent candidate vaccine elicits broad antibody responses to a range of norovirus strains, including strains not included in the vaccine or previously encountered by participants, according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine.

25 Mar 2015

WHO calls for intensification of routine immunization services in all Ebola-affected areas

A growing risk of outbreaks of measles, pertussis, and other vaccine-preventable diseases in countries affected by Ebola must be countered by urgent scaling up of routine immunization activities, according to the World Health Organization.

21 Mar 2015

Cosentyx (secukinumab) safe, effective for treating psoriasis patients

Novartis today announced new two-year results demonstrating sustained efficacy with Cosentyx (secukinumab) with an acceptable safety profile for the treatment of psoriasis patients. The data comes from the extension study of the pivotal Phase III FIXTURE and ERASURE trials.

21 Mar 2015

New UNICEF report highlights urgency of reducing Ebola cases

Ebola has had a devastating impact on children, who make up about 20 per cent of infections in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. To protect them and their communities, it is critical to defeat this scourge, while working to restore basic services, UNICEF said in a report released today.

17 Mar 2015

Cyclone Pam: WHO coordinates response efforts to bring health support to cyclone-hit Vanuatu

The World Health Organization in the Western Pacific Region is coordinating response efforts with Vanuatu's Ministry of Health and other humanitarian partners to bring much-needed health support to the Pacific island country, following the devastation caused by Cyclone Pam.

17 Mar 2015

People’s health at the centre of new global blueprint to reduce disaster risks

Ten years since adopting the Hyogo Framework for Action shortly after the Indian Ocean Tsunami, government representatives have gathered in Sendai to negotiate a new framework for global action to reduce the risks of disasters. For the first time, protecting people's health is at the centre of such a framework.

16 Mar 2015

World Health Organisation (WHO) joins with ESCMID to fight global infections

The European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) has been joined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to launch the 7th annual ‘International Day for Fighting Infection’ (April 24th, 2015).