All articles tagged with #vaccine
Pennsylvania’s first measles deaths in 35 years have become a partisan flashpoint after a newborn who tested positive for measles died soon after birth; officials say the autopsy found the immediate cause to be a ruptured spleen potentially linked to measles, while anti‑vaccine activists and some public officials question the attribution, fueling a clash between Gov. Josh Shapiro and RFK Jr. over vaccine policy and public health narratives.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro declined to share more details about two measles-associated deaths, citing patient privacy, prompting RFK Jr. to allege a fabrication and fueling a partisan debate over death attribution and public health messaging as the CDC reviews the case.
Moderna and Merck’s personalized cancer vaccine intismeran autogene would have its mRNA sequence selected by a computer algorithm, potentially making it the first approved medicine with AI-crafted genetic instructions; full details are in a STAT+ exclusive article.
A US study of more than 70,000 adults aged 60+ found that the latest shingles vaccine was associated with a 9% reduction in overall cardiovascular burden over seven years compared with an older version, including lower risks of heart disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation, with men also showing reduced stroke risk. Researchers stress the findings are observational and do not prove causation, and the mechanisms are not yet known, though immune changes from vaccination may be cardioprotective; more trials are needed.
A large retrospective study of about 4.1 million people aged 16–25 found that Pfizer/BNT162b2 vaccination is associated with lower risk of myocarditis, pericarditis, and death than SARS-CoV-2 infection; infection carries a higher cardiac risk than vaccination, though vaccine-associated myocarditis remains rare.
A large real-world study using U.S. medical records found people vaccinated against HPV had a lower incidence of head and neck cancers, especially oropharyngeal cancer, with the strongest protection seen when vaccination occurred between ages 9 and 26. The results support broader cancer-prevention benefits of HPV vaccination but do not prove causation, and longer follow-up is needed as these cancers often develop many years after exposure. Vaccination rates in the U.S. were about 63% of teens in 2024.
Snopes curates a collection of 10 COVID-19 vaccine claims investigated during Trump’s second term, covering misinterpreted safety data, alleged data cover-ups, and rumors tying public figures like RFK Jr. and Fauci to vaccines, while providing context and corrections to prevalent misinformation.
More than 300 people died in the past week in eastern Congo, marking one of the outbreak's deadliest periods, with 5,514 cases and 2,642 deaths overall; Ituri remains the epicenter as the Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine yet, though Ervebo doses have arrived and may be used in trials while frontline rollout faces access, security, and logistical challenges.
CMS head Dr. Mehmet Oz told CBS that the MMR vaccine is not lethal, clarifying President Trump’s claims that the shot could be lethal. Trump has signed an executive order to overhaul vaccine recommendations, including splitting MMR into separate doses, though no evidence was provided to support lethal claims. The MMR vaccine has been in use for decades with hundreds of millions of doses administered.”
The HHS issued a Federal Register notice inviting 30 days of public comments on the current vaccine recommendation categories (routine, risk-based, shared clinical decision-making) and whether new categories should be added, a move critics say could sow confusion and limit access if CDC/ACIP oversight is bypassed; experts warn the effort may reflect broader Trump-era pushes to pare back vaccine guidance and raise questions about how evidence is evaluated. Public vaccine mandates remain state/local.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo received 16,250 Ervebo vaccine doses in Kinshasa—the first batch of a 70,000-dose pledge—while the Bundibugyo strain circulating there has no approved vaccine; 20,000 doses will be used in a late-stage trial, with the remainder for frontline health workers. The outbreak has killed more than 2,500 people out of about 5,300 confirmed cases, and transmission is described as exponential, with containment hindered by ongoing conflict and weak infrastructure.
DR Congo will test the Ervebo Ebola vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain in a clinical trial as the outbreak expands rapidly, with about 2,500 deaths reported. The WHO says infections are growing exponentially across the north and east. The plan allocates 20,000 doses for the trial and 50,000 for frontline health workers, in a bid to broaden protection beyond the Zaïre strain; the response is complicated by conflict, misdiagnosis early on, burial practices, and new movement restrictions imposed by the M23 rebel group to limit spread.
Leana Wen answers reader questions about the upcoming fall rollout of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, clarifying what to expect and cutting through confusion surrounding federal vaccine drama.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo will receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine, which has proven effective in past outbreaks, to bolster efforts to contain Ebola in the region.
A phase 3 trial of a personalised mRNA vaccine (Intismeran) given with Keytruda after melanoma surgery extended disease-free time in over 1,000 high-risk patients. While the interim results are promising, they have not yet been peer-reviewed and regulatory approval is still required before NHS rollout.