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Children with autism are actually less likely to be vaccinated, new study finds

I'll be seeing you in the comment section.

Human-secreted malaria antibody could usher in an effective, long-term treatment

Not one day too soon!

Planning a trip to Brazil? Do not forget your yellow fever vaccine

There is no cure for yellow fever, but there is a vaccine.

People who don't understand evolution are much more likely to reject it

Well here's a shocker.

New cancer vaccine successfully eliminates tumors in mice

This could be BIG.

This heroin vaccine might solve part of our growing opioid addiction problems

It works by blocking the drug's 'high' which could lead to breaking the cycle of addiction.

UN declares Somalia polio-free

Soon, we might truly eradicate polio.

The United States slides towards measles epidemics (again) because people don't vaccinate

Non-medical exemptions and widespread misinformation are to blame.

For the first time, a vaccine for gonorrhea proves effective

Bacterial strains that cause gonorrhea have become resistant to antibiotics.

France to make vaccination mandatory from 2018: 'unacceptable children are still dying of measles'

The move has been backed by the nation's leading doctors.

1962 vaccine breakthrough prevented 4.5 billion cases of polio, measles, rabies, hepatitis A, and many others

This man and his colleagues saved millions of lives. But you've probably never heard of him.

Five HIV patients are now virus-free thanks to a new vaccine therapy -- but success rate is low

The new therapy gives the body new tools to weed out the HIV virus without any other drugs -- one man has been HIV-free for 7 months.

New method could produce polio vaccines without the need for a live virus

The risk for a potential biohazard would be seriously reduced.

Common cold vaccine patented in the EU

Seems like our bodies were fighting the disease the wrong way all along.

Revolutionary HIV vaccine to be tested on 600 people next year

We may be zooming in on a vaccine.

Doctors Without Borders just refused a 1-million-vaccine donation from Pfizer, and this is probably a good thing

Doctors Without Borders has a strong message for giant pharma company Pfizer.

An antibody that clears Alzheimer's patients' brains of plaque could be the treatment we've been waiting for

Clean brain, clean memories.

After a decade, vaccine halves cervical cancer rate

Ten years ago, the first cervical cancer vaccine was administered in Australia.

First human trials for a Zika vaccine to begin shortly

Things are rough with Zika nowadays, but scientists are now finally testing a vaccine.

Scientists move closer to world’s first Alzheimer’s disease vaccine

Human trials for the vaccine formulation will begin after the current pre-clinical studies are completed.

WHO endorses first Dengue Fever vaccine

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially endorsed the world's first Dengue fever vaccine, a disease that infects 390 million people each year.

Read Roald Dahl’s powerful letter to parents about vaccination from 1988

People love Roald Dahl's creations (such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda) for their creativity and sense of humor, but Dahl had his own share of tragedy.

Vaccine against HPV proves its worth, so why don't Americans use it?

A new study confirms the the effectiveness of a HPV vaccine introduced almost a decade ago in the US; the virus' prevalence in teenage girls is down by almost two thirds. Even for women in their early 20s, the group with the lowest vaccination rates, infections have been reduced by more than a third.

For every dollar spent, vaccines offer a return of 44$

Vaccines are arguably one of the most impactful medical developments ever. According to the CDC, vaccines given to infants and young children over the past two decades will prevent 322 million illnesses, 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths over the course of their lifetimes. If that's not impressive, a group of researchers put this into another perspective that almost all people seem to appreciate: money. Their findings suggest that though it costs a lot to research new vaccines, manufacture and implement them, the return of investment is absolutely stunning. Pharmaceutical companies make a nice profit, but the bulk goes to society.

Dengue vaccine approved for use in Mexico, Brazil and Philippines

Scientific American recently reported that the three countries most affected by dengue fever have approved the use of the first vaccine against this affliction. Officials from Mexico, Philippines and Brazil hope that this will curb the nearly 400 million new infections each year, 22,000 of which result in death.

Research moves closer to a universal flu vaccine

Scientists from the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) have discovered a way to give antibodies the ability to fight a wide range of influenza subtypes. Their work has great potential to one day eliminate the need for repeated seasonal flu shots.

