Measles

In an effort to eliminate measles, nearly 100 million children in China will be vaccinated against the disease this month.

A lower court's findings rejecting a causal connection between childhood vaccines and the onset of autism have been upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

With California reporting more than 3,000 cases of whooping cough and sitting on the cusp of its worst whooping cough outbreak in 50 years, a new Rasmussen Reports study has shown that more than half of American adults are concerned about the safety of va

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative's new strategy to stop polio in Africa has reached a major objective, announcing that Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda have reported no wild poliovirus cases for more than a year.

A second round of emergency immunizations in Haiti against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, rubella and polio has been announced by the United Nations to aid an additional 500,000 children.

Whooping cough

As California faces one of the state's worst whooping cough outbreaks in more than 50 years, which has resulted in six infant deaths and 1500 confirmed infections, Texas health department officials have now begun reporting increases in whooping cough infe

Streptococcus pneumoniae

A pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduced a decade ago in the United States appears to reduce pneumonia and serious associated complications in children under one year of age, researchers have recently revealed.

Researchers announced a new, two-step influenza vaccine this week that uses DNA to "prime" the body's immune system followed by a traditional seasonal flu vaccine that potentially protects the body against all strains of the influenza virus.

Pertussis

The state of California and the city and county of San Francisco have recommended a pertussis vaccine for women in their third trimester in light of the recent whooping cough epidemic in the state.

Whooping cough

As many as 900 people may have been exposed to an whooping cough by someone with an undiagnosed case of the infection at Michigan State University's Grandparents University from June 29 to July 1.

Mumps

The Center for Disease Control has issued a preliminary set of data regarding mumps cases for 2010 in the United States.

Cancerous cells

Progress has been announced on a vaccine to fight pancreatic cancer, which currently kills three-quarters of those diagnosed within a year and 95 percent within five years.

Type 1 diabetes

Bacillus Calmette-Guerin, a vaccine that could reverse Type 1 diabetes, has passed a Phase 1 clinical trial.

NEW YORK — French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis said April 12 that it will work with the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center to develop and test a vaccine for traveler's diarrhea, The Associated Press reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the 2009 H1N1 flu viruses are expected to circulate throughout 2010, including during the Southern Hemisphere flu season.

H1N1

Despite months of dire warnings and millions in taxpayer dollars, less than half of the 229 million doses of H1N1 vaccine the government bought to fight the pandemic have been administered.

H1N1

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington’s limit on the amount of mercury allowed in H1N1 flu vaccines for certain people is ending, the state’s Department of Health announced March 23.

Leukemia

BioSante Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s treatment for acute myeloid leukemia received orphan-drug designation from the Food and Drug Administration on March 23 as the vaccine led to increased remission rates in a Phase II study.

On March 24, Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation recommitted itself to developing new and better TB vaccines and observed World TB Day 2010 by participating in events on three continents, the group said in a press release.

World Health Organization

U.N. agencies and the Afghan health ministry are conducting a three-day campaign aimed at vaccinating an estimated 7.7 million children under the age of 5 against polio, which can leave patients totally paralyzed.

Dendritic Cell

LOS ANGELES — ImmunoCellular Therapeutics Ltd. announced March 10 that its dendritic cell-based vaccination with cancer stem cells demonstrated a statistically significant survival benefit in a preclinical animal model of glioblastoma.

A Danish scientist involved in two major studies that debunked any linkage of vaccines to autism is suspected of misappropriating $2 million in U.S. grants at his university in Denmark, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported March 12.

STRASBOURG, France — Transgene SA, a French biotechnology company, sold Novartis AG an option on rights to the experimental TG4010 lung cancer vaccine in a deal that may fetch as much as $960 million, Bloomberg reported.

H1N1

NEW DELHI — The country's first indigenously produced vaccine against H1N1 virus will be ready for use from mid-May, The Times of India reported March 4.

