All articles tagged with #vaccine
A Trump administration appointee delayed a CDC report showing Covid vaccines reduced hospitalizations by about 55% and emergency visits by about 50% among healthy adults in winter 2025, amid concerns over the study’s methodology and fears of political interference in vaccine science ahead of the 2026 midterms.
RFK Jr., as HHS secretary, pledges stronger action on Lyme disease with better diagnostics and treatment, but his anti-vaccine stance complicates Pfizer/Valneva’s plan to file a Lyme vaccine—the first in more than two decades. The prior Lyme vaccine Lymerix faced safety questions and weak uptake, illustrating the challenges Pfizer now faces, even as Lyme incidence rises with climate-driven tick expansion and researchers pursue vaccines and other preventive tools.
Pfizer and Valneva announced phase 3 results for PF-0730740, a four-dose Lyme disease vaccine that achieved about 70% efficacy in preventing infection among people aged 5+ across the US, Canada, and Europe. The regimen requires four injections (two two months apart, then months five–nine, then one year later) and the vaccine is not yet approved; its impact on disease complications is unknown, but it could offer meaningful protection for those in endemic areas while continued tick-prevention steps remain important.
An experimental Lyme vaccine from Pfizer and Valneva reduced the risk of Lyme disease by more than 70% in a trial, but it reportedly missed a key statistical endpoint, prompting regulators to scrutinize potential approval amid ongoing debates over trial methods and Lyme prevention.
Pfizer and Valneva's Lyme disease vaccine posted 73.2% efficacy starting 28 days after the fourth dose in a late-stage trial, but the study missed its primary endpoint under the worst-case scenario (15.8% efficacy in the initial analysis); a second analysis showed 74.8% efficacy, leading to plans for regulatory submissions, with no Lyme vaccine currently approved.
Pfizer intends to seek FDA approval for its Lyme disease vaccine candidate even after a late-stage trial failed to meet statistical goals due to too few Lyme cases; the company says efficacy exceeded 70% in vaccine recipients versus placebo, which they consider strong enough to move forward. Partner Valneva projects up to $1 billion in peak annual sales. The Phase 3 study started with about 18,000 participants but was reduced to roughly 9,400 due to site-quality issues, and Pfizer reports no safety concerns; the vaccine requires three initial doses followed by a booster and targets the outer surface protein A of the bacteria.
A federal judge blocked several HHS vaccine policy changes pushed by Secretary RFK Jr., ruling that he overstepped authority by firing and replacing ACIP members and by withdrawing vaccine recommendations without proper procedural steps. The ruling halts those actions pending further litigation, keeps vaccines in the political spotlight, and underscores the balance between rapid policy moves and legal governance in public health.
New studies suggest the Shingrix shingles vaccine may be associated with a lower risk of dementia in older adults, with some research indicating about a 50% reduction in risk among vaccinated individuals. In addition to preventing shingles and its serious complications like postherpetic neuralgia, the vaccine may also modestly lower risks of heart attack and stroke. The CDC recommends two doses for adults 50+, with dosing intervals of two to six months, and stronger immune responses are reported in older adults. Side effects are usually mild, and vaccination rates for adults over 60 remain around 35%; more research is needed to establish causality between vaccination and dementia protection.
New York City confirms its first case of a severe mpox strain (clade I), travel-related with no local transmission; health officials say the risk remains low and urge at-risk residents to complete the two-dose JYNNEOS vaccination series.
WHO recommends the 2026–27 northern hemisphere flu vaccines with updated strains: egg-based vaccines should contain A/Missouri/11/2025 (H1N1)pdm09-like, A/Darwin/1454/2025 (H3N2)-like, and B/Tokyo/EIS13-175/2025 (B/Victoria lineage)-like; cell culture-, recombinant protein-, or nucleic acid-based vaccines should include A/Missouri/11/2025 (H1N1)pdm09-like, A/Darwin/1415/2025 (H3N2)-like, and B/Pennsylvania/14/2025 (B/Victoria lineage)-like. The review also addresses animal (zoonotic) influenza threats, notes 25 human infections since Sept 2025 with no human-to-human transmission, and calls for developing a new CVV for A(H9N2).
A South Carolina mother who refused measles vaccination for her child, citing beliefs about vaccine safety and faith, sees her son suffer measles encephalitis with likely lifelong mobility issues, as a preventable outbreak unfolds in the state; the piece frames the decision as reckless and highlights the real harm to the unvaccinated child while criticizing anti-vaccine beliefs.
The FDA reversed its initial refusal to accept Moderna’s seasonal flu vaccine filing after a White House meeting in which President Trump pressed the agency, with Moderna submitting an amended filing and the FDA agreeing to review it via a Type A meeting. The agency accepted the application for full approval for adults 50–64 and accelerated approval for 65+, with a post‑marketing study to address age-related concerns, and a target decision date of August 5, 2026.
A recent observational study of nearly 4,000 adults aged 70+ found that shingles vaccination was linked to slower overall biological aging and lower inflammation, suggesting immune-related benefits beyond preventing shingles. However, the study cannot establish causality, and more research—including randomized trials and diverse populations—is needed to confirm these findings and explore health outcomes such as cognitive decline or mortality.
A landmark England-wide study of nearly 14 million under-18s found that COVID infection carries a substantially higher risk of inflammatory heart conditions (myocarditis and pericarditis) than vaccination, with vaccine-related risks being rare and short-lived (dissipating within a month) while infection-related risks can persist for up to a year, reinforcing vaccine safety messaging.
A randomized trial provides direct human evidence that the placebo effect can shape humoral immunity: reward-related brain activity correlates with vaccine-induced antibody production, suggesting new ways to influence immune responses beyond the vaccine itself.