Vaccine

A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe. The agent stimulates the body's immune system to recognize the agent as foreign, destroy it, and "remember" it, so that the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters.

Aluminum in Vaccines: Mechanisms, Myths, and Safety Data

This article explains how aluminum adjuvants work in vaccines, their proven safety record, and addresses common myths and scientific findings. It also highlights new developments in vaccine adjuvant technology and the ongoing need for rigorous monitoring.

What are Vaccines?

What is a Toxoid Vaccine?

What is a Non-Replicating Vaccine?

What is the Importance of Vaccination Coverage?

What is a DNA Vaccine?

What are Nanoparticle-Based Vaccines?

What is a Subunit Vaccine?

Insight into Personalized Vaccines

What is a Live-Attenuated Vaccine?

What are the Different Types of Vaccines?

What are Adenovirus-Based Vaccines?

See more featured articles »

A New Breed of Vaccine: Exploring Doggybone ™ DNA Technology

What are the Main Causes of Vaccine Hesitancy?

Vaccine Effectiveness

How are Vaccines Stored?

What the Newest mRNA Vaccines Could Do Beyond COVID

History of Vaccination

The Future of Vaccines

The Big Catch-Up: How the COVID-19 pandemic impacted vaccination coverage

Role of Computer Modeling in Vaccine Development

Transforming Vaccine Design: The Promise of Systems Biology

Vaccine Excipients

What is a Vaccine Breakthrough?

Plant-Derived Vaccines

What is an RNA Vaccine?

Could there be a Salmonella Vaccine?

The Essential Program on Immunization is 50: Milestones, achievements, and future directions

Investigating the Importance of Investing in Vaccine Manufacturing

What is a VLP Vaccine?

Hib Immunization

Vaccine Production

What is Immunobridging?

What is an Inactivated Vaccine?

How Veterinary Vaccines Affect Human Health

Vaccine History

Vaccine Delivery

Vaccination in Humanitarian Settings

Vaccine Schedule

Immunization strategies: What lessons can we learn from successful campaigns?

Vaccine Immunity

Latest Vaccine News and Research

Study reveals significant gaps in MMR vaccine knowledge among ER patients

Measles remains one of the most contagious infectious diseases, spread through coughing and sneezing, with even small declines in vaccination coverage leading to outbreaks. As of 2026, California has reported its highest annual measles case count in seven years. In response to this growing concern, researchers have begun examining gaps in measles-related knowledge and vaccination coverage.

20 Apr 2026

What still drives childhood vaccine gaps in the United States

A nationwide analysis of provider-verified NIS-Child data from 2010 to 2023 found that US childhood vaccination coverage remained generally high but was consistently shaped by social and structural factors such as maternal education, income, insurance, language, and region. The study also showed that coverage of the combined seven-vaccine series rose over time, yet persistent disparities remained, especially for vaccines such as influenza, hepatitis A, and rotavirus.

19 Apr 2026

What the Health? From KFF Health News: A new CDC nominee, again

President Donald Trump this week nominated a former deputy surgeon general who has expressed support for vaccines to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

17 Apr 2026

Scientists find unexpected immune pathways for mRNA cancer vaccines

The advent of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 in 2020 changed the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

17 Apr 2026

Childhood flu infection leaves lasting immune imprint

A study reveals how childhood flu infections impact long-term mortality risk, highlighting implications for vaccination and future outbreak management.

17 Apr 2026

Superficial skin exposures pose a higher rabies risk than previously thought

While it was previously thought that keratinocytes (skin cells) were only passive conductors that allow the rabies virus to pass through, novel research reveals that these cells play a much more active role. The findings of a new study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology (JID), published by Elsevier, provide direct evidence that keratinocytes can support viral replication and transmit the rabies virus to neurons. The investigators offer a mechanistic explanation for how superficial skin exposures from scratches or minor bites by dogs and bats can lead to neuroinvasion, contributing to the risk of infection.