Bees use natural vaccines for their youth

When it comes to vaccines, the young bees don't really have a choice - they're naturally immunized against specific diseases commonly found in their environment. For the first time, researchers have figured out just how they do it.

New vaccine against Ebola is 100% effective in Guinea trial

“Having seen the devastating effects of Ebola on communities and even whole countries with my own eyes, I am very encouraged by today’s news,” said Børge Brende, the foreign minister of Norway, which helped fund the trial.

Key protein that prevents Ebola outbreak found. Preventive vaccine now in works

A breakthrough study confirmed what scientists have long suspected: Ebola attaches itself to a singular, "gateway" protein to infect hosts. When mice were genetically engineered to lack the protein, these failed to become infected. Though extremely early, these promising results suggest Ebola outbreaks could be contained using vaccines that inhibit the protein either to stop the spread or prevent infection altogether. Nine out of ten infected Ebola patients die, and last year was the worst outbreak in history killing more than 11,000 people in Africa in official numbers, and likely twice as much in reality.

A lung cancer vaccine made in Cuba will begin clinical trials in the US

Cuba, famous for its rum and cigars, might be one of the unlikeliest places people think of when cutting-edge biotech research is concerned. Despite economic sanctions and embargoes set forth by the US and partners, the country's medical research institutes boasts some impressive results, particularly in immunization. One prime example is a lung cancer vaccine developed at Cuba’s Center for Molecular Immunology which increases life expectancy by up to six months. Now, the Roswell Park Cancer has signed an agreement with the Cuban medical center to finally bring the vaccine to the US for clinical trials.

Anti-vaxxer bet $100,000 that scientists couldn't prove measles exists. German court now orders man to pay up

Four years ago, a vocal anti vaccine activist and a biologist by training challenged not only established medical science, but common sense. The man in question, Stefan Lanka, offered $100,000 to anyone who could prove the measles virus exists. Yes, the virus that used to infect millions of children and young adults hilariously doesn't exist in Lanka's view. David Barden, a German doctor, took it upon himself to battle the windmills. He mailed Lanka the most up-to-date and comprehensive research on measles. Unsurprisingly, Lanka dismissed them, but the German court thought otherwise. To them, the existence of measles is obvious and ordered the man to pay up the $106,000 he had promised.

U.S. Parents Pressure Doctors to Alter Vaccine Schedules - and the Doctors Cave

In any given month, the vast majority of physicians treating children in the US (93%) receive at least one request to delay child vaccination; many of them (37%) often or always honor the request, despite putting the kids at a needless risk for disease and favoring potential outbreaks of diseases such as measles.

Bill Gates commissions Pro-vaccine artworks to remind us why immunization is important

Like most things in our modern day life style, we tend to take vaccines for granted. Some, in ever growing numbers, are on the contrary pushing and inciting against vaccination for all the wrong reasons. It’s easy to forget, however, that since their introduction hundreds of millions of lives have been spared. Vaccines given to […]

Vaccine skeptical parents tend to cluster and threaten communities

More than 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths among children born in the last 20 years have been spared by vaccination preventive action, but despite this more and more parents choose to shun vaccines, not only for them, but for their children as well. The consequences are evident, but it's not the lives of themselves and their children that parents who refuse vaccines risk. It's that of those around them, in their communities as well.

Vaccination starts with pregnancy, for everyone's good health

The most important message mommies are missing is that pregnant women and their babies need vaccines to stay healthy, according to Saad Omer, a researcher the Royal Society for Public Health.

Drug candidate destroys Malaria in 48 hours

Malaria is one of the most common and dangerous diseases in the world, with the World Health Organization estimating over 200 million cases every year. There are several ways to try to treat malaria, but the results are debatable and often times not as effective as desired. Now, a team has demonstrated a new compound […]

New Vaccine Developed to Prevent Lyme Disease

There is currently no Lyme borreliosis vaccine available for humans available for purchase, but a new research has shown how such a vaccine could be made. Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis) is an infectious disease caused by at least three species of bacteria belonging to the genus Borrelia. Each year, approximately 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are […]

Hepatitis C vaccine shows promise in early clinical trial

An initial study has shown that a vaccine against Hep C currently in clinical trials is effective and also safe in humans. Hepatitis C is an infectious disease affecting primarily the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). There are some 200 million people in the world infected with the disease, and around 75-85% of […]