Chikungunya

GALVESTON, Texas — The mosquito-borne virus chikungunya has already infected millions of people in recent outbreaks in South and Southeast Asia, the islands of the Indian Ocean, Africa and northern Italy.

Dengue Fever

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Health officials in Puerto Rico have declared an epidemic of dengue fever, The Associated Press reported.

Virus-like Particles

Medicago Inc., and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre have been awarded a $288,000 research grant to study plant-made virus-like particles with a focus on immune response induced.

DNA

Cyto Pulse Sciences announced approval from the Swedish Medical Products Agency to conduct a phase I clinical trial evaluating an HIV/DNA vaccine in collaboration with the Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control.

HIV

For the first time researchers from the U.S. and abroad have shown that a single-dose HIV DNA vaccine can induce a long-lasting HIV-specific immune response in nonhuman primates.

VIENNA, Va. — CEL-SCI Corp. and its scientific collaborators announced Feb. 22 that the company's CEL-2000 vaccine demonstrated that it is able to block the progression of rheumatoid arthritis in a mouse model.

BASEL, Switzerland — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Novartis’ Menveo to prevent meningococcal disease, which infects more than 500,000 people each year, leading to more than 50,000 deaths globally.

DNA

SAN DIEGO — Inovio Biomedical Corp. announced Feb. 23 that representatives and associates of the company will make multiple presentations at the DNA Vaccines 2010 conference March 2 through 4 in New Orleans.

Hepetitis B

AltraVax Inc. has acquired a vaccine development technology package that gives AltraVax an exclusive license to develop vaccines for infectious diseases and is targeting influenza, a treatment for hepatitis B and HIV.

Measles

Children younger than 5 have been the main victims of a measles outbreak sweeping Ireland that has hospitalized one in three of those affected, The Irish Independent reported Feb. 13.

World Health Organization

Scientists at England’s Oxford University have found a way of keeping vaccines stable without refrigeration, BBC News reported Feb. 19.

Thierry Heidmann

Oncogenic retroviruses are a particular family of viruses that can cause some types of cancer.

Hepetitis B

BERKELEY, Calif. — Dynavax Technologies Corp. will start a 2,000-patient trial of its investigational adult hepatitis B vaccine, aiming for data in the first half of 2011, the San Francisco Business Times reported Feb. 8.

World Health Organization

An immunology research institute has validated the long-held and controversial hypothesis that antibodies — usually the "good guys" in the body's fight against viruses — instead contribute to severe dengue virus-induced disease.

Hepatitis B

A Scottish life science firm has secured an additional $3.1 million in funding to develop new vaccines, BBC News reported.

H1N1

At the height of fears over H1N1 flu this fall, some vaccination foes claimed it was safer to get illness than to be inoculated against it.

Hepatitis B

NEW YORK — Our expanding waistlines may have outgrown doctors’ needles, researchers report in the March issue of Pediatrics.

Adult Immunization

According to a national report, millions of adult Americans are vulnerable to diseases that can be forestalled by vaccines, CIDRAP News reported Feb. 4.

H1N1

HARTFORD, Conn. — More than 11,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine distributed in Connecticut have been recalled because of decreased potency, the third such recall in two months, The Hartford Courant reported Feb. 3.

A nonprofit organization is paying the Food and Drug Administration to help develop a better vaccine against pneumococcal disease in poor countries, The New York Times reported Feb. 1.

National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

PATH signed an agreement with the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the NIAID in Bethesda, Md., to conduct a Phase 1 clinical trial of the double mutant heat-labile toxin (dmLT) vaccine/adjuvant.

World Health Organization

PATH has received an award from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support the enhancement of sustainable influenza vaccine production in Vietnam.

Chicken Pox

Health Department officials in Oakland County, Michigan, say they are seeing more children than expected being diagnosed with chicken pox for this time of year.

Measles

Parents in the south of Ireland have been urged to ensure their children are protected against measles following a recent outbreak of the disease, the Irish Times reported Jan. 26.

