Immunization News and Research

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MedImmune's quadrivalent flu vaccine may protect children

An intranasal vaccine that includes four weakened strains of influenza could do a better job in protecting children from the flu than current vaccines, Saint Louis University research shows.

4 Apr 2012

South Sudan hoping to mark three years without recording polio case

"South Sudan officials are hopeful the country will soon be declared polio-free," if the nation can go another four months without recording a polio case, VOA News reports. "Before 2008, the area that is now South Sudan had been considered free of polio," but "that year the country was re-infected through an imported strain that originated in Nigeria," the news service writes.

3 Apr 2012

April issue of WHO Bulletin available online

The April issue of the WHO Bulletin features an editorial on the WHO research agenda for influenza; a public health round-up; an article on influenza in Ghana; a research paper on population-based burden of influenza-associated hospitalization in rural western Kenya; and a policy paper on the integration of pneumonia prevention and treatment interventions with immunization services in resource-poor countries.

3 Apr 2012

Vaccines for measles may not increase risk of febrile seizures in 4-6 year olds

Vaccines for measles were not associated with an increased risk of febrile seizures among 4-6 year olds during the six weeks after vaccination, according to a study by the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center that appears in the current issue of Pediatrics.

2 Apr 2012

Insecurity threatening success of West, Central African mass polio vaccination campaign

Instability and insecurity in some West and Central African nations are threatening the success of a 20-country polio vaccination campaign, which aims to immunize 111.1 million children against the disease, IRIN reports.

28 Mar 2012

Pakistan's draft bill that would punish parents for not vaccinating children 'misses the mark'

"Eradicating polio and improving the health of millions of children in Pakistan depend quite heavily on assuring that all children have access to life-saving vaccines," but "the most recent policy prescription from the Pakistani parliament to improve immunization coverage, however, misses the mark, and badly," Orin Levine, executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center, writes in this Huffington Post "World" blog post.

28 Mar 2012

Time for no-fault vaccination compensation

David Isaacs, Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Sydney, has called for the introduction of compensation for those who suffer a serious adverse reaction to vaccination.

26 Mar 2012

Advances in Neuroimmune Biology explores maternal-fetal interactions

Fertility problems, recurrent miscarriages, and pregnancy complications can occur when maternal immunological tolerance of the fetus is impaired. G-rard Chaouat and colleagues from Inserm et Assistance Publique et Universit- Paris Sud Orsay, Hopital Antoine B-cl-re, Clamart Cedex, France, trace the evolution of the science of reproductive immunology to show how the current understanding of maternal-fetal tolerance/dialogue has developed, and its implications for the treatment of infertility disorders

22 Mar 2012

Whooping cough outbreak despite vaccination

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21 Mar 2012

Pfizer supports First World Congress on Healthy and Active Ageing

As an official partner of the First World Congress on Healthy Ageing, Pfizer reaffirms the company's commitment to promote healthy and active ageing at all stages of life as a basis for enhanced productivity in the Asia Pacific. Pfizer will lead a luncheon symposium today focused on the relationship between health and economic sustainability and the resulting challenges and opportunities of shifting demographics across the region.

19 Mar 2012

Targeted provider education of HPV vaccination benefits for males critical for achieving vaccination goals

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that a health care provider's attitude toward male human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination may influence the implementation of new guidelines. They believe targeted provider education on the benefits of HPV vaccination for male patients, specifically the association of HPV with certain cancers in men, may be important for achieving vaccination goals.

14 Mar 2012

Pfizer’s Prevnar 13 Phase 3 study for pneumococcal disease meets all study endpoints

Pfizer Inc. announced today that data from a Phase 3 study of Prevnar 13 (Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine [Diphtheria CRM197 Protein]) met all study endpoints, showing immunogenicity and establishing a safety profile in children and adolescents aged 5 through 17 years.

12 Mar 2012

Top-line results from Inviragen's INV21 Phase 1 trial on HFMD

Inviragen today reported top-line results of a placebo-controlled, randomized Phase 1 trial of INV21, the Company's highly purified virus particle vaccine against Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) caused by enterovirus 71.

12 Mar 2012

Microneedle vaccine patches may effectively protect against flu

Recent research found that microneedle vaccine patches are more effective at delivering protection against influenza virus in mice than subcutaneous or intramuscular inoculation. A new, detailed analysis of the early immune responses by the Emory and Georgia Tech research team helps explain why the skin is such fertile ground for vaccination with these tiny, virtually painless microneedles.

6 Mar 2012

EC grants marketing authorization for Baxter's VEPACEL to treat influenza A

Baxter International Inc. announced today that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for VEPACEL in all European Union (EU) Member States, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

From Baxter International Inc. 2 Mar 2012

Cities, states balancing health costs amid continuing economic problems

Some 29 states are dealing with a total budget deficit of $47 billion for fiscal 2013, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Unlike the federal government, nearly all states must balance their budgets every year. Though tax revenues are slowly recovering after bottoming out in 2010, they're still not back to pre-recession levels.

2 Mar 2012

U.N. helps kick off polio immunization campaigns in Angola, Central African Republic

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday "launched a national polio vaccination campaign in Angola, where the crippling disease has returned despite being eradicated in 2001, and praised the government for its leadership on the issue," the U.N. News Centre reports.

29 Feb 2012

HPV vaccine recommended for boys

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended boys -; not just girls -; be vaccinated against HPV, though questions about its cost-effectiveness remain.

29 Feb 2012

Shire, arGEN-X partner to create novel antibodies against rare diseases

arGEN-X, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of human monoclonal antibodies from its proprietary SIMPLE Antibody platform, announces today that it has entered into an alliance with Shire to create novel therapeutic antibody products against multiple targets submitted by Shire.

29 Feb 2012

HPV vaccine now recommended for boys: American Academy of Pediatrics

Pediatricians in the U.S. say it's now time for boys, as well as girls, to be vaccinated against human papillomavirus or HPV. The American Academy of Pediatrics has updated its guidance to parents and doctors in favor of routine immunization for boys against the virus. Earlier the AAP had said it was OK to vaccinate boys against the HPV, but it only became part of the pediatricians' official schedule of recommended vaccines this month.

28 Feb 2012