Vaccines

US to cut vaccine hesitancy research grants even as measles outbreak continues

The decision comes at a time when vaccine acceptance in the US remains a critical public health issue. More than 200 cases of measles have been reported in 12 states, with two deaths from the disease, as vaccination rates among school-aged children continue to decline

Can Vitamin A really treat measles? Why RFK Jr's claims have US health experts worried

Health experts are raising concerns after US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr suggested vitamin A and nutrition as measles treatments, without explicitly endorsing vaccination. With a major outbreak in Texas already claiming a life, doctors warn that promoting vitamin A as an alternative could be misleading and dangerous

Is RFK Jr right about the US measles outbreak being 'not unusual'?

As measles cases surge in Texas and other states, US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr claims such outbreaks are routine. Public health experts warn that declining vaccination rates are fuelling larger and more frequent outbreaks, with the US witnessing its first measles-related death in a decade. Is this truly 'not unusual'?

Russia’s cancer vaccine is ready. Here’s why it matters

Russia has reportedly developed a vaccine against cancer that it will launch early next year. The jab, which will be free of cost, will treat patients instead of preventing the disease in the general population

Why vaccine stocks tumbled after Trump chose RFK Jr for US health secretary

The selection of vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr by US President-elect Donald Trump to head the Department of Health and Human Services has sparked a market shock, with stocks of leading vaccine makers, including Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax, taking significant hits

Taliban suspends door-to-door polio vaccinations, shifts it to mosques

With Afghanistan and Pakistan being the last countries with endemic polio, Taliban's move could have global repercussions. The World Health Organization is in discussions to shift the campaign to site-based immunization, but risks remain high

Once blamed for COVID-19, China’s Wuhan lab invents nasal vaccine against ‘future pandemics’. Here's what we know

China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, which faced scrutiny over the origin of the pandemic, has developed a nanovaccine that reportedly offers universal protection against all major COVID-19 strains. But can it prevent ‘future pandemics’?

India's SII working on mpox vaccine; will share positive news within a year, says CEO Poonawalla

Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, said that SII is currently working on developing mpox vaccine to cater to millions of lives that might be at risk

Are there vaccines against mpox? How effective are they?

Mpox, a viral infection that spreads through contact with the infected, has spread in Africa and Pakistan, with cases also emerging in Sweden and the Philippines. As the WHO has declared the disease a global health emergency, questions are emerging on how people can stay. Are there vaccines that offer protection?

Why has India's top medical body, ICMR, slammed the study on Covaxin side effects?

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has dubbed a study by Banaras Hindu University researchers on the side effects of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin as ‘poorly designed’. But what did the study say and why has ICMR distanced itself from the paper?