New Hookwork Vaccine Passes Clinical Trials in Brazil

A permanent vaccine for hookworm has passed clinical trials. The hookworm is one of the most pervasive parasites, affecting over 600 million people worldwide. The virus is also known for affecting mostly poor populations. The hookworm is a parasitic nematode (roundworm) that lives in the small intestine of its host, which may be a mammal […]

Scientists stumble upon a vaccine which blocks HIV in monkeys - human trials planned

Scientists were surprised when they unexpectedly stumbled upon a relatively simple vaccine which blocks infection with SIV – the monkey equivalent of HIV – and stops the spread of the virus in already infected monkeys. How it works All efficient vaccines against a viral infection elicit virus-specific neutralizing antibodies and sometimes also cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL) […]

Vietnamese Oral Vaccine for Cholera is highly effective in Africa

A new, inexpensive and easy to use vaccine developed in Vietnam worked very well during a cholera outbreak in Africa, Doctors Without Borders reported. Cholera is an infection of the small intestine caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It is generally transmitted through through food or water. In the developed world, the main cause is sea […]

World's first malaria vaccine on course for 2015

It’s actually happening Good news – encouraging results from the longest and largest trial of a malaria vaccine could see the world’s first anti-malaria jab approved by 2015; malaria is one of the most dangerous diseases in the world, affecting over 220 million people every year (some say 300 million). The vaccine could be used […]

New Treatment for Gonorrhea Acts like a Vaccine, Preventing Reinfection

A first step has been taken towards an effective treatment for Gonorrhea – with drug resistant strains on the rise, this moment comes just at the right time, merely days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) placed the STD on a list of “urgent threats” in the fight against drug-resistant bacteria. Gonorrhea (colloquially […]

Scientists Discover Blueprint for (almost) Universal Flu Vaccine

It may not seem like it, but the influenza (flu) virus is one of the most dangerous in the world due to the speed with which it evolves – each year, several new strains appear, making existing vaccines (and sometimes treatments) obsolete. The bird and swine influenza are just two examples of recent outbursts caused […]

Cancer vaccine with 50% regression rate in mice enters clinical trial

A cross-disciplinary team of scientists at Harvard that developed a novel type of vaccine for treating melanoma – the most lethal form of skin cance – recently announced the vaccine will enter its Phase 1 clinical trial. The announcement comes just a few years after the vaccine was tested on mice, 50% of whom showed […]

Breakthroughs against malaria: highly effective vaccine developed; meanwhile, anti-malaria soap wins prize

Some 300 million cases of malaria are reported each year in Africa, the continent where the disease is still running rampant. For decades, scientists have been investing immense amounts of energy battling the disease, trying to come up with effective treatments. The recent step forward in the war against malaria  comes from Maryland-based biotech Sanaria, which […]

Vaccine that works for newborns might save millions of babies

Babies need to wait until they’re at least two months old for vaccines to work, which leaves  a lot of newborn babies in the world at risk of infections like rotavirus or pneumococcus. Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital have developed small-molecule compounds that target a particular receptor to generate an immune response. The vaccine is […]

DNA vaccines could prove to be safer, easier and better than traditional method

Vaccines have become synonymous to needles, and for a lot of people they’re the subject of horror stories since childhood. Typically, a vaccine works by injecting an inactive virus into the body, such that when the real virus reaches the host body, the immune system will be quick to act and destroy it before it gets a […]

Octopus with venom that works in freezing temperatures discovered

Boy, you just can’t have enough octopus, that’s for sure – they’re really amazing creatures, that often surprise us. Now, a venomous octopus living in the frozen waters of Antarctica is definitely awesome, but how is this useful? Well, according to Bryan Fry, of the University of Melbourne, it is. He and his team have […]

Ten billion dollars pledged for vaccines

Yesterday, Bill Gates officially announced he will donate 10 billlion dollars for a 10 year effort to boost vaccination against infectious diseases in developing countries. The investment is estimated to save almost 9.000.000 certain deaths, along with a significant health improvement. I won’t get into more details, which if you want you can find on […]