Immunization News and Research

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Genetically-engineered antivenom to improve the treatment of snake bite

Important breakthrough in using DNA sequencing rather than actual snake venom as the means to generate antivenom.

27 Jun 2006

FDA approves cervical cancer vaccine

The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has recently given its approval for a new vaccine which protects against the human papillomavirus known as HPV.

12 Jun 2006

Polio doing the rounds again - 7 dead and 37 under investigation in Namibia

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) three cases of polio have been confirmed in Namibia and another 37 cases are being investigated.

12 Jun 2006

PATH to pave the way for cervical cancer vaccines in the developing world

The global health nonprofit PATH has launched a five-year effort to make sure that new cervical cancer vaccines - the first vaccines developed and approved just for women's health - reach women in the developing world.

9 Jun 2006

New era in cancer prevention

Nearly two decades ago, researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and other institutions began searching for the underlying causes of cervical cancer.

9 Jun 2006

FDA approval of Gardasil to prevent cervical cancer

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the approval of Gardasil, the first vaccine developed to prevent cervical cancer, precancerous genital lesions and genital warts due to human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6, 11, 16 and 18.

8 Jun 2006

Outbreak of wild poliovirus in Namibia

Thirty-four suspect cases with sudden paralysis are under investigation, mostly in the Windhoek area of Namibia, of which three have been confirmed as wild poliovirus.

7 Jun 2006

Polio outbreak a setback for Namibia

Health officials in Namibia say initial tests indicate the country is experiencing an outbreak of polio.

6 Jun 2006

Promising new vaccine delivery approach

The field of vaccine development is getting a boost from new research that has identified a promising vaccine delivery approach, which in animal studies produced long-term immune protection after just one immunization.

31 May 2006

Urgent changes are needed at the World Health Organization

Urgent changes are needed at the World Health Organization (WHO) to revitalise its role as global public-health agency

30 May 2006

High-dose influenza vaccines boost immunity in elderly

High-dose influenza vaccines may increase elderly patients' immune response without significant adverse effects, offering this vulnerable population additional protection against the flu, according to an article in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

23 May 2006

Who should get influenza vaccine?

An American flu pandemic would present difficult and tragic choices: As many as 90 million people might become sick, and widespread shortages of vaccine would likely leave more than 90 percent of the population unprotected in the pandemic's first year.

16 May 2006

Birth defects from rubella almost eradicated in the USA

Congenital rubella syndrome, a birth defect caused by the rubella virus (also known as German measles), has practically been eliminated in the U.S., according to a statement published in the April 2006 issue of Birth Defects Research Part A, the official journal of The Teratology Society.

23 Apr 2006

Western Australia measles warning

The West Australian Department of Health has issued an alert following notification of five cases of measles in Western Australia over the Easter period.

19 Apr 2006

$1.5 billion needed to cover years supply of pediatric vaccines

A six-month stockpile of recommended pediatric vaccines would cost $1 billion and could cover more than 90 percent of U.S. children during a six-month interruption in production, say researchers at two Illinois universities.

19 Apr 2006

Mass vaccination in Bangladesh to halt the spread of Polio

The recent re-emergence of polio in Bangladesh has prompted a vaccination campaign aimed at as many as 18 million children the age of 5.

17 Apr 2006

Doses of DNA-gene-coated gold particles protect against harmful protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease

Doses of DNA-gene-coated gold particles protect mice against a protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

16 Apr 2006

Scientists step closer to new treatments for river blindness

Veterinary scientists in Liverpool have found that some African cattle have natural immunity to a parasite, similar to that which causes river blindness in humans.

13 Apr 2006

Europe slow to implement infant pneumococcal vaccine programmes

Up to 90 per cent of cases of invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPD) - which includes serious infections like meningitis - occur in otherwise healthy young children, according to a study published in the April issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

13 Apr 2006

Evaluation of an inactivated subunit H5N1 influenza virus vaccine in humans

Results from a clinical trial demonstrate that high doses of an experimental H5N1 avian influenza vaccine can induce immune responses in healthy adults.

11 Apr 2006