Chickenpox News and Research

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Most Australians do not understand difference between bacterial and viral infection

Public awareness matters amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic; however, a new study shows that more than 92 percent of the Australian population cannot differentiate between a bacterial and viral infection.

18 May 2020

Italy develops vaccine candidate that neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 in mice

As the world grapples with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), scientists race to develop treatments and vaccines to combat the viral infection. Though many ongoing trials show promise in fighting the novel coronavirus, Italian researchers claim they have developed a vaccine that can neutralize severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in animal cells.

10 May 2020

New review confirms effectiveness of MMR, MMRV and MMR+V vaccines

New evidence published in the Cochrane Library today finds MMR, MMRV and MMR+V vaccines are effective and that they are not associated with increased risk of autism.

20 Apr 2020

Coronavirus is not mutating rapidly, hope for vaccine development

Despite the coronavirus infection numbers skyrocketing, there is still good news. A team of scientists found that the novel coronavirus is not mutating significantly, suggesting any vaccine developed to fight SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) would remain effective in the long term.

25 Mar 2020

One in five childhood deaths in England and Wales still due to infection

A new study published in the journal Archives of Diseases of Childhood in March 2020 reveals that despite a drop to less than half, compared to 25 years ago, infection is still a cause of significant mortality among children. The most common cause of infection-related deaths in this age group are respiratory infections.

24 Mar 2020

Clinical trial launched to investigate safety and efficacy of antiviral drug for COVID-19

Physician-scientists at four University of California Health medical centers -- UC San Diego Health, UC San Francisco, UC Irvine Health and UC Davis Health -- have begun recruiting participants for a Phase II clinical trial to investigate the safety and efficacy of treating adult patients with COVID-19 with remdesivir, an antiviral drug that has shown activity in animal models and human clinical trials of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, Ebola, Marburg and other viruses.

24 Mar 2020

Maine voters consider U-turn on vaccine exemptions

As Mainers head to the polls on Super Tuesday for the presidential primary, they also will decide another issue: vaccine requirements. A statewide referendum asks if voters want to overturn a new law that eliminates religious and philosophical exemptions for childhood vaccines.

3 Mar 2020

Facts vs. fears: Five things to help weigh your coronavirus risk

The news about the novel coronavirus in China grows more urgent daily. The number of related deaths is now greater than 1,300, while tens of thousands of people have been infected — most of them in China. People returning to the U.S. from China are quarantined for 14 days.

14 Feb 2020

Many older people in Australia are missing out on shingles vaccination

Many older Australians are missing out on the chance to get vaccinated against shingles, according to the latest edition of Australian Prescriber.

3 Feb 2020

UMSOM experts call for influenza vaccinations to prevent outbreaks in U.S. border detention centers

Over the past year, at least seven children have died from diseases including influenza while being detained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection agency. Infectious disease experts at the University of Maryland School of Medicine called for protections like influenza vaccinations to prevent serious outbreaks.

30 Jan 2020

UTHSC College of Pharmacy, Kroger Health partner to improve shingles vaccination completion rates

The College of Pharmacy at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center has partnered with Kroger Health, the healthcare arm of The Kroger Co., on a nationwide, randomized controlled study across more than 2,200 community pharmacy locations to improve second-dose vaccination completion rates for the shingles vaccine. Elements of the project are funded through a grant from GlaxoSmithKline.

22 Jan 2020

Researchers refine history and origins of common pathogens in human populations

An Italian research team has refined the history and origins of two extremely common pathogens in human populations, herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2.

13 Jan 2020

ART may not be completely effective in restoring immune protection, study suggests

A study led by researchers from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and Oregon Health & Science University, published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, showed that, despite successful antiretroviral therapy, antigen specific memory to vaccinations that occurred before HIV infection did not recover, even after immune reconstitution.

6 Jan 2020

New analysis provides insight into dangerous conditions in U.S. immigrant detention centers

An analysis and related commentary published in Clinical Infectious Diseases today provide in-depth examination of the deplorable and dangerous conditions in U.S. immigrant detention centers where seven children have died in the last 10 months.

25 Oct 2019

Embryonic damage due to autoantibodies could be cause of behavioral disorders in the child

Dysfunctions in the maternal immune system that occur during pregnancy could possibly lead to impaired brain development in the unborn child.

18 Sep 2019

UMD researchers connect a protein to antibody immunity for the first time

Human cytomegalovirus may not be a household name as far as viruses go, but according to Xiaoping Zhu, professor and chair in Veterinary Medicine at UMD, half of the population walking around campus is likely to be a carrier.

10 Jul 2019

Virus employs powerful strategy to inhibit natural killer cell function

The virus responsible for chickenpox and shingles employs a powerful strategy of immune evasion, inhibiting the ability of natural killer cells to destroy infected cells and produce molecules that help control viral infection, according to a study published June 13 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Allison Abendroth of the Discipline of Infectious Diseases and Immunology in the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney, and colleagues.

From PLOS ONE 14 Jun 2019

Chickenpox vaccine lessens likelihood of pediatric shingles

Children who receive the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine are significantly less likely to contract shingles, according to a new study led by researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research published today in the journal Pediatrics.

10 Jun 2019

UGA researchers create statistical method to better predict disease reemergence

Several University of Georgia researchers teamed up to create a statistical method that may allow public health and infectious disease forecasters to better predict disease reemergence, especially for preventable childhood infections such as measles and pertussis.

22 May 2019

Study shows high incidence of herpes zoster ophthalmicus among older adults

More Americans are being diagnosed with eye complications of shingles, but older adults can call the shots on whether they are protected from the painful rash that can cost them their eyesight.

3 May 2019