Advances in Vaccine Technology Continue to Save Lives
DESPITE GROWING vaccine skepticism, vaccination continues to be a highly effective public health intervention, saving an estimated four to five million lives per year. With advances in research and development, an increasing number of vaccines are becoming available to prevent diseases — from coronavirus to respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, sexually transmitted diseases, diseases endemic to foreign countries and more.
HHS and NIH Invest in Universal Vaccine Platform for Pandemic-Prone Viruses
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have announced the development of the next-generation, universal vaccine platform, Generation Gold Standard, using a beta-propiolactone (BPL)-inactivated, whole-virus platform.
Moderna’s Flu Vaccine Shows Positive Late-Stage Trial Results
Moderna’s experimental mRNA-based influenze (flu) vaccine produced a stronger immune response than a currently available vaccine in a late-stage trial, clearing a path forward for the product and the company’s separate combination flu and COVID vaccine.
Can Inverse Vaccines Cure Autoimmunity?
While traditional vaccines teach the immune system to fight off foreign invaders, inverse vaccines teach the immune system to ignore its own cells — and may completely reverse autoimmune disease.
Avian Flu and Human Vaccines: Where Things Stand
SHORTAGES AND recent spikes in egg prices have boosted public awareness that a “bird flu” is devastating domestic poultry flocks across the country. Since its arrival in the U.S. in January 2022, more than 166 million farmed poultry animals have been sacrificed in an attempt to control the spread of H5N1, a highly pathogenic avian influenza A (HPAI) featuring H5 hemagglutinin and N1 neuraminidase surface proteins (H5N1).
STIs: New Vaccines and Expanding Recommendations
The incidence and prevalence of STIs remain high, and the serious health consequences of contracting one make prevention a national imperative.
Travel Vaccines: What’s Needed and Why?
Protecting Americans against severe disease significantly reduces their chances of getting seriously sick while traveling abroad.
Vaccine Advisers Recommend New RSV Vaccine for Infants
A group of outside advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted 5-2 to recommend the use of Merck’s new antibody vaccine, Enflonsia (clesrovimab), that can protect babies from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
New Influenza Vaccine Provides Long-Lasting Protection and Higher Efficacy
A new clinical trial shows a single shot of a long-lasting influenza (flu) drug may protect people for an entire season, and it might do so more effectively than vaccines.
COVID-19-Influenza Combination and Standalone Influenza Vaccines Generated a Strong Immune Response
In a late-stage trial, Novavax’s experimental COVID-19-influenza combination (CIC) and standalone trivalent hemagglutinin nanoparticle seasonal influenza (tNIV) vaccines generated a strong immune response in adults aged 65 and older, similar to already approved vaccines against the viruses.
