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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The US has formally rescinded federal recommendations for all flu jabs containing thimerosal – a mercury-based preservative that the anti-vaccine movement has falsely linked...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...
Shingles and statins findings a 'significant' boost in dementia fight
Shingles vaccines and statins have been found, separately, to significantly reduce the risk of dementia, which researchers say is of "tremendous importance" in the...
Now Trump pulls plug on childhood vaccines
The Trump administration is to halt its funding for Gavi, which helps buy vaccines for children in poor countries, and reduce its efforts to...
Unvaccinated US measles patients display vitamin A toxicity
Several children admitted to hospital with measles in Texas and New Mexico are displaying symptoms of vitamin A toxicity, doctors have said, adding that...
Waning immunity, low jab rate, trigger SA diphtheria cases
Over the past 14 months, South Africa has experienced its highest rise in diphtheria cases in 30 years, with doctors attributing this to waning...
Global measles cases spread among the unvaccinated
The number of measles cases linked to an outbreak in Texas has grown to more than 300, with around 40 cases reported over the...
Why CDC’s vaccine-autism study is raising eyebrows
Experts are concerned about the US Centres for Disease Control & Prevention's (CDC) plan to use the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) to probe an...
Kennedy's conflicting advice leave US doctors frustrated
Doctors and medical experts in the United States are irate about the mixed messaging and controversial advice being dispensed by Health & Human Services...
Measles jab a personal choice, says Kennedy after child’s death
After an unvaccinated Texas child died from measles this week – the first US death in a decade from the disease – vaccine sceptic...
Yale study offers clues to post Covid vaccine illness
The Covid-19 vaccine may have led to a constellation of side effects that includes fatigue, exercise intolerance, brain fog, tinnitus and dizziness, together referred...
Landmark deal jumpstarts Africa’s vaccine production
In a deal inked in Cairo last week and backed by a $1.2bn investment from Gavi, the vaccine alliance, an end-to-end mRNA vaccine production platform...
UK to slash funding contribution to Gavi
The prediction that Britain is likely to cut funding to global vaccination group Gavi – which has inoculated more than 1bn children in developing...
Medical profession alarmed by Kennedy’s racist theories
President Donald Trump’s choice of Robert F Kennedy to become America’s leading health official has caused consternation.
His theory, for instance, that black people have...
Uganda launches Ebola vaccine trial
By launching an Ebola vaccine trial within days of an outbreak, Uganda is sending the message that epidemic responses can be proactive, strategic and...
Moderna gets millions for mRNA jab against future pandemics
In the final days of the Biden administration, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $590m to Moderna to expedite development...