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Vaccines
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...
Ethiopia reports first mpox cases
Mpox is continuing to spread across the continent, with the first three cases being reported in Ethiopia last week and the Africa Centres for...
New Covid strain spreads from Asia into US
The spread of a new Covid variant – NB.1.8.1 – has been tracked in states across America after a large surge in China, although...
US reverses Covid vaccine guidelines, calls for new scientific evidence
The US is clamping down on Covid vaccinations, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcing that it would allow the use of Covid vaccines...
Why most people in South Africa can’t get the shingles vaccine
The only shingles vaccine on the market in South Africa was discontinued last year. A newer and better vaccine is being used in some...
How to shift vaccine hesitancy in Africa
Vaccines have proved to be one of the most effective tools in fighting infectious diseases, but convincing people to get vaccinated can be tough....
Warning for seniors after mosquito vaccine's adverse events, deaths
US health authorities have issued a warning to older travellers after two deaths were reported following vaccination against a mosquito-borne disease.
The preventative jab against...
Man bitten more than 800 times could unlock universal snake anti-venom
Self-taught US venom expert Tim Friede has voluntarily injected himself with snake venom 856 times across 18 years. Now, his extremely dangerous hobby has...
Which arm gets jabbed affects immune response – Sydney study
Right arm or left arm for that vaccination? It doesn’t really matter, but scientists suggest that whichever one you offer up for your secondary...
Replacement rabies jab during SA shortage
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has confirmed that a new rabies vaccine – Chirorab – is available in South Africa as a...
Whooping cough makes a comeback in the US
Whooping cough (pertussis) cases in the United States were nearly 16 times higher in 2024 than during the Covid-19 pandemic low in 2021, warn...
Return of endemic measles may be looming for US, study says
America is hovering on the brink of a return of endemic measles – a quarter of a century after the disease was declared eradicated...
With twice-yearly PrEP jab, is an HIV vaccine still vital?
The discovery of a highly efficacious option for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) that requires only twice-yearly administration has led to the question of whether...
Moderna gets $176m to develop pandemic flu jab
The US has announced it will pay Moderna $176m to accelerate development of a pandemic influenza vaccine that could treat bird flu in people,...
Could polio be poised for a comeback?
Although the world is close to wiping out polio, there are signs the virus is not quite ready to go the way of smallpox...
Early antibiotics affect newborns’ later response to jabs – Australian study
Babies who are given antibiotics early may have lower levels of antibodies and reduced immune responses to vaccines in later infancy, possibly due to...