Immunization News and Research

RSS

Bispecific sybodies show potential against SARS-CoV-2

As the search for effective antivirals against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues, a new study published on the preprint bioRxiv in November 2020 discusses the role of synthetic nanobodies or sybodies in neutralizing the virus by binding to its receptor-binding domain (RBD) on the spike protein.

12 Nov 2020

Global measles cases increase to 869,770 in 2019

Measles surged worldwide in 2019 reaching highest number of reported cases in 23 years. Highlighted in a publication by the World Health Organization and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, measles cases worldwide increased to 869,770 in 2019, the highest number reported since 1996 with increases in all WHO regions.

12 Nov 2020

BMA: Covid-19 vaccine breakthrough brings widespread protection a step closer

BMA encouraged by vaccine ‘breakthrough’ which brings ‘widespread protection a step closer’

12 Nov 2020

Five important questions about Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine

Pfizer's announcement on Monday that its COVID-19 shot appears to keep nine in 10 people from getting the disease sent its stock price rocketing. Many news reports described the vaccine as if it were our deliverance from the pandemic, even though few details were released.

11 Nov 2020

Promising yeast-expressed SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate effective in mice

Researchers at the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, USA, have published a report on the preprint server bioRxiv that describes a yeast-expressed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein, a key target of current vaccine development efforts.

9 Nov 2020

New guideline for juvenile idiopathic arthritis gives emphasis to disease-modifying treatments

The American College of Rheumatology will preview the 2021 Guideline for the Treatment of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis at ACR Convergence, the ACR's annual meeting.

6 Nov 2020

UNICEF and WHO issue urgent call to action to avert measles, polio epidemics

UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) today issued an urgent call to action to avert major measles and polio epidemics as COVID-19 continues to disrupt immunization services worldwide, leaving millions of vulnerable children at heightened risk of preventable childhood diseases.

6 Nov 2020

World Health Assembly to discuss plan for addressing COVID-19 response and critical health goals

As health leaders prepare to gather for a virtual session of the resumed 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA), WHO has three messages to share.

5 Nov 2020

HPV vaccines found to be safe and well-tolerated in males

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections and cases various cancers in women and men.

4 Nov 2020

Key populations need to be prioritized for early COVID-19 immunization in Canada

Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommends vaccinating key populations, such as people at risk of severe illness or death, those at risk of transmitting the virus and essential workers, during the initial rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine in Canada.

3 Nov 2020

Innovative hybrid approach increases vaccinations and primary care visits during pandemic

Nemours Children's Health System increased patient immunizations by 4.6% from January - September 2020, compared with the same period in 2019, through an innovative hybrid approach to care using both in-person and telemedicine, according to new data presented today at the Children's Hospital Association's 2020 Annual Leadership Conference.

2 Nov 2020

Study: COVID-19 lockdowns increase the number of polio cases in Pakistan

A spike in the number of polio cases in Pakistan — the last refuge of the virus in the world along with neighbouring Afghanistan — is being attributed by health experts to disruption in vaccination services caused by lockdowns and restrictions against spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2 Nov 2020

First-of-its-kind synthetic DNA vaccine designed against Powassan virus

Scientists at The Wistar Institute have designed and tested the first-of-its-kind synthetic DNA vaccine against Powassan virus (POWV), targeting portions of the virus envelope protein.

30 Oct 2020

Seroprevalence and immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in Paris

François Anna et al. published this study in a recent medRxiv* preprint paper, where they present the results of assessing the serological response in the selected population. They tested for specific IgG response against the SARS CoV-2 Nucleoprotein and Spike protein and performed a pseudo-neutralization assay in sera of urban dwellers in Paris.

30 Oct 2020

Booster dose enhances immunogenicity of ChAdOx1 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in aged mice

Now, a new study published on the pre-print server bioRxiv* shows that a single dose of the vaccine has induced cellular and humoral immunity in aged or older mice. A second dosage was needed to enhance the vaccine's immune response, showing that a prime-boost strategy may be an essential step to boost immunogenicity in the elderly.

30 Oct 2020

UH and CWRU announce Phase 3 trial of Astrazeneca's investigational COVID-19 vaccine

University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University announced today that UH Cleveland Medical Center has been selected as a clinical trial site for the Phase 3 global study of an investigational vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, sponsored by AstraZeneca.

29 Oct 2020

Phase 1 trial results of gorilla adenovirus vaccine for COVID-19

A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in October 2020 reports the development of a novel vaccine based on a simian adenoviral vector obtained from a group C gorilla isolate called GRAd32. This could help speed up vaccine development.

26 Oct 2020

COVID spikes exacerbate health worker shortages in Rocky Mountains, Great Plains

COVID-19 cases are surging in rural places across the Mountain States and Midwest, and when it hits health care workers, ready reinforcements aren't easy to find.

23 Oct 2020

Nigeria safely relaunches accelerated yellow fever vaccination campaigns

While combatting multiple public health challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Nigeria, with support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance will safely relaunch an accelerated series of mass preventive vaccination campaigns to protect Nigerians against yellow fever (YF).

23 Oct 2020

DNA vaccine-induced antibodies neutralize SARS-CoV-2

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is far from over as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to ravage across the globe. With the vast spread of the virus, many countries who reported flattening the curve over the past months have reported clusters of new cases and second waves of the outbreak.

22 Oct 2020