Category: Vaccine

The United Kingdom is facing a measles outbreak, while cases have also popped up in a few U.S. states in recent weeks, leading to health authorities on both sides of the pond to issue urgent warnings. 

The virus, which was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, is a wake-up call for the importance of vaccination to personal and public health. The U.K. only recently reachieved measles elimination status in 2021 after having lost the distinction in 2018. 

Unlike COVID-19 vaccines, which help prevent serious illness but don’t prevent infection, the measles vaccine is almost 100 percent effective in preventing infection. And almost everyone who has been recently infected in the U.K. and U.S. is not vaccinated against measles. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday advised health care providers to be alert for potential measles symptoms, which include a rash; cough; sore or swollen eyes; and flu-like symptoms. Providers should also be aware of patients who have recently traveled abroad. 

“Measles cases often originate from unvaccinated or undervaccinated U.S. residents who travel internationally and then transmit the disease to people who are not vaccinated against measles,” the CDC’s alert stated. 

“The increased number of measles importations seen in recent weeks is reflective of a rise in global measles cases and a growing global threat from the disease.” 

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Measles outbreaks a wake-up call for the unvaccinated - The Hill

(Precision Vaccinations News)

According to the U.S. CDC Yellow Book 2024, an internationaltraveler's risk for acquiring Yellow Fevervirus is determined by their immunization status and destination-specific and travel-associated factors.

Since about thirty countries require proof of a pre-arrival yellow fever vaccination, many travelers have questions about the vaccine's long-termefficacy.

On January 22, 2024, the Lancet Global Health recently published results from a systematic review aimed at assessing the necessity of a booster vaccination based on the long-term (10+years) immunogenicity of primary yellow fever vaccination in travelers and in residents of yellow fever-endemic areas, as well as in specific populations, including children and immunocompromised individuals.

The gathered evidence suggestedthat a single dose of yellow fever vaccineprovides lifelong protection (overall seroprotection rate 94%) in travelers.

However, in people living with HIV and young children (<2 years), booster doses might still be required because lower proportions of vaccinees were seroprotected tenor more years post-vaccination.

The pooled seroprotection rate was 47% in children and 61% in people living with HIV.

Lower observed seroprotection rates among residents of yellow fever endemic areas were partly explained by the use of a higher cutoff for seroprotection that was applied in Brazil. No conclusions could be drawn for the sub-Saharan Africaregion.

The CDC says most people infected with yellow feverdo not get sick or have only mild symptoms. People who get sick will start havingsymptoms36 days afterinfection.

According to the CDC, about 12% of people with symptoms develop serious illnesses.

The study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42023384087. No industry conflicts of interest were disclosed.

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Yellow Fever Vaccine Boosters Needed for Some Travelers - Precision Vaccinations

HUNDREDS of children in the UK could die of a brain-swelling measles complication if the current outbreak is not taken more seriously, an expert has warned.

Professor Tom Solomon, chair of Neurology at the University of Liverpool and director of The Pandemic Institute, has said thatunless more kids are vaccinatedagainst measles, up to 1,500 could lose their lives to encephalitis.

He said: "It is a tragedy that in 2024, we have measles in the UK.

"Inevitably, there will be children who develop measles encephalitis and are at risk of death or brain damage.

"This disease is completely preventable by vaccination.

"We must do everything we can to get people vaccinated."

Some 1,603 measles cases were reported in England and Wales in 2023, compared with 735cases in 2022 and 360 in 2021.

Meanwhile, NHS figures show more than 3.4million children under the age of 16 are unprotected againstmeasles, meaning they are at high risk of catching the bug and developing serious complications.

"This [low vaccine uptake] could result in 10,000 cases of encephalitis, potentially causing 1,500 early deaths," the professor told The Sun.

Encephalitis is a rare complication of measles that happens when the virus "enters the brain".

"The body tries to fight this infection, and there is inflammation and swelling; this is called encephalitis," Prof Tom added.

Typical encephalitis symptoms include confusion and seizures. These usually come on when the classic measles rash emerges.

Gemma Larkman-Jones, from South London, shared how herlittle boy Samuel passed away aged sixfrom a rare and slow-progressing form of encephalitis calledsubacute sclerosing panencephalitis(SSPE) thatstrikessufferers years after they were first infected with measles.

