By Alok Jha, Science Correspondent Scientists at Oxford University have successfully tested a universal flu vaccine that could work against all known strains of the illness, taking a significant step in the fight against a disease that affects billions of people each year. The treatment – using a new technique and tested for the first […]
Finnish health authorities see link between Pandemrix and narcolepsy
By Liz Jones Hollis Finland’s National Institute for Health and Welfare says there is a link between GlaxoSmithKline’s Pandemrix flu vaccine and a spike in narcolepsy cases. Narcolepsy is a disorder that causes a person to fall asleep suddenly and unexpectedly. “Among those 4-19 years of age who received Pandemrix-vaccine had a manifold increased risk of falling […]
Pneumonia drugs helped evolve a superbug
By Tina Hesman Saey In a technical tour de force, an international team of researchers deciphered the complete genetic blueprints of 240 samples of a strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae taken from sick people in 22 countries. The samples were isolated between 1984 and 2008, allowing researchers to see how the bacteria changed over time. This […]
Pneumonia-causing bacterium disguises itself to escape detection: Research
By Margaret Munroe, Postmedia News A common human pathogen is also a sort of microbial quick-change artist — mutating too fast for medicine to follow. The bacterium that causes pneumonia, meningitis and ear infections can quickly and nimbly dodge the vaccines and antibiotics public health officials throw at it, according to an international research team. […]
Tall Tales and Other Vaccine Myths
By: Catherine J. Frompovich 30 September 2010 Autumn finally has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere in 2010 along with admonitions to get the annual flu vaccination to prevent contracting any of the various strains that now circumnavigate the globe, including one or two that may have resulted from scientific ‘tinkering’. Daily, if not hourly, prompts […]
