Monkeypox: demand for vaccines is outstripping supply – this is what’s causing the shortages: The smallpox vaccine is currently being used to protect against monkeypox. PhotobyTawat/ Shutterstock Over 30,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in more than 80 countries worldwide in 2022. Most are in countries that have never previously reported monkeypox. While monkeypox …
COVID vaccines are linked to heavier periods for many – new findings from large study: FabrikaSimf/Shutterstock COVID has affected countless aspects of our lives. For many people who menstruate, one of the pandemic’s effects has been on periods. People have reported changes to their menstrual cycles after having COVID, from the timing of their period, …
COVID vaccines and pregnancy: a review of the evidence shows they are safe: Women who are pregnant and get infected with COVID have a higher risk of preterm birth. Shutterstock COVID vaccines have been contentious ever since they were developed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, though the evidence is that they are safe and …
COVID vaccines: our current shots could soon be updated to target new variants – an immunology expert explains: Prostock-studio/Shutterstock More than two years into the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, continues to challenge us. Its ability to rapidly mutate has seen the evolution of increasingly infectious variants that are getting better at hiding …
COVID vaccines work well for people of all body weights – but underweight and obesity remain risk factors for severe disease: Wulandari Wulandari/Shutterstock Since the pandemic began, more than 6 million people have died from COVID around the world. The good news is that we now have a wide range of treatments as well as …
COVID vaccines for children: uptake in the UK is slow – here’s why parents might be hesitant: COVID vaccinations are available for children aged five and up. Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Vaccine hesitancy is a complex issue. A person’s decision around whether to accept or reject a vaccine is affected by a range of factors – from …
COVID vaccines for children under five: what parents need to know: Kamil Macniak/Shutterstock Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine became available for children aged five to 11 in the UK in April 2022. Those aged 12 and up had already been eligible since 2021. But if you have a child aged under five, you might be wondering, when …
Monkeypox: we have vaccines and drugs to treat it: Medicines are not normally needed to treat monkeypox. The illness is usually mild and most people infected will recover within a few weeks without needing treatment. But there are vaccines that can be used to control monkeypox outbreaks, which some countries are already using. And treatments …
COVID nasal sprays could offer advantages over traditional vaccines – a virologist explains how they work: Josep Suria/Shutterstock As new waves of omicron infections continue to hit around the world, it’s becoming clearer that COVID is here to stay. As such, in the years to come, vaccination – both first courses and booster doses – …
Making COVID vaccines in Africa: advances and sustainability issues: GettyImages The history of vaccine manufacturing capacity in Africa dates back to 1881, when Egypt’s Vacsera company was established. Before the COVID pandemic was declared, there were eight African countries that, to our knowledge, had a record of vaccine manufacturing facilities (see the map). They were: …
COVID vaccines: why second boosters are being offered to vulnerable people in the UK – but not young and healthy people yet: nednapa/Shutterstock Until recently, the UK government limited a fourth dose of the COVID vaccine to people with severely weakened immune systems over the age of 16. But, following a resurgence of COVID cases …
Vaccines are being portrayed as limiting personal freedom – but this can mask the true reasons for hesitancy: For those watching the news, anti-vaccination movements seem to be evolving, with both new tactics and a new watchword – liberty, rather than conspiracy. As 2021 neared its end, protests against mandatory COVID vaccination policies spread across …
Uptake of children’s COVID vaccines is low in the UK – and their slow, confused approval is to blame: Prostock-studio/Shutterstock No single protection will control the coronavirus. But if forced to choose just one, it would always be a vaccine. This was recently vindicated after my five-year-old son brought omicron home from school, exposing a …
COVID vaccines: African countries need to fix their distribution chains: Bringing vaccine manufacturing closer to Africa to speed up supply is important for building capacity in the region. Guerchom Ndebo/Getty Images Sub-Saharan Africa still has too few vaccines for too few people. Delivering more inoculations to the region deserves top priority. But there is another …
COVID vaccines may be getting worse at stopping new variants emerging – but they’re still lowering the risk: The rise of the omicron variant has caused havoc around the world, just as the emergence of the delta and alpha variants did before. A pattern has emerged, with the world scrambling to respond to a new …
Omicron may reach millions before vaccines do – but that doesn’t mean race to vaccinate the world is over: The pandemic is accelerating. It’s estimated that there could be 3 billion new infections globally over the next three months thanks to the highly infectious omicron variant. Large outbreaks are ongoing across Europe and North America …
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 …
mRNA vaccines, asteroid missions and collaborative robots: what to watch in science in 2022 – podcast: mRNA vaccines: not just for COVID. Cryptographer/Shutterstock From new mRNA vaccines to space missions and developments in robotic automation, in this episode of The Conversation Weekly we talk to three experts about some scientific advances they’re watching out for …