Measles: how declining vaccination levels in London are threatening herd immunity: fotohay/Shutterstock The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned of an increased risk of measles outbreaks, particularly in London. Although the probability of a large epidemic is still considered to be low elsewhere in the UK, the UKHSA’s projections suggest the capital could see …
Obesity speeds up loss of immunity from COVID vaccines – new research: iiiNooMiii/Shutterstock COVID vaccines are very effective, but for some groups they don’t generate as strong an immune response. These groups include older adults and people with weakened immune systems, for example due to cancer or other medical conditions. They tend to already be …
Could the common cold give children immunity against COVID? Our research offers clues: Rawpixel.com/Shuttersock Why children are less likely to become severely ill with COVID compared with adults is not clear. Some have suggested that it might be because children are less likely to have diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, …
How much immunity do we get from a COVID infection? Large study offers new clues: SmartPhotoLab/Shutterstock After a COVID infection, whether it’s a first, second, or even a third, many of us wonder how long we might be protected against a reinfection, and whether we’ll be susceptible to new variants. Also, if we do catch …
How do I improve my immunity? Expert shares tips on what to do – and what to avoid: Exercising regularly, and spending time outdoors can improve your health. Shutterstock The human immune system is arguably the most complex system in the human body. But scientists have made a lot of progress in understanding how it …
COVID booster vaccines: how a third dose may help vulnerable people ‘level up’ their immunity: Supamotion/Shutterstock COVID vaccines call our immune systems to action, generating antibodies which fight against any contact we have with the virus. Antibodies help to reduce the effects of an infection or even prevent it altogether. Scientists have estimated that vaccination …
COVID is running rampant in China – but herd immunity remains elusive: After nearly three years of keeping COVID under control, China is experiencing a massive new wave of COVID infections. The official figures reporting 60,000 deaths between December 8 and January 12 are widely seen as underestimating the impact of the outbreak. Until December …
Hybrid immunity: a combination of vaccination and prior infection probably offers the best protection against COVID: Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock When we’re exposed to a pathogen such as a virus, our immune system identifies it as a foreign invader and mounts an attack. This ultimately results in the formation of antibodies which can neutralise the invading pathogen …
COVID reinfections: are they milder and do they strengthen immunity?: illpaxphotomatic/Shutterstock We’ve known since early on in the pandemic that COVID reinfections could occur. One of the first reinfections reported was in a 33-year-old man from Hong Kong. His initial infection was diagnosed on March 26 2020, with his second infection, with a genetically distinct …
COVID: why T cell vaccines could be the key to long-term immunity: Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock With omicron having rapidly driven up COVID infections, attention is once again focusing on antibodies, and reasonably so. They play a critical role in fighting off viruses and are important for preventing the coronavirus infecting our cells. This is why some …
South Africa in the news: Will America’s ‘Immunity Wall’ Hold Up to Omicron?: What do you make of the Imperial College study that showed no evidence of less-severe disease in Omicron? It’s a classic example of “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” Because it was …: “South Africa” – BingNews EPL ‘on a …
South Africa in the news: Vaccine hesitancy remains the biggest challenge to reach global herd immunity: A large percentage of people are still undecided on what steps to take amidst the pandemic. One of them is whether to take the vaccination or not.: “South Africa” – BingNews LOOK: Lalela Mswane dazzles in Miss Universe prelim …
Omicron might evade antibodies – but that doesn’t mean you don’t have immunity: Yurchanka Siarhei/Shutterstock With the highly mutated omicron variant spreading rapidly, people want to know if immunity from vaccination or a prior infection will be enough to protect them against getting infected or developing severe disease. If prior immunity does provide sufficient protection, …
Omicron: evidence shows it evades immunity from earlier infection more than other variants: South Africa is seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases. EMMANUEL CROSET/AFP via Getty Images Scientists are working around the clock to get a better understanding of the Omicron variant. Around the world countries have imposed travel bans to mitigate the spread. South …
South Africa in the news: Factor Covid recovery into immunity estimates in SA – IRR: It is worth recalling that in mid-August, before the end of South Africa’s third wave, Discovery estimated that up to 80% of residents may have been infected and recovered from Covid-19, thus already …: “South Africa” – BingNews Spike in …
Relaxing restrictions hasn’t made COVID cases spike – but this doesn’t mean herd immunity has arrived: Varavin88/Shutterstock Back in the summer of 2021, the UK government’s pandemic modellers predicted that there would be a significant COVID outbreak in the autumn. Yet so far, this hasn’t happened. Other countries with good COVID vaccine coverage have also …
South Africa in the news: How spending time in nature can boost our immunity, mental health: Not connecting with nature could be partly responsible for the increase in number of mental health issues we all are facing from depression to anxiety.: “South Africa” – BingNews Global Bronzers Market Future Scope Competitive Analysis and Revenue till …
COVID infections may give more potent immunity than vaccines – but that doesn’t mean you should try to catch it: Israel was way ahead of the rest of the world when it came to COVID vaccination, so it’s not surprising that data from this corner of the Mediterranean causes a lot of excitement – it’s …