Up to three children out of every 1,000 who get measles will develop encephalitis - and up to 15 per cent of those will die.

For those who survive, up to a quarter (25 per cent) will be left with permanent brain damage.

And one in 25,000 children with measles will develop SSPE, which almost always leads to death.

Encephalitis can occur in children either during or after a measles infection

It usually comes on during the rash phase of measles or several years later in the form of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE).

Symptoms include:

It's important to act fast if your symptoms become more serious.

You should dial 999 immediately to request an ambulance if you or a loved one has symptoms (even if they don't also have measles).

For more information on Encephalitis, go to theEncephalitis Internationalwebsite.

Source: NHS

Whilemeaslesusually triggers cold-like symptoms,other complications include blindness,pneumonia and meningitis.

The bug has no specific treatment, but it can be prevented with themeasles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab.

Unvaccinatedchildrenwho come into contact with measles are currently being advised to stay at home for 21 days.

This is because measles is very contagious, with a patient typically passing the viral infection on to 20 others.

Many people have forgotten how serious measles can be"

It can spread to others through coughing and sneezing or touching contaminated surfaces.

To keep measles at bay, 95 per cent of children must be vaccinated.

But recent NHS data shows only 84.5 per cent of childrenin England had received the second MMR dose by their fifth birthday.

Coverage in London is particularly low, at just 73 per cent, with Hackney in east London at 56.3 per cent, followed by Camden in north London at 63.6 per cent.

Urgent, "concerted action" is needed to tackle the virus to stop its spread, according to health specialists and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

Earlier this month, Birmingham Childrens Hospital reported being inundatedwith the mostmeaslescases it had seen in decades.

Professor Helen Bedford, an expert in child public health at University College London, previously told The Sun, people "had forgotten how serious this disease [measles] can be because they've never seen them".

In 2017, the UK was declared measles-free after vaccination rates hit the 95 per cent threshold.

But, the country lost that status in 2018 after a drop in vaccination rates led to a resurgence of the virus across Europe.

Tens of thousands of children missed out on the MMR vaccine in the 1990s because of the now-debunked autism fearsraised by discredited medic Andrew Wakefield.

Kids are offered their first dose at age one and their second at three years at four months, just before they start school.

However, if they, or any one else, has missed any jabs, they can catch up at any time through their GP surgery.

If you don't know if you or your child isn't up to date with their jabs, call your GP for an appointment.

MEASLES is highly contagious and can cause serious problems in some people.

The infection usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth.

The first signs include:

Small white spots may then appear inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips a few days later.

A rash tends to come next. This usually starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body.

The spots are sometimes raised and join together to form blotchy patches. They are not normally itchy.

The rash looks brown or red or white skin. It may be harder to see on darker skin.

Source:NHS

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Hundreds of children could die of brain swelling disease linked to measles as vaccine uptake plummets,... - The Sun

Like many of the biotechs pursuing coronavirus vaccine development, Novavax (NVAX 3.20%) has seen better days. Its shares are down by 96% over the past three years, and the company's remaining shareholders face fading hopes for a spontaneous revival.

Nonetheless, while there are a few good arguments for why you should avoid investing, there's still one big reason to buy Novavax stock. Let's discuss the major point in its favor that might drive some to be interested in buying it, then follow up with a trio of reasons it would probably be better to sell.

As a vaccine business, Novavax intended its coronavirus vaccine, Nuvaxovid, to be its first commercialized product as well as its golden goose. Now, with trailing-12-month revenue of just over $1 billion -- down from nearly $2 billion in 2022 -- many would say that Nuvaxovid was not nearly as much of a success as the ubiquitous shots made by Pfizer and Moderna.

But that elides a trio of issues that are still as important as ever. The jabs made by the other two manufacturers don't actually stop viral transmission; they don't confer long-lasting immunity; and they can pack a wallop of short-term side effects, particularly fatigue.

Nuvaxovid appears to perform better across all three factors, especially in situations where people get vaccinated with it as their primary series and then opt to get one or more booster doses over time.

