Science app brings clarity on vaccination and climate

The answers to six pivotal questions on immunisation and vaccines have been addressed by a panel of 12 Australian experts in the field. The Australian Academy of Science (AAS) recently released a free ‘Science Q&A’ app for tablets that contains the latest science of immunisation. It aims to guide the public through the current science of immunisation and to help clarify uncertainties and misconceptions surrounding the issue. In answering one pivotal question on immunisation; ‘what does the future hold for vaccines?’ the app highlights the prospect of new vaccines being used for treatment of non-infectious conditions, like autoimmune disorders, allergies and cancer. Among the expert panel was vaccine safety and allergy expert Professor Patrick Holt, deputy director and head of the Division of Cell Biology at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth. “In the basic science area of vaccinology, people like us continuously research the issues that underpin the question of [vaccine]...