16 Apr 2026

New flu vaccine approach targets multiple virus strains

Doctors recommend getting your flu shot annually, since the specific influenza strain it targets varies from year to year. But what if the shot could be more effective while protecting against more strains?

15 Apr 2026

Mitochondrial activity keeps dendritic cells ready to fight disease

Researchers at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) show that active mitochondria maintain dendritic cells, the immune system's sentinels, in a "ready-to-respond" state, linking cellular metabolism to gene regulation and T-cell activation.

15 Apr 2026

Study finds long COVID leaves a distinct immune signature in the blood

Researchers identified a small panel of inflammatory and neurology-related blood proteins that may help distinguish long COVID from recovery or no prior infection, while also showing that booster vaccination did not appear to worsen these protein responses in this cohort. The study also found that immune responses after reinfection differed from those seen after the first SARS-CoV-2 infection, suggesting altered long-term immune behavior in some previously infected individuals.

14 Apr 2026

Study explains why vaccines underperform in people living with obesity

New findings reveal that obesity significantly impaired the quality and longevity of antibody responses to a Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine in a mouse model.

13 Apr 2026

Rat hepatitis E virus may be a hidden cause of hepatitis in humans

This Nature Communications review argues that rat hepatitis E virus is an emerging zoonotic cause of hepatitis that is likely underdiagnosed because current tests are limited and awareness remains low. It shows that ratHEV is widespread in urban rodent populations, can infect humans and some other animals, and may spread mainly through indirect environmental exposure rather than direct rodent contact.

12 Apr 2026

Nanodisc technology improves study of viral proteins for vaccines

Viruses are masters at invading our cells thanks to specialized proteins that coat their surfaces. When scientists design vaccines, they often create versions of these viral surface proteins to study how our immune systems might respond.

11 Apr 2026

Two new TB vaccines show safety but limited protection

Two new vaccines to prevent tuberculosis (TB) are safe for use in adults and children, but they do not offer protection against all forms of TB, finds a large trial from India published by The BMJ today.

9 Apr 2026

Flu vaccines protect children well across Europe, but H3N2 remains harder to stop

Influenza vaccination provided strong real-world protection for children in European primary care across two seasons, with overall vaccine effectiveness of 68% in 2022–2023 and 71% in 2023–2024. Protection was highest against influenza B and H1N1, while H3N2 showed lower and more variable effectiveness, supporting the need for higher uptake and continued monitoring.

8 Apr 2026

New monoclonal antibody shows promise for preventing Lyme disease

A Phase I clinical trial of a human monoclonal antibody discovered and developed at UMass Chan Medical School for the prevention of Lyme disease in the U.S. was well tolerated and showed lasting serum concentrations in participants, according to data presented by Mark Klempner, MD, at the World Vaccine Congress 2026 in Washington D.C.

8 Apr 2026

High-dose flu vaccine reduces Alzheimer’s risk in older adults

A study reveals high-dose influenza vaccines could modestly reduce Alzheimer's risk in older adults, especially women, offering new insights into prevention.

8 Apr 2026

Antiviral drugs and shingles vaccines tied to lower dementia risk

New evidence links viral infections to dementia risk, suggesting vaccines and antiviral therapies may offer preventive pathways against cognitive decline.

8 Apr 2026

Declining booster uptake after vaccine schedule change in England

The change to a 1+1 pneumococcal vaccine schedule in England highlights rising inequalities in booster uptake, threatening protection for at-risk children.

7 Apr 2026

World Health Day 2026: WHO urges global collaboration and science for better health

The World Health Organization (WHO) today calls on people everywhere to renew their commitment to working together and supporting science as the twin engines driving better health, under the World Health Day 2026 theme: "Together for health. Stand with science."

6 Apr 2026

Scientists create large library of mitochondrial DNA mutant models

Some of your most important life partners are the mitochondria that power all your cells. You and these little cellular powerhouses are in a 1.5-billion-year-old evolutionary relationship-but mitochondria brought some baggage.

6 Apr 2026