Mpox vaccines: where they come from and what stands in the way of distributing them in Africa: The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization (WHO) have declared the latest outbreak of mpox in Africa a health emergency. An epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo has spread to neighbouring …
mRNA COVID vaccines make ‘unintended proteins’ – we’ve discovered how to fix this problem: MRNA, a type of genetic material that provides the instructions your cells need in order to make proteins, used to be a term mainly used by scientists. But since COVID arrived many of us are now familiar with it thanks to …
Malaria: two groundbreaking vaccines have been developed, but access and rollout are still big stumbling blocks: The approval of two malaria vaccines – the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine in 2021 and the R21/Matrix-MTM vaccine in 2023 – will help control, and eventually help eradicate, a disease that causes more than 600,000 deaths annually. Nearly 2 million children …
Cholera: vaccines can stop the spread, but the biggest deterrent is clean water: A member of the Syria Immunization Team holding cholera vaccinations. Anas Alkharboutli/picture alliance via Getty Images South Africa has experienced outbreaks of cholera since January. The worst was in May in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, where nearly 30 people died. Cholera is …
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 …
African vaccines: local manufacturers are struggling to access the market – what must change: Afrigen, a biotechnology company based in Cape Town, South Africa was recently visited by WHO DG Dr Tedros. Kristin Palitza/picture alliance via Getty Images Two recent developments in South Africa have underscored the opportunities – and challenges – facing vaccine production …
Polio: leading virologist offers a beginner’s guide to the different viruses and vaccines: Nicholas Kajoba/Xinhua via Getty Images On 17 March 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that health officials in Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had detected cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus. The WHO said the Burundian government had declared the detection …
The Last of Us: why making fungal vaccines is so challenging: Warning: this article may contain spoilers. HBO’s hit TV adaptation of the popular video game The Last of Us has just aired its season one finale. While there are some aspects of the series’ premise that are far from realistic (such as the possibility …
COVID vaccines: why the UK needs to rethink its decision to stop boosters for young and healthy people: AnnaStills/Shutterstock The UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recently recommended that the current autumn booster campaign, offering additional COVID vaccine doses to higher-risk groups, including people with certain medical conditions and those aged over 50, …
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 …
Bivalent COVID vaccines have now been in use for a few months – here’s how they’re stacking up against omicron: Bivalent vaccines target omicron alongside the original strain of COVID. Lithiumphoto/Shutterstock Vaccines have played a major role in mitigating the harms of the COVID pandemic since their rollout began just over two years ago. They’re …
COVID vaccines: should people under 50 in the UK be offered a fourth dose?: Studio Romantic/Shutterstock It’s been nearly two years since Margaret Keenan became the first person in the world to receive an approved COVID vaccine at a clinic in Coventry on December 8, 2020. Since then, almost 13 billion doses of various COVID …
COVID vaccines: many people have had two doses but not their boosters – here’s why that might be: There are a variety of reasons why some people may have not come forward for their booster vaccines. Pormezz/Shutterstock In England, the current pandemic strategy relies on vaccine protection to minimise the impacts of COVID infections. But …
COVID: inhalable and nasal vaccines could offer more durable protection than regular shots: Skylines/Shutterstock As the pandemic continues, many countries are rolling out COVID booster vaccines. In the UK, the autumn booster campaign is offering a fourth dose to those at higher risk from a COVID infection, including people with certain underlying medical conditions, and …
Vaccines could be a game-changer in the fight against malaria in Africa: The first malaria vaccine, Mosquirix, was approved by the WHO in 2021. Brian Ongoro/AFP via Getty Images The development of an effective vaccine for malaria has proved to be far more challenging than developing a vaccine to protect people from COVID-19. Several different …
COVID vaccines don’t just benefit physical health – they improve mental health too: Dusan Petkovic/Shutterstock The considerable physical health benefits of COVID vaccines, in particular, the significantly reduced risk of serious illness, hospitalisation and death from the virus, are well known. But what about the benefits of vaccination for mental health? Does vaccination help to …
COVID vaccines: an annual booster like the flu shot could be the way forward: Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock By now more than 70% of the UK population have received a third COVID vaccination, or a booster. Many people who are older or at higher risk from COVID have had a fourth or even a fifth dose. But …
Monkeypox vaccines: what’s available and why they aren’t a silver bullet: A dose of Imvanex vaccine used to protect against Monkeypox virus. Lex van Lieshout/ANP/AFP via Getty Images In July 2022 the World Health Organization declared the recent current monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency. Since the start of the year thousands of cases have …