Diphtheria News and Research

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Diphtheria is a disease caused by a bacterium, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, that usually affects the tonsils, throat, nose and/or skin. It is passed from person to person by droplet transmission, usually by breathing in diphtheria bacteria after an infected person has coughed or sneezed. Although diphtheria disease is rare in the U.S., it appears that C diphtheriae continues to circulate in areas of the country with previously endemic diphtheria. Diphtheria also occurs in many other parts of the world.

23 million children missed out on basic vaccines in 2020 due to COVID-19, new data shows

23 million children missed out on basic vaccines through routine immunization services in 2020 – 3.7 million more than in 2019 - according to official data published today by WHO and UNICEF.

15 Jul 2021

Public opinion surveys could be used to understand regional variation in vaccine hesitancy, say experts

Public opinion surveys could be used more widely to understand regional variation in vaccine hesitancy, experts have recommended.

29 Jun 2021

First spatial scan analysis helps identify hotspots of undervaccinated children

The map of Montana Kayla Irish pulls up is peppered with red circles, each cluster providing details behind one of today's timely topics - childhood vaccination.

23 Jun 2021

Prior vaccination against diphtheria and tetanus associated with less severe COVID-19

The researchers found that individuals with registered diphtheria or tetanus vaccinations were less likely to develop severe COVID-19 than people who had only received other vaccinations. The results of this study are posted to the medRxiv* preprint server.

16 Jun 2021

Study shows pertussis is still common among middle-aged adults in European countries

Although vaccination programmes against pertussis are very effective in Europe, new Finnish study shows that the disease is still very common among middle-aged adults in various European countries.

27 May 2021

Study shows more evidence that vaccines are safe for children, adults

A new study looking across a large body of research finds further evidence for the safety of vaccines that are Food and Drug Administration-approved and routinely recommended for children, adults and pregnant women.

27 May 2021

Prior MMR or Tdap vaccination may reduce risk of severe COVID-19

Researchers in the United States have shown that prior Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) or Tetanus-Diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap) vaccination may reduce the risk of severe outcomes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

5 May 2021

Vaccines can save lives and safeguard health and well-being

Effectively and safely protecting against disease--this is what makes vaccines a vital and successful public health tool that saves lives and safeguards health and well-being. Today, vaccines shield us from more than 20 life-threatening diseases.

30 Apr 2021

Government mistrust plays a vital role in slowing down child vaccination progress in Africa

Mistrust in local and national government plays a significant role in slowing down child vaccination progress in Africa - the continent home to half of the world's unvaccinated and under-vaccinated children, new research reveals.

30 Apr 2021

World Immunization Week: Vaccination in 2021

News-Medical talks to experts in different areas of the medical sector on why immunization week is so prevalent in 2021.

27 Apr 2021

Can vaccination and infection rates add up to reach Covid herd immunity?

It's been a long, dark winter of Covid concerns, stoked by high post-holiday case counts and the American death tally exceeding 530,000 lives lost.

17 Mar 2021

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine elicits antibodies in blood and breastmilk simultaneously, finds study

A new study adds to the sum of knowledge around this issue, showing a highly synchronized and rapid development of an antibody response in breast milk and serum, which reached stable levels around two weeks after the second dose of the vaccine was administered.

10 Mar 2021

Diphtheria is evolving to become antibiotic-resistant and could lead to vaccine escape

Diphtheria - a relatively easily-preventable infection - is evolving to become resistant to a number of classes of antibiotics and in future could lead to vaccine escape, warn an international team of researchers from the UK and India.

8 Mar 2021

Could laser-facilitated epicutaneous vaccination for SARS-CoV-2 be an alternative to intramuscular injection?

Scientists at the University of Salzburg and Pantec Biosolutions AG have developed a laser-facilitated epicutaneous immunization against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein. The model has induced angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) blocking antibodies in mice.

23 Feb 2021