HomeVaccines
Vaccines
Local drugmakers must move to top of registration queue – SAHPRA
In a plan that would have significant implications for the local pharmaceutical industry, the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) wants to initiate a...
Don't delay mpox vaccine roll-out, experts urge health authorities
Health experts say government should start the roll-out of mpox vaccines to targeted groups without delay as a third man (40) died of mpox...
Donated mpox jabs arriving soon – Phaahla
Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla says doses of the mpox vaccine will be arriving soon for free distribution at clinics – this after South...
Pfizer sued by Kansas over Covid vaccine 'misrepresentation'
The US state of Kansas has filed a lawsuit against Pfizer, accusing it of misrepresenting the safety of its Covid-19 vaccine and violating the state’s...
Wrong to label woman ‘anti-vaxxer’ for refusing Covid jab, rules UK court
A Scottish judge has ruled that the NHS must compensate an ultrasound technician after she was called an “anti-vaxxer” for refusing the Covid-19 shot...
US and Europe move to secure bird flu jabs
America and Europe are taking steps to acquire or manufacture H5N1 bird flu vaccines that could be used to protect at-risk poultry and dairy...
HPV jab effective for men against cancer, large analysis finds
A recent large analysis showed that vaccination of boys and men against the human papillomavirus (HPV) reduces their risk of head and neck cancers...
Vaccines saved 154m lives over 50 years – Lancet study
Vaccinations have played a massive role in saving millions of lives over the past half century, the successful eradication of smallpox, certified in 1980,...
South African among anti-vaxxers at African conference
The World Health Organisation came under fire as zealous right-wing African members of Parliament, including some of the continent’s most vociferous anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQI...
Genetics tied to Covid jab blood clots, say scientists
An autoimmune reaction, to which some people are predisposed, was responsible for the rare but deadly blood clots associated with the Johnson & Johnson...
African countries pledge to end ‘silent disease’
African countries will prioritise plans to eliminate hepatitis, according to a declaration signed and adopted this week at the African Viral Hepatitis Conference in Cape...
Why we’re seeing so many viruses emerge
With the widespread outbreak of mpox in 2022, and the evolving bird flu situation – as well as recent cases of Marburg virus in Equatorial...
Lest we forget, the AstraZeneca vaccine also saved millions
Last week’s announcement that AstraZeneca would no longer market its Covid vaccine brings an end to one of the century’s most remarkable medical stories.
Although...
AstraZeneca withdraws Covid jab worldwide
London-based AstraZeneca has withdrawn its Covid jab worldwide, but says the discontinuation is unrelated to legal action related to serious side effects.
“As multiple, variant...
Insufficient research on Covid jab side effects despite thousands of complaints
Increasing numbers of people are claiming to have suffered lasting side effects from Covid-19 jabs, yet they – and various experts, including medical professionals...
Popular pastor pushes malaria vax conspiracy theories
One of Africa’s best known evangelical preachers, Nigeria’s Chris Oyakhilome, is spreading the message, through sermons on his church’s YouTube channel, that malaria vaccines...
WHO prequalifies new oral cholera vaccine
The World Health Organisation has prequalified a new oral vaccine for cholera, the inactivated Euvichol-S having a similar efficacy to existing vaccines but being...
Millions of girls in Africa will miss HPV shots this year
Nearly 1.5m teenage girls in some of the world’s poorest countries will miss the chance to be protected from cervical cancer because pharmaceutical company...
Adult vaccine programmes give 19x returns, finds world report
A first-of-its-kind study has underscored the dual benefits of adult immunisation programmes, with the experts concluding that these can deliver a return of up to...
New cholera vaccine-makers gearing up as global stocks run out
The global stockpile of cholera vaccine has dried up, with doses being given to patients as fast as they are produced, but the good...
Bird flu outbreak unlikely among humans, say experts
US experts have issued reassurances that there is minimal risk of a bird flu outbreak among people, after a surge of infections among dairy...
Landmark TB vaccine trial kicks off in SA
The first jabs in a much-anticipated clinical trial of an experimental tuberculosis (TB) vaccine have been administered at a clinical trial site at the...
Flu shots flagged during Covid jab stroke study
Investigation of an early signal for stroke associated with Covid-19 bivalent vaccines turned into suspicion of high-dose or adjuvanted flu shots instead, based on...
Cholera vaccine shortage a global crisis
The global stockpile of the oral cholera vaccine is still worryingly depleted – even as outbreaks of the disease continue worldwide, and with predictions...
RSV jab may boost Guillain-Barré risk, US experts warn
American health authorities have warned that vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) might have caused a few cases of the rare neurological condition Guillain-Barré...
Typhoid vaccine protects for up to four years – Malawi study
Randomised controlled trials among children in Asia and Africa have revealed a high short-term efficacy of typhoid conjugate vaccines, however, few studies have analysed...
New malaria jab also reduces other fatalities
The roll-out of malaria vaccines in Africa – the world’s first routine immunisation programme against the disease – has a surprising added benefit, reducing...
HPV jab highly effective in preventing cervical cancer – Scottish study
The bivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) Cervarix was highly effective in protecting women from cervical cancer when given between the ages of 12 and...
Measles warning in Europe as cases surge 30-fold
The World Health Organisation has issued an urgent warning over measles after an “alarming” 30-fold rise in cases across Europe, with 30 000 cases reported...
Reformulating flu jab easier said than done, say experts
Flu vaccine makers have argued that despite being urged by the World Health Organisation and some national drug regulators to drop the component known as...
Measles cases and deaths still rising worldwide
With measles cases continuing to increase worldwide – despite it being 60 years since the first vaccine against the disease was licensed for public...
Is vaccination approaching a dangerous tipping point?
Vaccination is one of the most highly effective public health interventions, responsible for saving millions of lives each year, yet an increasing number of...
'Cranky uncle' game tackles vaccine hesitancy
Vaccine hesitancy in the developing world will meet its match with the launch of a game featuring the same central character, a grumpy uncle,...
Childhood jabs at risk as medical and religious freedom wins ground
Medical and religious freedom lobbying – bouyed by successes in overturning coronavirus vaccine mandates in some areas – has led to an increasing number...