In a critical global public health development, a candidate vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) has been created using a gene-editing approach. TB remains the leading cause of death by infectious disease globally...

The federal government and vaccine makers are getting a new COVID-19 vaccine ready for the fall. An advisory panel at the FDA last week voted on which strains of the virus to target in an updated formulation...

New analysis based on Imperial’s COVID-19 human challenge study has helped to uncover how some people avoid getting sick. Researchers have found that people who are able to fend off the SARS-CoV-2 virus have...

If you’ve been sick with COVID-19, you may have some protection against certain versions of the common cold. A new study suggests previous COVID-19 infections lower the risk of getting colds caused by...

A scientific team from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) and Monash University has engineered a COVID-19 vaccine that induced – in pre-clinical models –...

Researchers discovered Apocryptovirus odysseus, a new RNA virus linked to severe inflammation in Toxoplasma gondii-infected humans. An international team led by researchers at the University of Toronto has...

New research in marine mammals suggests the virus is increasingly adapting to mammalian hosts. The H5N1 bird flu virus responsible for the current U.S. outbreak in dairy cows is increasingly adapting to spread...

Sixty-ninth Edition of the Global Health Cast presented by Prof. Schmitt and Dr. Sanicas.

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For years, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has bluntly stated the truth: “Vaccines do not cause autism,” the agency affirms on its website. Yet, nearly a quarter of Americans...

Promising preclinical results from a new Penn Medicine study suggest an mRNA vaccine platform could limit the impact of avian flu pandemics. An experimental mRNA vaccine against avian influenza virus H5N1 is...

With Lyme disease cases climbing steadily in Canada, the lack of an available vaccine has become a pressing concern among infectious disease specialists. Getting bitten by a tick means risking a potential...

Leading experts from academia, industry and the public sector came together to share insights into novel diagnostics for infectious diseases. Over two days in March, 40 international speakers and over 200 in...

Researchers detected SARS-CoV-2 in male reproductive cells under the microscope even when PCR testing failed to detect the virus in semen. The discovery serves as a warning of possible implications for natural...

New treatment under development by Professor Karine Auclair and Assistant Professor Andréanne Lupien could potentially treat intracellular infections without the need for traditional antibiotics. Supported by...

A team from Stanford University utilized cutting-edge microscopy to delve into the intricacies of SARS-CoV-2 replication within cells, potentially revolutionizing drug development. They captured high...

Sixty-eighth Edition of the Global Health Cast presented by Prof. Schmitt and Dr. Sanicas.

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Tick-borne diseases, primarily transmitted by Ixodes scapularis (black-legged or deer tick), are increasingly prevalent in the United States, surpassing diseases spread by mosquitoes. With over 490,000 annual...

An experimental mRNA vaccine against the H5N1 avian flu is highly effective in preventing severe illness and death in lab animals, researchers report. The vaccine could help fight the H5N1 bird flu outbreaks...

New research led by Flinders University and international experts is expanding understanding of vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (known as VITT). At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in...

If the effects don’t fade too rapidly, new data suggests regular COVID-19 vaccinations could strengthen our immune systems against future variants and even related viruses. This is on top of the proven...

A team led by the Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) has developed a vaccine approach that works like a GPS, guiding the immune system through the specific steps to make broadly neutralizing antibodies...

Climate change has become a pressing public health crisis around the world, as disease patterns worsen and emerge in regions where they did not exist before. Rising temperatures can expand and extend the life...

Sixty-seventh Edition of the Global Health Cast presented by Prof. Schmitt and Dr. Sanicas.

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Sixty-sixth Edition of the Global Health Cast presented by Prof. Schmitt and Dr. Sanicas.

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Human factors − such as how people produce food and how they organize themselves and live together − influence disease outbreaks. The last pandemic was bad, but COVID-19 is only one of many infectious diseases...

The US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS’s) COVID-19 vaccination campaign saved $732 billion by averting illness and related costs during the Delta and Omicron variant waves, with a...

Biosynthesis in yeast produces a cheaper immune-boosting ingredient of many vaccines Vaccines save lives, as proven during the recent pandemic, but one component of most vaccines — including the Novavax COVID...

Researchers have developed a new vaccine technology that has been shown in mice to provide protection against a broad range of coronaviruses with potential for future disease outbreaks – including ones...

Sixty-fifth Edition of the Global Health Cast presented by Prof. Schmitt and Dr. Sanicas.

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Researchers from the University of Waterloo have successfully classified 191 previously unidentified astroviruses using a new machine learning-enabled classification process. Astroviruses are some of the most...

Sixty-fourth Edition of the Global Health Cast presented by Prof. Schmitt and Dr. Sanicas.

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The Humanly Possible joint global communication campaign aims to boost vaccination programmes around the world, with support from the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)...

A study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases highlights the substantial impact of infectious diseases on global health. The analysis of data from 204 countries by researchers with the Institute for...

