Vaccine News and Research

Latest Vaccine News and Research

Warning on fraudulent 2009 H1N1 influenza products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission are alerting the public to be wary of Internet sites and other promotions for products that claim to diagnose, prevent, mitigate, treat or cure the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus.

3 May 2009

A universal vaccine to protect against pandemic influenza a step closer

An influenza vaccine that protects against death and serious complications from different strains of flu is a little closer to reality, Saint Louis University vaccine researchers have found.

30 Apr 2009

Study first to show an effective pre-pandemic vaccine approach

New research from the University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust warns of a six-month time lag before effective vaccines can be manufactured in the event of a pandemic flu outbreak.

30 Apr 2009

Matrix protein key to fighting viruses

Researchers from Durham University's Centre for Bioactive Chemistry are developing methods that show how proteins interact with cell membranes when a virus strikes.

30 Apr 2009

Global health organizations are doing too little to support health system strengthening

Existing health systems in the developing world are fragile and many are unable to provide effective health services - and so there is growing consensus that the success of global health initiatives will depend on "health system strengthening" (a recent buzzword in global health).

30 Apr 2009

Flu vaccine delivered through skin patches containing microneedles proves effective in mice

A team of researchers at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology believes the new microneedle skin patch method of delivering flu vaccine could improve overall seasonal vaccination coverage in people because of decreased pain, increased convenience, lower cost and simpler logistics over conventional hypodermic immunization.

30 Apr 2009

Discovery of possible preventative therapy for type 1 diabetes

Scientists believe they may have found a preventative therapy for type 1 diabetes, by making the body's killer immune cells tolerate the insulin-producing cells they would normally attack and destroy, prior to disease onset.

29 Apr 2009

New cancer centre launched in Southampton

Southampton joins a unique chain of Cancer Research UK Centres that are being launched across the UK.

29 Apr 2009

Avian flu research sheds light on swine flu outbreak

A new study by University of Maryland researchers suggests that the potential for an avian influenza virus to cause a human flu pandemic is greater than previously thought. Results also illustrate how the current swine flu outbreak likely came about.

29 Apr 2009

So far Australia clear of swine flu

According to Queensland's Chief Health Officer, although more cases of suspected swine flu have been reported in the Queensland, to date the state and the nation remain free of the disease.

29 Apr 2009

Swine flu - All you need to know

Swine influenza or Swine flu is a respiratory disease commonly found in pigs which is caused by type A influenza virus - it causes high levels of illness in pigs but low death rates and while swine flu viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, most outbreaks occur during the autumn and winter months similar to flu outbreaks in humans.

29 Apr 2009

Flu pandemic long overdue

Here we go again. Just when we thought it was safe to go outside, the threat of another potential flu pandemic raises its head and hysteria builds again. Once again there is talk of quarantine, airport surveillance, travel restrictions and public closures.

29 Apr 2009

Swine influenza - WHO holds emergency committee meeting

The Emergency Committee, established in compliance with the International Health Regulations (2005), held its second meeting on 27 April 2009.

27 Apr 2009

Test for best potential HIV/AIDS vaccine in the pipeline

Scientists in Britain are well on the way to developing a test for the best potential HIV/AIDS vaccine.

27 Apr 2009

Swine flu pandemic threat puts the world on high alert

An outbreak of swine flu in humans has health experts and officials around the world on high alert and there is great concern, as more countries report new cases of the disease, that the world may be on the brink of a pandemic.

27 Apr 2009

Scientists improve immune response to cancer

A team of scientists at The Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research (CFIBCR) at Princess Margaret Hospital and international collaborators have discovered how to trigger an improved immune response to cancer that could be included in new clinical trials that use a patient's own cells to destroy tumours.

26 Apr 2009

UK cases of bacterial meningitis in children at a record low

Cases of bacterial meningitis in children are at a record low thanks to NHS immunisation programmes, Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced.

26 Apr 2009

Welcome news on Dengue fever

The news that scientists in the United States have identified host factors which are critical to Dengue virus infection will be particularly welcome in tropical northern Queensland, which has suffered one of the worse Dengue fever outbreaks in decades.

26 Apr 2009

Immune cell type controls onset and course of severe malaria

Scientists have determined that a subset of immune cells may cause malaria patients to contract the severe form of the disease, suffering worse symptoms.

23 Apr 2009

Proof-of-concept for a DNA-based therapeutic vaccination against chronic hepatitis C

The first-proof-of-concept for a DNA-based therapeutic vaccination against chronic hepatitis C was announced today at EASL 2009, the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Copenhagen, Denmark.

23 Apr 2009