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Another study throws light on shingles vaccine effect in dementia fight
A new follow-up study has found that the shingles vaccine – which had been found in an earlier study to slow the progression of...
SA lines up plans to make its own six-monthly anti-HIV jab
The government says it could fill the potential gap in the number of doses of the HIV prevention jab Lenacapavir (LEN) needed to end...
Growing concern over drop in infant immunisations
The Western Cape Department of Health & Wellness recently flagged a concerning decline in infant immunisation rates, and is intensifying its campaign to step...
Backlash against FDA claims that Covid vaccine tied to children’s deaths
US public health experts are questioning a claim by the Food & Drug Administration that a new review has linked 10 children’s deaths to the...
Measles outbreaks escalate in Western Cape
The Western Cape Department of Health & Wellness has escalated its vaccination campaigns, warning of an increase in measles outbreaks in areas like Khayelitsha,...
Scandinavian study shreds Covid jab-myositis link
Previous reports based on individual cases have suggested that myositis can be a rare side effect of Covid-19 vaccines, but a study of national...
SA starts ground-breaking clinical trials for oral cholera vaccine
Clinical trials testing the efficacy of the first locally manufactured oral cholera vaccine, developed by Biovac, were officially launched on Tuesday, reports TimesLIVE – which...
Covid in pregnancy tied to increased autism risks – US analysis
American researchers have said that their recent study suggests children born to mothers infected with Covid-19 during pregnancy faced a higher risk of autism,...
Last Ebola patient discharged in Congo
The last Ebola patient in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was discharged a week ago, marking an important milestone in the efforts to...
Covid-19 jabs could unlock new tumour treatment – US study
The Covid-19 mRNA-based vaccines that saved 2.5m lives globally during the pandemic could help spark the immune system to fight cancer, write Adam Grippin...
SA firms lose out on lenacapavir production
South African companies were excluded from Gilead Science’s voluntary licensing for the anti-HIV drug lenacapavir because those that were evaluated in 2024 did not...
Infant immunisations drop in Western Cape
The Western Cape Department of Health & Wellness has sounded an urgent alarm over a steep decline in infant vaccination coverage across the province,...
Africa to get BioNTech mRNA vaccine site
Two EU bodies will fund BioNTech with up to $110m to help build its mRNA vaccine factory in Kigali, Rwanda, which is designed to locally supply...
Shingles jab slashes CVD events, dementia – US study
Having shingles increased the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) like vascular dementia, heart attack, stroke and death by roughly a quarter –...
South Africa’s immunisation programme falling behind
Childhood immunisation programmes have saved millions of lives and prevented much suffering, but have lost momentum over the past decade or so, writes Elri...
US experts dispute calls for MMR jab to be split into three
A plan for vaccine makers to develop separate shots against measles, mumps and rubella to replace combination MMR vaccines, despite no evidence of any...
NICD urges vaccinations as measles cases continue to rise
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reported a continued rise in measles cases across South Africa, with Gauteng leading in the number...
Repeat Covid-19 infections double long Covid risk – long-term NIH study
Most people now view Covid-19 as more of a nuisance than a danger, thanks to vaccines and past exposure to the virus – all...
Vaccines averted 17m deaths in five years, WHO reports
Vaccinations saved the lives of around 17m people between 2021 and 2024, but according to the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on...
Donors enable deal for $40 generic anti-HIV ‘miracle’ drug
Thanks to generous donor support, two Indian manufacturers will be able to mass produce cheap ($40) generic versions of the HIV “miracle” drug lenacapavir...
US panel stops advising Covid jab for adults
There was much flip-flopping of decisions and reversals of conclusions last week during two days of meetings of the US vaccine advisory committee, which...
Kennedy pushes for review of Covid vaccine deaths
The US Food and Drug Administration is examining rare cases involving the deaths of young people after they received Covid vaccines, under pressure from...
Task force formed to fight rising cholera cases in Africa
A joint plan has been announced by African leaders to combat the centuries-old disease that has seen cases doubling on the continent over the...
Shingles jab may cut heart attack, stroke risk – global review
Getting the shingles vaccine could lower your risk of a heart attack or stroke by as much as 20%, according to the first study...
Experts oppose Kennedy’s hepatitis B jab theories
Scathing American public health experts are pushing back against doubts and criticisms about the hepatitis B vaccine spread by Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy...
Medical journal rejects Kennedy’s call for retraction of vaccine study
An influential American medical journal is rejecting a call from Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr to retract a large Danish study that found...
Gauteng targets 4m children for measles jabs
The Gauteng Department of Health is stepping up efforts to fight the ongoing measles outbreak with the launch this week of a Measles-Rubella (MR)...
Kennedy cancels $500m mRNA vaccine contracts
In a decision which has dismayed scientists, US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has cancelled nearly $500m of grants and contracts for developing...
World's first effective TB vaccine closer to reality
Marking the beginning of a new chapter in the fight against TB, the world is on the brink of what could be one of...
Payout for vaccine injuries plan gets reboot from Kennedy
US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr says he plans to tweak the country’s compensation system for people harmed by vaccines, noting that in...
Kennedy officially rescinds certain flu jabs
The US has formally rescinded federal recommendations for all flu jabs containing thimerosal – a mercury-based preservative that the anti-vaccine movement has falsely linked...
Researchers move closer to a universal cancer vaccine – US study
A universal cancer vaccine may be inching closer to becoming reality, after University of Florida researchers suggested last week that findings from their recent...
More than 14m children unvaccinated in 2024
United Nations health officials have said more than 14m children did not receive a single vaccine last year – about the same as the...
US measles cases hit 33-year high
Measles cases in the United States have hit a 33-year high, with 1 288 confirmed infections in 39 states, according to the US Centres...
Aluminium in vaccines no effect on paediatric diseases – Danish study
A large, nationwide study in Denmark, spanning 1.2m children and 24 years of data, found no link between aluminium in childhood vaccines and autism,...
Why South Africa’s public health experts worry about Kennedy
US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s vaccine stance is completely at odds with the global public health community and reams of vaccine science,...
RSV and shingles jabs tied to lower dementia risk – Oxford analysis
A recent large analysis of more than 400 000 American adults suggested that two AS01-adjuvanted vaccines for different pathogens – the respiratory syncytial virus...
US jab committee green-lights flu shots, omits those ‘tied to autism’
The Trump administration’s new vaccine advisers have been slammed by some health experts and accused of encouraging vaccine mistrust, after endorsing only certain shots...
Gauteng Health on vaccine drive as measles spreads
Measles cases are escalating in Gauteng, with the Health Department now launching an aggressive vaccination campaign in schools and at taxi ranks, in efforts...
US physicians want investigation after Kennedy fires CDC vaccine panel
Outraged American physicians have called on HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to immediately reverse his decision to fire all 17 sitting members of...