Rotavirus

A complete three-dose series of pentavalent rotavirus vaccine was 85 percent to 89 percent effective against rotavirus gastroenteritis severe enough to cause emergency room visits or hospital admission in children aged 15 days through 23 months.

Malaria

SYDNEY — Researchers in Australia say a group of proteins produced in the human immune system when it is infected with malaria could help lead to the creation of a malaria vaccine, Voice of America reported Jan. 20.

H3N2

One case of human infection with a novel influenza A virus was reported by the Iowa Department of Public Health, according to FluView, a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the week ending Jan. 9.

Smallpox

Giving a vaccine through a scratch on the skin triggers a stronger immune response than injected vaccines and requires 100 times less vaccine to prompt an immune response, HealthDay News reported Jan. 17.

Hepatitis B

Dynavax Technologies Corp. announced Jan. 12 the addition of two new senior executives to direct key commercial and clinical activities prior to the launch of Heplisav, an investigational adult hepatitis B vaccine.

BANGALORE, India — SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc. said its adjuvant, Zadaxin, in combination with Novartis' H1N1 vaccine increased immune response, Reuters reported Jan. 12.

BEIJING — Sinovac Biotech Ltd. announced Jan. 13 that it has received its fifth purchase order for its H1N1 vaccine, Panflu.1, from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for the national purchase plan.

R. Don Elsey

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced Jan. 11 that its chief financial officer and senior vice president of finance and administration has joined the board of directors of the MdBio Foundation.

World Health Organization

GENEVA — The World Health Organization is to examine its handling of the H1N1 pandemic, the group said Jan. 12, after accusations by some politicians that it exaggerated the dangers of the virus under pressure from drug companies.

Marburg

SAN ANTONIO — The Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research announced Jan. 6 that it has received a contract from the Dutch pharmaceutical firm Crucell to test a vaccine against Ebola and Marburg viruses, which cause hemorrhagic fevers.

HIV

ATLANTA — GeoVax Labs, a biopharmaceutical company that develops vaccines for diseases caused by HIV and other infectious agents, announced the appointment of a vice president of research and development.

Mumps

Cases of mumps in Scotland have increased by almost 50 per cent in the past year, figures revealed Dec. 23.

Influenza Vaccine

SARANAC LAKE, N.Y. — The Trudeau Institute will receive an additional $1.6 million for its work with the U.S. Navy to research the impact and efficacy of combining influenza vaccinations with antiviral drugs.

World Health Organization

GENEVA — The H1N1 flu pandemic may not be conquered until 2011 and continued vigilance is required against the virus, which can still mutate, the head of the World Health Organization said Dec. 29.

DNA

SAN DIEGO — Vical Inc. announced the publication of data documenting the successful pilot lot production and initiation of animal immunogenicity testing of a Vaxfectin-adjuvanted DNA vaccine for H1N1 influenza.

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA — Immunovaccine Inc. announced Dec. 9 that its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for its therapeutic cancer vaccine, DPX-0907, has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

H1N1

The good news on the H1N1 swine flu front is that the number of cases of infection continues to decrease and the vaccine supply is now plentiful, HealthDay News reported.

Boston -- A new poll by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health shows the shortage of H1N1 vaccine for children is easing, according to a press release dated Dec. 22.

H1N1

ZURICH — Switzerland plans to donate or sell approximately 4.5 million excess doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine because of the low uptake of shots, the government said, according to a Reuters report Dec. 18.

Sanofi-aventis

Sanofi-aventis and Chattem Inc. announced Dec. 21 that they have entered into an agreement under which sanofi-aventis is to acquire 100 percent of the outstanding shares of Chattem in a cash tender offer for approximately $1.9 billion.

HIV

Kampala, Uganda — Fewer women compared to men are willing to participate in trials for a potential HIV/Aids vaccine, researchers revealed Dec. 15.

World Health Organization

AMSTERDAM — Dutch biotech firm Crucell NV will likely look to add a sixth antigen to its portfolio of childhood vaccines as part of expected product add-ons after a stake sale to Johnson & Johnson, Reuters reported Dec. 15.

