Vaccination News

CANADA - Health officials in Toronto are issuing a warning to patrons of a particular bar after one customer died of meningitis C a few days after visiting the bar. The deceased, whose identity has not been revealed was a 23 year old man who present at the gay Crews & Tango Bar, at 508 Church St., on Nov. 17 and 18. Toronto Public Health is concerned that he might have spread the infection to any of the estimated 300 to 500 other customers present through sharing drinks, cigarettes or kissing.

Although his identity remains in the dark, a friend told the Toronto Times on condition of anonymity that the gay man was originally from St. Lucia. His relatives were immediately informed and offered vaccination. In fact, Toronto Public Health announced in a press conference that any patron of the bar who was present on those two days can – and must – get a free vaccine at the 519 Church Street Community Center between 3 and 7 pm today.

Continue reading "Vaccine offered to bar customers after one dies from meningitis C" »

The unique nature of HIV has hampered the search for an Aids vaccine and it remains a distant prospect, the world's leading experts say.

When American politicians announced the discovery of HIV in 1984, they predicted that a vaccine and a cure for Aids would be available within five years. It turned out to be a hopelessly optimistic assessment as the immense technical and scientific difficulties unfolded.

Nevertheless, the discovery of the virus led to important developments. The first was a blood test to determine whether someone was HIV positive. A global research effort into the genetics and biology of HIV led to a deeper understanding of the virus's modus operandi. This pointed to ways of sabotaging viral replication in infected patients.

Continue reading " Why scientists are still years from a vaccine" »

RUSSIA, December 1 (Itar-Tass) - Prosecutors in Russia's Stavropol territory opened a criminal case over the facts of allergic complications in children who have been inoculated against the flu.

Medical assistance has been rendered in the region to more than 70 children since the beginning of mass vaccination. Of those, 32 children were hospitalized with edemata, rash, palpitation and tachypnea, a regional prosecutor told.

In several cases reported in the regional center, the allergic reaction proved so severe that the children had to be taken to an intensive therapy ward.

Continue reading "Criminal case opened over allergy in inoculated Stavropol children" »

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Dynavax Technologies Corp. shares soared as much as 44% Wednesday to reach their highest level ever after the company said its experimental hepatitis B vaccine protected all of the patients it tested in a late-stage clinical trial.

Shares of the Berkeley, Calif.-based drugmaker (DVAX) were changing hands for $9.96 in afternoon trading, up $2.56 and off an earlier high of $10.66.

Dynavax said that after three doses, its Heplisav vaccine protected 100% of a "difficult-to-immunize" population of adults aged 40 to 70 years compared with GlaxoSmithKline PLC's (GSK) Engerix-B vaccine, which was found to protect 73.1% of such people. In those ranging from 56 to 70 years of age, Heplisav's rate of protection was similarily 100% vs. a 56.1% rate for Engerix-B.

Continue reading "Dynavax shares rocket on hepatitis B vaccine data" »

TORONTO (Reuters) - Internet speculation over a potential human case of bird flu in the Canadian province of Quebec is untrue, health officials said on Wednesday.

"It's a false rumor," Dr. Patrick Dolce, head of infection control at the hospital in Rimouski, Quebec, told Reuters. "Everything is false; there is no patient, no nothing."

His remarks echoed those of Quebec Health Ministry spokeswoman Helene Gingras, who also said the rumors were "not true."

Continue reading "Rumors of Canada bird flu case false" »

BEIJING, Nov. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- South Korean quarantine officials in Iksan City on Tuesday began the slaughter of pigs and dogs although international health experts have questioned the necessity of killing non-poultry species to prevent the spread of bird flu.

But the officials insist the decision to slaughter pigs and dogs was not unusual and that the step has been taken in other countries without public knowledge.

Park Kyung-hee, an official at Iksan city hall, said Wednesday 426 pigs and four dogs have been killed along with 127,200 chickens and 6.8 million eggs.

Continue reading "Bird flu: S Korea slaughters dogs, cats, pigs, mice" »

A U.S. scientist is criticizing the effectiveness of a federal plan to vaccinate hospital healthcare workers against a threat of smallpox.

Temple University researchers who conducted the first metric analysis of the prophylactic health program say it fell short on several levels and raises questions about future preparedness.

In 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked each state to vaccinate at least 50 to 100 healthcare workers per hospital -- a number the government considered large enough to respond to a possible smallpox outbreak.

Continue reading "Federal Vaccination Plan Inadequate" »

NEW YORK - Some of the wealthy nations of the world are collectively donating $200 million to a project to fight diseases in poor countries.

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI), which has brought these nations together on a common platform, said Wednesday the fund will be used to help the poor countries around the world to receive vaccines that prevent diseases like rotavirus and pneumococcus in a timely manner.

The plan is to supply newly-licensed vaccines for preventable diseases to the developing nations avoiding the usual delay for these vaccines to reach these countries where these are required most.

Continue reading "Rich nations contribute $200 million for vaccine program" »