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Taiwan's HBV immunization program for newborns lowers chronic HBV carriers, incidence of HCC

"Hepatitis B virus infection causes infant fulminant hepatitis, and chronic HBV infection may progress to chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. Taiwan launched a nationwide HBV immunization program for newborns in July 1984, which has successfully lowered the prevalence of chronic HBV carriers, incidence of HCC, and mortality of IFH in vaccinated birth cohorts. The mortality of CLD before and after HBV immunization has never been examined," write Chun-Ju Chiang, Ph.D., of National Taiwan University, Taipei, and colleagues.

4 Sep 2013

New recombinant antibody can recognize MSCs in umbilical cord blood

A new recombinant antibody can detect and isolate mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a nonembryonic source of stem cells with promising applications in tissue engineering, blood stem cell transplantation, and treatments for immune-mediated disorders.

4 Sep 2013

Infant rotavirus vaccination reduced severe gastroenteritis among U.S. children

"Implementation of infant rotavirus vaccination in 2006 has substantially reduced the burden of severe gastroenteritis among U.S. children younger than 5 years," write Paul A. Gastanaduy, M.D., M.P.H., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, and colleagues. "Whether indirect protection (due to reduced transmission of rotavirus) extends to adults remains unclear."

28 Aug 2013

Sanofi Pasteur reports clinical benefit of Fluzone High-Dose vaccine in preventing influenza

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, today announced topline results of a large-scale, multi-center efficacy trial in people 65 years of age and older showing a superior clinical benefit of Fluzone High-Dose (Influenza Virus Vaccine) relative to the standard dose of Fluzone vaccine in preventing influenza.

26 Aug 2013

Novartis starts shipment of 2013-2014 seasonal influenza vaccines to US customers

Novartis announced today that it has begun shipment of its seasonal influenza vaccines to customers in the US market for the 2013-2014 season. Novartis plans to ship a minimum of 30 million doses of its influenza vaccines to the US market, including Fluvirin (Influenza Virus Vaccine), approved for use in people 4 years of age and older, and Flucelvax (Influenza Virus Vaccine), approved for use in adults 18 years of age and older.

22 Aug 2013

Study shows ART has reduced immunosuppression and viremia among PHIV youth

The advent of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has transformed HIV from a death sentence into a chronic disease. In one of the largest studies of perinatally infected HIV (PHIV) patients to date, Agwu, et al, found that the proportion of patients on ART has increased and rates of viremia and advanced immunosuppression have decreased. But the rates of both markers in older patients are higher, according to an article in the Fall issue of The Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (JPIDS).

20 Aug 2013

Second GSK intramuscular quadrivalent influenza vaccine approved by the FDA

GlaxoSmithKline plc [LSE/NYSE: GSK] announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved FLULAVAL® QUADRIVALENT (Influenza Virus Vaccine) for the active immunization of persons three years of age and older to help prevent disease caused by seasonal influenza (flu) virus subtypes A and B contained in the vaccine.

19 Aug 2013

Cedars-Sinai launches Phase I clinical trial to study tolerability of immunization to treat Alzheimer's disease

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has launched a Phase I clinical trial to study the safety and tolerability of an experimental immunization to treat Alzheimer's disease. The treatment is based on Copaxone (glatiramer acetate), a drug often prescribed to reduce the frequency of multiple sclerosis relapses.

13 Aug 2013

Phase I clinical trial: Sanaria PfSPZ Vaccine provides complete protection against malaria

Results of a phase I clinical trial of the Sanaria PfSPZ Vaccine to combat malaria, published today in the online issue of Science magazine, show that the vaccine provided complete protection against malaria in subjects who were exposed to Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Plasmodium falciparum is the malaria parasite that causes more than 600,000 deaths annually.

9 Aug 2013

Investigational malaria vaccine offers protection against malaria infection in healthy adults

An investigational malaria vaccine has been found to be safe, to generate an immune system response, and to offer protection against malaria infection in healthy adults, according to the results of an early-stage clinical trial published Aug. 8 in the journal Science.

9 Aug 2013

GSK gets green light from FDA to ship Fluarix Quadrivalent influenza vaccine to healthcare providers

GlaxoSmithKline announced today it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to start shipping 2013-2014 FLUARIX QUADRIVALENT (Influenza Virus Vaccine) to CDC distribution centers and U.S. healthcare providers. This is the first season that vaccines protecting against more than three strains of influenza (flu) will be commercially available.

6 Aug 2013

State highlights: Brooklyn hospital files for bankruptcy plans to close; N.D. abortion law blocked; Texas women's health program serving thousands less

A selection of health policy stories from New York, North Dakota, Texas, Minnesota and California.

2 Aug 2013

UNICEF: Breastfeeding is the most effective life-saver for children

During World Breastfeeding Week starting today, UNICEF is focusing on breastfeeding as the most effective and inexpensive way of saving a child’s life. But with less than half of all children under six months benefitting from exclusive breastfeeding, strong leadership in promoting the practice is essential.

1 Aug 2013

ImmunoCellular initiates ICT-121 phase I trial in patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. today announced initiation of a phase I clinical trial of cancer vaccine ICT-121 as a potential treatment for patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme.

30 Jul 2013

First lots of 2013-2014 seasonal influenza vaccine released for U.S. distribution

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, announced today that the first lots of Fluzone (Influenza Virus Vaccine) for the 2013-2014 season have been released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for U.S. distribution and were shipped July 24.

25 Jul 2013

WHO urges governments to act against five hepatitis viruses that cause severe liver infections

On World Hepatitis Day (28 July), the World Health Organization (WHO) is urging governments to act against the five hepatitis viruses that can cause severe liver infections and lead to 1.4 million deaths every year. Some of these hepatitis viruses, most notably types B and C, can also lead to chronic and debilitating illnesses such as liver cancer and cirrhosis, in addition to loss of income and high medical expenses for hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

24 Jul 2013

EHR enables physicians to assist patients faster, help combat vaccine-preventable diseases

Using an Electronic Health Record system to automate the immunization data shared between health providers and public health agencies enables physicians to assist individual patients faster and more effectively, while also providing more immediate, cohesive community data to the agencies tasked with promoting public health.

20 Jul 2013

Boys more likely to receive HPV4 vaccine if their mothers receive flu shots, study finds

Boys are more likely to receive the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine if their mothers receive flu shots or Pap screenings, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the American Journal of Public Health.

19 Jul 2013

Infant vaccination against pneumonia helps protect elderly

Children who receive a vaccine to prevent blood and ear infections, appear to be reducing the spread of pneumonia to the rest of the population, especially their grandparents and other older adults.

11 Jul 2013

Immunization in developing countries: an interview with Dr. Jos Vandelaer, Chief of Immunization for UNICEF

Overall, worldwide, immunization programs reach around 83% of all children – this is an enormous achievement. With this level of immunization coverage, we prevent over 2 million deaths, year after year. This statistic is often forgotten or taken for granted.