Streptococcus pneumoniae

NEW YORK — The European Commission has granted Pfizer Inc. a European marketing authorization for a more protective form of its vaccine Prevnar 13, which protects against pneumonia, the company announced Dec. 11.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

HIV-infected adults are being recruited to participate in a clinical trial of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine, the National Institutes of Health announced Dec. 10.

Dengue Fever

MEXICO CITY — Sanofi Pasteur announced Dec. 9 that it is expanding its dengue vaccine clinical program in Latin America with a new multicenter study in children and adolescents in Mexico, Colombia, Honduras and Puerto Rico.

United Arab Emirates

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — A new electronic system for reporting infectious diseases in the capital has been launched by the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi, The National reported Dec. 6.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — NanoBio Corp. announced Dec. 7 that its recombinant H5N1 pandemic flu antigen combined with the company’s novel nanoemulsion vaccine elevated immune responses when administered via injections.

Donating Blood

SHANGHAI — City health authorities launched their latest drive in the fight against swine flu, calling on people who have been vaccinated against the virus to donate blood for emergency-treatment storage.

H1N1

DETROIT — Whether it's mistrust of the government or confusion in the message, minorities aren't lining up to get vaccinated against H1N1 as they should.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Americans Speak Out: Why We Got the Flu Vaccine, a video that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, features Americans talking about why they chose to get vaccinated against the 2009 H1N1 flu virus.

Thomas Frieden

Decreasing pandemic flu activity and growing supplies of vaccine offer a window of opportunity for people to protect themselves from the virus, especially if the nation experiences a third wave of infections.

H1N1 Flu Vaccine

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Health submitted an order for 259,800 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Nov. 25.

The Center for Disease Control has reported 35 flu-related pediatric deaths across 19 states during the week ending November 21, which brings the total to 301 cases so far in 2009. There were 90 in 2008, 77 in 2007, 43 in 2006 and 45 in 2005.

Flu Vaccine

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Novavax announced Nov. 30 that it has completed enrollment in the Phase II clinical study of its trivalent seasonal influenza virus-like particle vaccine candidate in healthy adults 60 years of age or older.

H1N1 Vaccine

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Department of Health submitted an order for 438,900 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Nov. 20.

H1N1

LONDON -- Britain's Health Protection Agency is working with colleagues from the Public Health Service of Wales to investigate several possible cases of person-to-person transmission of oseltamivir-resistant H1N1 flu, the agency reported Nov. 20.

Anne Schuchat

Every holiday season, millions of Americans travel through the nation's airports, seaports, and train stations to spend time with loved ones.

Santa-America

Santa-America, a service charity, recommends that all Kris Kringles get their jolly old selves vaccinated against H1N1 influenza and pneumonia.

Pentavalent Vaccine

HANOI, Vietnam — Following the increasing impact of the GAVI Alliance on the vaccine market, the price of one of the major combination vaccines, the pentavalent, is falling considerably.

BETHESDA, Md. — Federal health experts said Nov. 17 that an updated version of Pfizer's best-selling anti-infection vaccine is safe and effective for infants and toddlers, despite company studies that failed to meet certain goals.

Yellow Fever

GENEVA and NEW YORK — The largest-ever yellow fever mass vaccination campaign is set to kick off next week across three African countries, the World Health Organization announced Nov. 17.

Jeeseong Hwang

Medical clinics could benefit from new software created at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where a team of scientists has found a way to improve the efficiency of a pneumonia vaccine testing method.

President Bill Clinton

CHICAGO — Former President Bill Clinton says he believes there's going to be a vaccine for AIDS found before anyone discovers a cure for the disease, WBBM Radio reported.

Dr. Rahul Singhvi

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Novavax Inc. has begun a Phase IIa clinical study of its trivalent seasonal influenza VLP vaccine candidate in healthy adults over age 60.

The Center for Disease Control has reported 18 flu-related deaths among children that occurred in nine states during the week ending October 31.

