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Questions abound about how to best inoculate the world against swine flu as health officials plan for a campaign that could dwarf any previous flu vaccination effort.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received a candidate vaccine virus for swine flu from one institution Friday, spokesman Thomas Skinner said in an e-mail.
Is Gardasil vaccination reliable? I've heard plenty of ugly things about this vaccination. I have a 17-year-old daughter and her doctor recommends that she get this vaccine. I am very confused because of the negative and positive information. Would you be able to clarify?
The rush to respond to the swine-flu outbreak could provide an opportunity for vaccine and antiviral developers to showcase new biotechnologies sooner than expected.
In a bustling room full of computers, giant wall-mounted monitors and constantly ringing telephones, a newly gathered army is fighting a war.
A day after the World Health Organization upgraded the swine flu to a "pandemic threat" level, the nation's pharmaceutical industry warned that a vaccine to protect against the virus could still be at least three to six months away.
The man who led the response to the 1976 swine flu outbreak is defending the vaccination campaign that led to more deaths than the disease, but says he's sorry for the people killed or sickened.
For most Americans, mosquitoes are pests whose bites leave behind itchy bumps. But in other parts of the world, mosquitoes carry a disease called malaria that kills more than a million people each year.
I am enlisted in the military and recently had an anthrax shot. Then a week later, I found out that I am pregnant. Will this shot have an effect on my pregnancy or child?
William Searing is an Eagle Scout who loves hiking, adventure, art and sports. At age 19, he's in an education program that bridges the gap from high school to getting a job. Wil has autism.
Questions abound about how to best inoculate the world against swine flu as health officials plan for a campaign that could dwarf any previous flu vaccination effort.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received a candidate vaccine virus for swine flu from one institution Friday, spokesman Thomas Skinner said in an e-mail.
Is Gardasil vaccination reliable? I've heard plenty of ugly things about this vaccination. I have a 17-year-old daughter and her doctor recommends that she get this vaccine. I am very confused because of the negative and positive information. Would you be able to clarify?
The rush to respond to the swine-flu outbreak could provide an opportunity for vaccine and antiviral developers to showcase new biotechnologies sooner than expected.
In a bustling room full of computers, giant wall-mounted monitors and constantly ringing telephones, a newly gathered army is fighting a war.
A day after the World Health Organization upgraded the swine flu to a "pandemic threat" level, the nation's pharmaceutical industry warned that a vaccine to protect against the virus could still be at least three to six months away.
The man who led the response to the 1976 swine flu outbreak is defending the vaccination campaign that led to more deaths than the disease, but says he's sorry for the people killed or sickened.
For most Americans, mosquitoes are pests whose bites leave behind itchy bumps. But in other parts of the world, mosquitoes carry a disease called malaria that kills more than a million people each year.
I am enlisted in the military and recently had an anthrax shot. Then a week later, I found out that I am pregnant. Will this shot have an effect on my pregnancy or child?
William Searing is an Eagle Scout who loves hiking, adventure, art and sports. At age 19, he's in an education program that bridges the gap from high school to getting a job. Wil has autism.
Terminal lung cancer patients are living longer thanks to the world's first registered lung cancer vaccine, a leading Cuban scientist says.
A special court's Thursday ruling that no proven link exists between autism and certain early childhood vaccines seems to have done little to change the sometimes-passionate opinion fueling the debate.
I knew I was stepping into the middle of a huge controversy when Thursday night, I urged all parents to vaccinate their children.
What I am about to say, I know, is controversial. And I know that a lot of people are going to disagree with me. But as a mother, with a second child on the way, I believe this is vital to the safety of our children and must be said.
A special court ruled Thursday that evidence presented in three cases by parents of children with autism did not prove a link between autism and certain early childhood vaccines.
At 13, Michelle Cedillo can't speak, wears a diaper and requires round-the-clock monitoring in case she has a seizure. While her peers go to school or the mall or spend time with friends, the Yuma, Arizona, teenager remains at home, where she entertains herself with picture books and "Sesame Street" and "Blue's Clues" DVDs.