Important differences in how the nasal cells of young and elderly people respond to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, could explain why children typically experience milder COVID-19 symptoms, finds a new study led by...

Sixty-third Edition of the Global Health Cast presented by Prof. Schmitt and Dr. Sanicas.

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COVID-19 in Vietnam presented by Prof. Schmitt and Prof. Mahmood

COVID-19 in Vietnam presented by Prof. Schmitt and Prof. Anh
In collaboration with VPHA:

University of Oxford researchers have for the first time established a controlled human infection model for tuberculosis (TB) that infects people via the lungs – the way TB enters the body. The clinical trial...

Scientists at UC Riverside have demonstrated a new, RNA-based vaccine strategy that is effective against any strain of a virus and can be used safely even by babies or the immunocompromised. Every year...

The lung-cell type that’s most susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is not the one previously assumed to be most vulnerable. What’s more, the virus enters this susceptible...

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2024 Global Hepatitis Report, the number of lives lost due to viral hepatitis is increasing. The disease is the second leading infectious cause of death...

An international group of researchers specialising in human challenge studies is embarking on a project to develop advanced virus-blocking vaccines. The global consortium will lay the crucial groundwork needed...

By harnessing the power of composite polymer particles adorned with gold nanoparticles, a group of researchers have delivered a more accurate means of testing for infectious diseases. Details of their research...

Sixty-second Edition of the Global Health Cast presented by Prof. Schmitt and Dr. Sanicas.

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Scientists in the US are set to test a new vaccine approach that could overcome some of the challenges associated with the latest mRNA vaccine designs and more rapidly create pandemic-busting vaccines in as...

In a potentially game-changing development, scientists with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have revealed a new understanding of sometimes fatal viral infections that affect the heart...

By studying individuals who spontaneously clear hepatitis C infections, a team of researchers has identified viable vaccine targets for a disease that infects 70 million worldwide with case numbers increasing...

A powerful new tool in artificial intelligence is able to predict whether someone is willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The predictive system uses a small set of data from demographics and personal...

A team of infectious diseases experts is calling for more awareness and preparedness in the medical field to deal with the impact of climate change on the spread of diseases. Their article, published in JAMA...

Particles that gum up the keys that the virus uses to enter cells could one day be an effective COVID treatment whenever vaccines and other treatments fall short Teardrop-shaped particles designed to...

Four years out from the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic, a new study explores the extent to which COVID-19 and influenza vaccines are being distributed and employed simultaneously, particularly among high-risk...

The decision whether to vaccinate is one that many people consider routine. For others, such as people who are pregnant or interested in becoming pregnant—including those who have experienced prior pregnancy...

An international study has shown for the first time how empathetic correction of misinformation among vaccine-hesitant patients can significantly improve attitudes towards vaccination – and potentially boost...

From the very early days of the pandemic, brain fog emerged as a significant health condition that many experience after COVID-19. Brain fog is a colloquial term that describes a state of mental sluggishness...

Heightened use of social media during the coronavirus pandemic brought with it an unprecedented surge in the spread of misinformation. Of particular significance were conspiracy theories surrounding the virus...

For centuries, coronaviruses have triggered health crises and economic challenges, with SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that spreads COVID-19, being a recent example. One small protein in SARS-CoV-2, the Membrane...

As Canada’s flu season collides with record strep A cases and ongoing COVID-19 concerns, a new study is shedding light on our understanding of respiratory immune responses. Scholars from the Research Institute...

Sixty-first Edition of the Global Health Cast presented by Prof. Schmitt and Dr. Sanicas.

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A new study has shown that people vaccinated against Ebola who still developed the disease had a substantially lower risk of dying than people who were not vaccinated, even if they received the vaccine when...

Sixtieth Edition of the Global Health Cast presented by Prof. Schmitt and Dr. Sanicas.

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Scientists have long thought of the fluid-filled sac around our lungs merely as a cushion from external damage. Turns out, it also houses potent virus-eating cells that rush into the lungs during flu...

People who have had the herpes virus at some point in their lives are twice as likely to develop dementia compared to those who have never been infected. A new study from Uppsala University confirms previous...

The first death from Alaskapox virus marks a significant development since its discovery in 2015, but human-to-human transmission has not yet been observed. An elderly man has died after contracting a type of...

Fifty-ninth Edition of the Global Health Cast presented by Prof. Schmitt and Dr. Melvin Sanicas.

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No increased risks for babies, and for some serious neonatal complications lower risks. This is the result of the largest study to date on the safety of newborn babies whose mothers were vaccinated against...

Infection with a measles-like virus causes catastrophic lung failure in ferrets previously infected with influenza virus or respiratory syncytial virus, according to a study by researchers in the Center for...

Scientists engineered a model bacterium’s genetic code to make it virus-resistant and unable to exchange genetic material or grow without special media The Science Genome engineering allows scientists to...