Andrew Witty

LONDON — GlaxoSmithKline on Nov. 10 announced that it has signed an agreement with the World Health Organization to donate 50 million doses of its adjuvanted pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccine for distribution to developing countries most in need.

Jean Stéphenne

LONDON — GlaxoSmithKline announced Nov. 9 the results from the clinical trial assessing Pandemrix, GSK’s adjuvanted H1N1 influenza vaccine, administered at the same time as the annual seasonal influenza vaccine, Fluarix.

The following is an open letter dated Nov. 10 to health care professionals from Margaret A. Hamburg, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

S. Munir Alam

A study of how the most robust antibodies work to block HIV as it seeks entry into healthy cells has revealed a new direction for researchers hoping to design an effective vaccine, ScienceDaily reported Nov. 10.

Arthur Griffin Jr

NEW YORK — School district leaders planning for H1N1 pandemics should update emergency plans using a four-step process, according to the McGraw-Hill Education Urban Advisory Resource.

Robert J. Blendon

BOSTON — A new national poll from Harvard School of Public Health researchers found that a majority of adults who tried to get the H1N1 vaccine for themselves or their children have been unable to do so.

Sweet wormwood

HONG KONG — In a laboratory in China's southern city of Guangzhou, scientists are trying to enhance the rare sweet wormwood shrub, from which artemisinin — the best drug to fight malaria — is derived.

XOMA CEO Steven Engle

BERKELEY, Calif. — XOMA Ltd. and Kaketsuken have entered into a collaboration involving multiple proprietary XOMA antibody resea

Bill Frist

Nearly 100 leading global health organizations from around the world joined forces to recognize the first World Pneumonia Day on Nov. 2 and urge governments to take steps to fight pneumonia, the world’s leading killer of children.

Smallpox

ALACHUA, Fla. — Nanotherapeutics Inc. has been awarded a $30.9 million, five-year contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop an inhaled version of the injectable antiviral drug cidofovir.

Margaret Donnelly

Missouri’s top public health official granted an exemption Oct. 22 to allow pregnant women and parents of children younger than 3 to choose whether or not to receive flu vaccine containing a mercury-based preservative.

Gregory A. Poland

Infectious disease experts warn that many adults haven't received vaccinations for at least half a dozen other preventable diseases —

The United States expects 200 million doses of H1N1 flu vaccine by the end of the year, the result of a process that occurred at "unprecedented speed" since H1N1 was detected in April.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Mass vaccination clinics to protect against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus offer public health officials a chance to hone their procedures and prepare for future emergencies, according to a University of Maryland expert.

Tuberculosis

OXFORD, United Kingdom; ROCKVILLE, Md.; and NANTES, France — The Oxford-Emergent Tuberculosis Consortium Ltd., announced the signing of a commercial license agreement with Vivalis to evaluate large-scale commercial production capabilities for MVA85A.

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued an additional amendment to its request for proposal for an anthrax recombinant protective antigen (rPA) vaccine.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced that the U.S. FDA has approved its supplemental biologics license application for Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed BioThrax, the only FDA-licensed vaccine to prevent disease caused by Bacillus anthracis.

BioThrax

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced that the Department of Health and Human Services has informed the company that its proposal to provide a recombinant protective antigen anthrax vaccine (rPA) is technically acceptable.

James Jackson

ROCKVILLE, Md. —Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced March 3, 2008, that W. James Jackson has been appointed chief scientific officer, effective immediately.

Fuad El-Hibri

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. applauded Congress and President George W. Bush on Dec. 20, 2006, as he signed into law the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act.

Emergent BioSolutions announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has granted its application for designation and certification of BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) as a “qualified anti-terrorism technology.”

Fuad El-Hibri

GAITHERSBURG, Md., and LONDON —Emergent BioSolutions and the British-based Health Protection Agency on Jan. 14, 2005, announced a two-year collaboration for the development of vaccines to prevent botulism.