While it doesn't prevent people from getting infected with perfect reliability, it does appear to generate antibodies against COVID precisely where its competing vaccines don't -- in the nose and mouth. The nose and mouth are where the virus first has an opportunity to infect someone, so Novavax's vaccine has an edge in guarding against transmission.

Furthermore, the bulk of that protection lasts for at least seven months, as opposed to three months for the other vaccines. And few patients complain about the side effects as they're transient and non-burdensome in most cases.

So, the key features of Novavax's product are a bit better, which means that it could have an advantage in capturing market share from highly informed patients. It's unclear whether its advantages will persist as it continues to be updated based on circulating viral variants, but for now it looks like the most potent option. That might convince some people to buy the stock.

Now, let's look at a trio of reasons why this stock is actually worth selling rather than buying.

Let's look at this chart depicting the revenue trajectories of a few major coronavirus vaccine manufacturers:

NVAX Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts.

Notice the pattern? Revenue is declining from the peak. Demand in the market is tapped out. The coronavirus vaccine gold rush is long over. There almost certainly won't be a sharp uptick in demand for more doses, and if the data are to be believed, only 20% of people in the U.S. are opting to stay current with their booster shots this season.

It is possible that there will be some residual demand for jabs on an ongoing basis for as long as the pandemic continues. Novavax may also launch additional products for other indications eventually. But for now, the future for its market is bleak, and that's a reason to sell.

Another reason to sell Novavax is that the company was never able to become profitable despite launching its shot and raking in a few billion dollars in sales. In the past 12 months, its total quarterly expenses have actually grown as a proportion of revenue. It isn't anywhere close to breaking even. And with demand in withdrawal, it probably can't.

What's more, with decreasing demand necessarily comes a dialing back of its manufacturing output. That means it's less likely to be able to utilize economies of scale in manufacturing its vaccine, thereby pushing its unit economics even further out of the reach of generating money. It's not a good position to be in.

Last but not least, shareholders should consider selling Novavax because management has been overtly warning that the company may be on life support since the first quarter of 2023. The immediate danger may be past, or it might not be if vaccine sales continue to drop. Either way, Novavax is planning on making deeper cuts to its staff and its research and development (R&D) expenses in 2024, after already making cuts in 2023.

Biotech companies need to constantly do R&D to have a future. Novavax is dramatically scaling down its ability to generate opportunities because it can't afford to do otherwise. There aren't many clearer signs that it's time to sell.

Alex Carchidi has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Pfizer. The Motley Fool recommends Moderna. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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1 Reason to Buy Novavax Stock, and 3 (Better) Reasons to Sell - The Motley Fool

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State Rep. Paul Harris, a Republican from Washington state, helped pass legislation to remove personal vaccine exemptions there. Maine banned both philosophical and religious exemptions, and the Maine Council of Churches lobbied lawmakers to remove religious exemptions.

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A valuable molecule sourced from the soapbark tree and used as a key ingredient in vaccines, has been replicated in an alternative plant host for the first time, opening unprecedented opportunities for the vaccine industry.

A research collaboration led by the John Innes Center used the recently published genome sequence of the Chilean soapbark tree (Quillaja saponaria) to track down and map the elusive genes and enzymes in the complicated sequence of steps needed to produce the molecule QS-21.

Using transient expression techniques developed at the John Innes Center, the team reconstituted the chemical pathway in a tobacco plant, demonstrating for the first time "free-from-tree" production of this highly valued compound.

Professor Anne Osbourn FRS, group leader at the John Innes Center said, "Our study opens unprecedented opportunities for bioengineering vaccine adjuvants. We can now investigate and improve these compounds to promote the human immune response to vaccines and produce QS-21 in a way that does not depend on extraction from the soapbark tree."

Vaccine adjuvants are immunostimulants that prime the body's response to the vaccineand are a key ingredient of human vaccines for shingles, malaria, and others under development.

QS-21, a potent adjuvant, is sourced directly from the bark of the soapbark tree, raising concerns about the environmental sustainability of its supply.

For many years researchers and industrial partners have been looking for ways to produce the molecule in an alternative expression system such as yeast or tobacco plants. But the complex structure of the molecule and lack of knowledge about its biochemical pathway in the tree have so far prevented this.