A childhood illness that has mostly been curbed through vaccinations has killed one child and sickened four others in Minnesota, health officials said Friday.
Since the beginning of the year the family clinic at the Children's Hospital of New Jersey has seen an influx of young children coming in for flu shots.
Concerns about health care, food and vaccine safety added to the anxieties Americans felt this year. But it wasn't all doom and gloom -- medical advances in stem cell research have scientists hoping for better transplant surgeries in the future. Here are the top health stories of the year:
A new study published in the January 2008 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry found the prevalence of autism cases in California children continued to rise after most vaccine manufacturers started to remove the mercury-based preservative thimerosal in 1999, suggesting that the chemical was not a primary cause of the disorder. Researchers from the State Public Health Department found that the autism rates in children rose continuously during the study period from 1995 to 2007. The preservative, thimerosal, has not been used in childhood vaccines since 2001, except for some flu shots. The latest findings failed to convince some parents and advocacy groups, who have long blamed mercury, a neurotoxin, for the disorder.
Genital human papillomavirus, or HPV, which infects the skin and mucous membranes, is the most common sexually transmitted disease. About 20 million Americans have the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HPV is the major cause of cervical cancer, which kills about 250,000 women worldwide each year. In the United States, cervical cancer will be diagnosed in about 12,000 women this year, and 4,000 will die, the CDC says. Women get Pap smears to detect cervical cancer and now have the option of preventing it with a vaccine. Gardasil, developed by Merck, works to protect against four strains of HPV, including two connected to 70 percent of cervical cancers.
When Katie Shutters's 13-month-old daughter, Averie, was born, she followed the recommended vaccine schedule for two months. Then she did some research and decided to hold off on additional shots until Averie turned 9 months old. "I liked the idea of my breast milk giving her the immunities she needs and allowing her body to work for her instead of some medicine," says the stay-at-home mom from Indianapolis, Indiana. "She isn't in daycare, and we don't travel overseas. I had concerns about injecting her for no reason."
The global economic turmoil is likely to take its toll on AIDS research funding and add to the problems plaguing the search for a vaccine against the virus, scientists warned Tuesday
About one in four teen girls last year got the groundbreaking vaccine that prevents cervical cancer, federal health officials reported Thursday.
About one in four teen girls last year got the groundbreaking vaccine that prevents cervical cancer, federal health officials reported Thursday
A new study suggests they don't, but experts say that on balance flu shots are still worth getting
All children 6 months to 18 years old should receive the flu vaccine this year, federal officials said Monday, offering protection to an additional 30 million children.
Far too few Americans get their flu shots each winter, the government is warning as it calls for a record number to line up for inoculations this year -- including 30 million more school-age children
The cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil also works to prevent cancers of the vagina and vulva, federal health officials said Friday, as they approved expanding its use to protect against those diseases as well
The Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine causes neither autism nor gastrointestinal disorders, a study reported Wednesday, disputing a theory that has persisted for a decade.
An expensive vaccine aimed at preventing cervical cancer makes sense for young teens when it comes to cost-effectiveness, but not for women in their 20s, contends a new report
This week, more than 25,000 people from the global HIV/AIDS community are in Mexico City, Mexico, attending the XVII International AIDS Conference. I am pleased to be among them.
Plans for a large-scale trial of a potential AIDS vaccine are being dropped in favor of a smaller, more focused study, the National Institutes of Health said Thursday
A vaccine designed to prevent cervical cancer is coming under fresh scrutiny amid thousands of complaints linking it to a range of health problems.
A federal advisory panel has endorsed a second vaccine to combat a common and potentially fatal virus that causes diarrhea and vomiting in children
Merck's drug against HPV has been a boon to the company but is facing growing grass-roots opposition
Five years ago, Kathye Petters-Armitage's first child received the exact vaccinations on the exact schedule recommended by her pediatrician.
The first experimental bird flu vaccine made from lab-grown cells instead of chicken eggs shows promise in blocking the highly lethal virus, scientists report
A woman whose child carried the virus back from Europe urges education about vaccination
Parents are opting out of shots for their kids. What the science says about the risks--and what you should do
Testimony resumed Monday in a long-running case involving thousands of children with autism that their parents contend was triggered by an early childhood vaccination.