There are many lingering mysteries from the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, why does SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the disease, cause severe symptoms in some patients, while many other coronaviruses don’t? And...

Fifty-eighth Edition of the Global Health Cast presented by Prof. Schmitt and Dr. Melvin Sanicas.

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After extensive research, Latvian health authorities have extended the recommended interval for receiving the vaccine against tick-borne encephalitis, Latvian Radio reported on February 2. Until now, it was...

Preterm infants born to people who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 had roughly the same levels of antibodies to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 as term infants born to vaccinated people, according to a study...

A report in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) says campaigns to counter vaccine hesitancy need to get more savvy. Nine authors penned Behavioural interventions to reduce vaccine hesitancy driven by...

NUS scientists have revealed the structure and function of a pupal cuticle protein found in the exoskeleton – a hard covering that supports and protects the bodies of some types of invertebrate animals...

Fifty-seventh Edition of the Global Health Cast presented by Prof. Schmitt and Dr. Melvin Sanicas.

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A single dose of the typhoid conjugate vaccine, Typbar TCV®, provides lasting efficacy in preventing typhoid fever in children ages 9 months to 12 years old, according to a new study conducted by researchers...

The spread of West Nile virus in Europe is strongly linked to agricultural activities, urbanization, and bird migration, according to a modelling study published January 25, 2024 in the open-access journal...

Fifty-sixth Edition of the Global Health Cast presented by Prof. Schmitt and Dr. Melvin Sanicas.

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Researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS) have discovered a new vaccine candidate that can be delivered through the nose (nasal) in the form of a spray that promises better and longer-lasting...

The number of infections by the tick-borne TBE virus that are not detected by health services is far higher than previously assumed. This has been shown in a new study of Swedish blood donors from Uppsala...

Humans are protected by two branches of the immune system. Innate immunity provides built-in defense against widespread characteristics of bacteria and viruses, while adaptive immunity memorizes individual...

An AI model can predict which SARS-CoV-2 variants are likely to cause new waves of infection. Current models used to predict the dynamics of viral transmission do not predict variant-specific spread. Retsef...

Influenza and other viruses pack their genetic material into a protein shell, which must be disassembled for the viruses to efficiently replicate. But how viruses “uncoat” their genes remains...

Children and adolescents who received one of the main COVID-19 vaccines were significantly protected from the illness and showed no increased signs of cardiac complications compared to young people who were...

Reflecting on 2023, which also marked the UN agency’s 75th anniversary, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted key achievements and set out objectives for the coming year. New vaccines Dr. Tedros...

From new vaccines to the first drugs of their kind for hard-to-treat disorders, 2023 has been a year full of medical breakthroughs. They offer opportunities for people to protect themselves from diseases, slow...

Dengue is sweeping across the Western Hemisphere in numbers not seen since record-keeping began more than four decades ago, with experts warning that rising temperatures and rapid urbanization are accelerating...

According to the 2023 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) vaccine is recommended for individuals in the United States who travel to an area where the disease...

Fifty-fifth Edition of the Global Health Cast presented by Prof. Schmitt and Dr. Melvin Sanicas.
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Findings could aid development of vaccines with broader protection against different flu strains Researchers have identified a previously unrecognized class of antibodies—immune system proteins that protect...

Study suggests greater CD8+ T-cell activity may increase HIV immunity An effective HIV vaccine may need to prompt strong responses from immune cells called CD8+ T cells to protect people from acquiring HIV...

If your immune system or drugs can’t stop a viral infection, why not pit a virus against itself? That’s the provocative idea several labs are pursuing. They are studying whether deliberately introducing...

In a first, scientists use gene editing to disrupt both latent and active herpesvirus in human cells The herpes simplex virus, commonly known as the cold sore virus, is a devious microbe. It enters the body...

Researchers find that Ebola virus creates the very tunnels it uses to hide and move within the human body Understanding how viruses travel once inside the human body is critical to develop effective drugs and...

Climate change has long been considered a threat to our planet, but recent evidence underscores its significant impact on human health, particularly in relation to infectious diseases. A recent analysis...

Study shows patients hospitalized for flu or COVID-19 face increased risk of long-term health problems, death Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, extensive research has emerged detailing the virus’s ability to...

Fifty-fourth Edition of the Global Health Cast presented by Prof. Schmitt and Dr. Melvin Sanicas.
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While the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us, research continues on the role of vaccines — their effectiveness as well as factors that contribute to a resistance to being vaccinated, and the worldwide...

Researchers in China report thinning of the gray matter and other changes in certain parts of the brain in 61 men after COVID-19 Omicron infection. For the study, published late last week in JAMA Network Open...

Zika’s crucial enzyme performs multiple tasks, but a wrench in the system could bring it to a screeching halt Viruses have limited genetic material—and few proteins—so all the pieces must work extra hard. Zika...