Tetanus News and Research

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Tetanus is a severe, frequently fatal disease caused by an exotoxin produced by Clostridium tetani, a bacterium that is found in the environment. Tetanus is not transmitted from person to person. Rather, Clostridium tetani enters the body through an open wound, including lacerations, abrasions and puncture wounds. The toxin causes neuromuscular dysfunction, with rigidity and spasms of skeletal muscles. The muscle spasms usually start in the jaw (which is why the disease is sometimes called "lockjaw") and neck and may spread to many other muscles, leading to generalized paralysis.

Scientists enhance T cell immunity for more durable vaccines

WEHI scientists have uncovered a promising new way to enhance the effectiveness of vaccines by tapping into the potential of a specific type of immune cell, opening the door to long-lasting vaccines for viruses and enhanced cancer therapies.

7 May 2025

New vaccine targets sugar shield to protect against multiple coronaviruses

Sugar coatings aren't only for candies; they also help viruses, like the ones that cause COVID-19, hide from their hosts' immune system.

23 Apr 2025

Scientists develop universal vaccine targeting multiple coronaviruses

Sugar coatings aren't only for candies; they also help viruses, like the ones that cause COVID-19, hide from their hosts' immune system.

25 Mar 2025

How your diet and probiotics can improve vaccine effectiveness

Researchers uncover how probiotics and diet shape the gut microbiome to boost vaccine efficacy, offering new avenues for precision immunization.

23 Mar 2025

Canary in the coalmine: Study warns 21 million children missed measles shots in 2022

Researchers found that 21 million children missed measles vaccination in 2022, far exceeding those missing other vaccines, and 96% were in low- and middle-income countries. The study urges adding measles vaccination rates to global definitions of under-immunized children to better prevent deadly outbreaks.

10 Mar 2025

Clear communication and decision-making tools boost vaccination rates in older adults

A clear endorsement from their healthcare provider and being supplied information about recommended vaccines before their clinic visit spurred more older Americans to get vaccinated, a new University of Virginia School of Medicine study found.

13 Feb 2025

Measles risk heightened by undernutrition in vulnerable children

Amid a global surge in measles cases, new research suggests that undernutrition may be exacerbating outbreaks in areas suffering from food insecurity.

16 Jan 2025

RSV vaccine acceptance grows amidst rising flu concerns

A year after becoming available, vaccines to protect against RSV in newborns and older adults are being more widely accepted by the American public, according to a new Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) health survey conducted in November 2024.

23 Dec 2024

University of Turku to coordinate European Reference Laboratory for pertussis and diphtheria control

The European Commission has appointed a European Reference Laboratory to support the control and monitoring of pertussis and diphtheria in the EU/EEA countries.

19 Dec 2024

Whooping cough cases on the rise, but public awareness of the disease still persists

Following a several-year lull during the pandemic, cases of whooping cough are increasing across the United States.

17 Dec 2024

Widening childhood vaccination inequality in England raises concerns

Inequalities in childhood vaccination are widening in England, with uptake rates of five key vaccines consistently lower in young children living in areas of higher deprivation from 2019 to 2023, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

11 Dec 2024

Skin-friendly bacteria could revolutionize vaccination

Imagine a world in which a vaccine is a cream you rub onto your skin instead of a needle a health care worker pushes into your one of your muscles.

11 Dec 2024

How carrageenan affects insulin resistance

A randomized controlled trial found that carrageenan, a common food additive, may cause subclinical inflammation and insulin resistance in overweight individuals, mediated by gut permeability and inflammation. Effects were linked to BMI but not observed in non-overweight participants during short-term exposure.

3 Dec 2024

Study provides insights into trends and disparities of neonatal infectious diseases in LMICs

Researchers from Peking University have conducted an in-depth study on the epidemic status, secular trends, and risk factors of 15 common neonatal infectious diseases across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 1990 to 2019.

19 Nov 2024

Hexavalent vaccine can reduce spread of whooping cough

Comprehensive coverage of the hexavalent vaccine can protect against whooping cough and polio, averting disease resurgence, writes Esther Nakkazi.

7 Nov 2024

Long-lived plasma cells fail to establish after COVID mRNA vaccination, limiting long-term antibody response

Researchers found that SARS-CoV-2-specific plasma cells were largely excluded from the long-lived plasma cell compartment in the bone marrow after mRNA vaccination, explaining the short-lived antibody response.

2 Oct 2024

Florida’s new covid booster guidance is straight-up misinformation

In what has become a pattern of spreading vaccine misinformation, the Florida health department is telling older Floridians and others at highest risk from covid-19 to avoid most booster shots, saying they are potentially dangerous.

23 Sep 2024

Pneumococcal vaccines could drastically reduce child deaths by 2030

Utilizing pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) could save almost 700,000 children's lives between the time of their introduction to the year 2030, according to a new modeling study. This would be equivalent to the average number of babies born in the UK each year.

16 Aug 2024

Childhood vaccinations save trillions in societal costs while preventing millions of illnesses and deaths

Routine childhood vaccinations among children born between 1994 and 2023 have prevented millions of illnesses and deaths in the U.S., saving $540 billion in direct costs and $2.7 trillion in societal costs.

12 Aug 2024

Recombinant shingles vaccine linked to lower dementia risk, especially in women

Study published in Nature Medicine found that the recombinant shingles vaccine is linked to a reduced risk of dementia. This protective effect was particularly notable in females, suggesting a potential advantage of the recombinant vaccine over the live vaccine.

7 Aug 2024