Attorneys will attempt to show that vaccines with the thimerosal preservative triggers symptoms of autism
Three months before she gave birth last year, Diana Simpson, a dental hygienist in Davison, Michigan, started coughing uncontrollably. The pain in her throat and chest was unbearable.
The Food and Drug Administration has ordered Merck & Co. to correct numerous manufacturing deficiencies at its main vaccine plant, the latest in a string of setbacks for the drugmaker
Polio cases have nearly doubled this year in the West African nation of Nigeria as officials struggle to fight various natural strains of the virus as well as an outbreak set off by the polio vaccine itself three years ago
This year's flu season has shaped up to be the worst in three years, partly because the vaccine didn't work well against the viruses that made most people sick
This week, the world has come together to focus on a major public health issue that affects thousands of children and their families around the world -- autism.
In light of the recent Hannah Poling decision, in which the federal court conceded that vaccines could have contributed to her autism, we think the tide is finally turning in the direction of parents like us who have been shouting concerns from our rooftops for years.
This week, the world has come together to focus on a major public health issue that affects thousands of children and their families around the world -- autism.
The parents of a 9-year-old girl with autism said Thursday that their assertion that her illness was caused by childhood vaccines has been vindicated by the federal government's decision to compensate them.
A Florida-based company's artificial immune system promises to make testing of new vaccines faster, cheaper and safer
What does the case of 9-year-old Hannah Poling tell us about a link between vaccines and autism?
I'm the mother of two daughters, a teen and a tween. So every day, I tiptoe through hormonally laced minefields hoping to avoid emotional carnage in response to any of my random comments or actions.
Argentinians planning to travel to the northern part of the country, Brazil and Paraguay were lining up for vaccinations Tuesday, because of a yellow fever breakout that has killed at least 21 people in the region.
New research finds Tamiflu-resistant strains of the most common flu virus popping up all over the world
A CDC survey finds that American adults are failing to get themselves immunized, putting themselves at unnecessary risk for disease
An experimental vaccine may help cocaine addicts break the cycle of dependency. Other addiction vaccines could follow
A routine childhood vaccine is being recalled, sparking a shortage -- but no real health risks. Alice Park explains the recall
The recall of a routine vaccine for babies due to contamination risks could trigger a shortage and likely will alarm parents, but officials said there is no known health threat
The drugmaker Merck & Co. said Tuesday that it will seek federal approval for two new experimental drugs next year, adding that it's on track to meet its sales targets.
Some major US airports are offering flu shots to travelers as they pass through security checkpoints
A crowd of frustrated parents gathered on a chilly Saturday morning outside Prince George's County Circuit Court to comply with an order from the school system to have their children vaccinated -- or else.
A new study shows that immunizations have prevented a record number of deaths in the U.S. So, what's the fuss over vaccines?
Merck's promising AIDS vaccine candidate turned out to be an absolute failure in trials, but it may still pave the way for future success
Nobody wants to get the flu this year. The dreaded, head-pounding, body-aching, feverish, nauseating, cough-fest packs equal parts misery and inconvenience.
The polio eradication campaign has made remarkable strides in Nigeria. But a recent outbreak -- caused by the vaccine itself -- threatens to derail it
Merck's cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil now faces direct competition from Glaxo's Cervarix, which was approved by European health authorities, said the vaccine's maker GlaxoSmithKline on Monday.
A promising experimental vaccine to prevent the AIDS virus has failed in a crucial experiment, with volunteers becoming infected with HIV anyway, leading the drug developer to halt the study.
After years of shortages and confusion, this fall promises plenty of flu vaccine to go around -- up to 132 million doses, more than the nation has ever produced
The FDA has approved the vaccine only for girls and women up to age 26. Now a medical debate is raging over whether older women should get it too
Men should be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted wart virus to protect them against a type of mouth and throat cancer, U.S. researchers said Monday.
TThe drug helps protect teenage girls from the virus that can cause cervical cancer, but a new study shows it does little to help women who already are already infected
Merck & Co. said Monday that quarterly earnings rose 12 percent on strong demand for its newer vaccines and medicines, and raised its 2007 profit forecast, sending its shares up nearly 8 percent.
The French government has agreed to subsidize a cervical cancer vaccine made by Merck for teenage girls and young women, according to Merck's marketing partner, French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis.
GlaxoSmithKline announced the results of the biggest-ever study of a cancer vaccine Wednesday, in the hopes of bolstering the competitive strength of its Cervarix against Merck's Gardasil.
Authorities in northern Nigeria have filed a $2 billion civil case and were preparing criminal charges against the U.S. drug company Pfizer
The drugmakers Merck, Schering-Plough and Wyeth all reported strong first-quarter earnings - with Schering and Wyeth trouncing forecasts - but investor reaction was mixed.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends children be immunized to protect them from dangerous childhood diseases.
Clinical immunologist Dr. Ian Frazer is experiencing what many scientists can only dream of; developing a vaccine in a laboratory and then seeing it being used and marketed all over the world.
GlaxoSmithKline said it submitted an application for its cervical cancer vaccine Cervarix to the Food and Drug Administration, bringing it one step closer to challenging Merck's now-dominant Gardasil.
Centuries ago, people believed epidemics were caused by the stars' influence, thereby giving influenza its name.
GlaxoSmithKline is getting closer to launching its challenge against Merck's monopoly on cervical cancer vaccines.
The Food and Drug Administration approved GlaxoSmithKline's breast cancer drug Tykerb, the drug company said Tuesday.
A panel of FDA advisers voted to recommend approval of an experimental bird flu vaccine from the French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis determining that it was safe and effective for the U.S. population, the company and the FDA said Tuesday.
Worried about bird flu? If Sanofi has its way, America could soon be getting its first FDA-approved vaccine.
This time last year, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers gambled big. Amid all the headlines and hand-wringing over fears of a looming flu outbreak that could kill millions of people, the prominent venture capital firm formed a $200 million fund to invest in new pandemic drugs and vaccines.
Iomai Corp. is developing a skin patch meant to give a broad boost to what is expected to be a national stockpile of bird flu vaccines, the biotech company's CEO said Monday.
The British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline fired a shot over Merck's bow on Thursday, by launching a study comparing its own experimental vaccine for cervical cancer to Merck's Gardasil.
The U.S. government awarded Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline contracts worth more than $100 million to develop vaccines to protect against the possibility of a bird flu pandemic, the drug companies said.
STOCKHOLM -(Dow Jones)- Danish vaccine manufacturer ALK-Abello A/S (ALK-B.KO) said Wednesday it has signed a deal with Schering-Plough Corp. (SGP) of the U.S. to develop its tablet-based allergy vaccines for North America, sending shares up as much as 17% in early trading.
A year ago, headlines were screaming about a looming disaster: the rapid spread of bird flu across two-thirds of the globe. The H5N1 strain of the virus was killing more than half its human victims. Experts were urging the government to stockpile medicine and experimental vaccines.
On the site of a former amusement park in a small Pennsylvania town, technicians sheathed in plastic suits labor over stainless steel fermentation tanks that look like brewery vats.
Now doctors have their own online community, where they discuss everything from the latest medical break-throughs to potentially faulty drugs.
As the flu season heads into its traditional peak period, health officials are urging the public to take advantage of the record number of vaccines available.
Scientists have discovered a new strain of bird flu that has infected humans in China, which could arouse fresh fears of a possible pandemic and spur further interest in experimental drugs and vaccines.
Here's the good news for consumers: There's no flu vaccine shortage this year; in fact, 2006 will probably be a record year for vaccine production.
Merck & Co. reported reduced earnings, but still managed to edge past Wall Street expectations, even though Vioxx-related lawsuits against the company continue to mount.
Common misconceptions about influenza and the flu vaccine may be preventing people from getting vaccinated, a new survey has found.
The next time someone tells you that an unfettered free market can solve all of our social problems, ask them why it is taking so long to develop a vaccine to combat the worst epidemic since the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918.
A British company announced this week that it has developed the first effective small-dose bird flu vaccine.
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