Previously, researchers in the group of Professor Osbourn had assembled the early part of the pathway that makes up the scaffold structure for QS-21. However, the search for the longer full pathway, the acyl chain which forms one crucial part of the molecule that stimulates immune cells, remained unfinished.

In a new study published in Nature Chemical Biology, researchers at the John Innes Center used a range of gene discovery approaches to identify about 70 candidate genes and transferred them to tobacco plants.

By analyzing gene expression patterns and products, supported by the Metabolomic and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) platforms at the John Innes Center, they were able to narrow the search down to the final 20 genes and enzymes that make up the QS-21 pathway.

First author Dr. Laetitia Martin said, "This is the first time QS-21 has been produced in a heterologous expression system. This means we can better understand how this molecule works and how we might address issues of scale and toxicity.

"What is so rewarding is that this molecule is used in vaccines and by being able to make it more sustainably my project has an impact on people's lives. It's amazing to think that something so scientifically rewarding can bring such good to society.

"On a personal level, this research was scientifically extremely rewarding. I am not a chemist so I could not have done this without the support of the John Innes Center metabolomics platform and chemistry platform."

More information: Complete Biosynthesis of the potent vaccine adjuvant QS-21, Nature Chemical Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41589-023-01538-5

Journal information: Nature Chemical Biology

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Soapbark discovery offers a sustainability boost for the global vaccine market - Phys.org

Cervical cancer can be prevented through vaccination and be cured if diagnosed early. Yet it still kills more than 300,000 people worldwide each year. Globally, only around 21% of women have had a vaccine against the human papillomaviruses (HPVs) that cause the disease.

That number needs to rise to 90% by 2030, if cervical cancer is to be eliminated in the next century as the World Health Organization (WHO) plans. Screening and treatment should also become routine worldwide, with 70% of people with a cervix checked by the age of 35 and again at 45, and 90% of those with signs of cervical cancer treated.

The world is not on track to meet any of these targets. A step change is urgently needed. The tools to vaccinate, screen and treat people are available, and effective. But a lack of funding, staffing and infrastructure coupled with vaccine hesitancy are major obstacles. Here, four specialists highlight pockets of good practice that can help to buck the trend.

Oncologist Lynette Denny has spent 29 years working in the field of cervical cancer prevention.Credit: Lynette Denny

Schools are the most effective place to roll out national HPV vaccination programmes. As long as enrolment levels in education are high, its easier to reach young people at school than in health-care settings. Political will is crucial, as is collaboration between a governments health and education departments and close communication with schools.

Ive seen the benefits of school-based vaccination at first hand. In 2013, I helped to run a pilot project targeting girls in 31 primary schools in South Africa, in regions where poverty and lack of health-care provision are typically obstacles to high vaccination rates. Our pilot provided 97.8% of eligible girls with what was then the full course of three vaccines1. (In December 2022, the WHO advised that a single dose is sufficient to protect against cervical cancer.) Similar results were seen in other pilots, including in Bolivia, Uganda and Vietnam.

Scaling these up to country-wide programmes requires determination. But lessons can be learnt from countries around the world. Take Rwanda. In 2011, it became the first low-income country to implement a national HPV immunization programme for girls in the sixth grade (mostly aged 1112 years). By 2018, more than one million girls had received a vaccination 98% of the target population2.

Womens health research lacks funding these charts show how

To do this, Rwanda had to overcome a lack of resources a common problem in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and put cervical cancer at the apex of its health agenda. Merck provided free vaccines for three years and helped to prepare for the national roll-out. Later funding came from GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance an international organization focused on providing vaccines for children in LMICs. Multiple government departments3 collaborated to set up committees that would oversee all aspects of the programme. Together, these partners organized and delivered school-based vaccinations, rigorously monitored vaccination coverage and ran awareness campaigns4. Girls not enrolled in schools, or absent on vaccination days, were tracked by community health workers and vaccinated at health-care facilities instead.

As Rwanda shows, strong, trustworthy and reliable collaboration between all stakeholders is key. Weve found the same ingredients to be essential in South Africa, where we invested more than six months in regular meetings between health-care workers, education providers, technology specialists and the government to ensure that the roll-out was well coordinated.

High-income countries, which typically have more resources and fewer barriers to introducing vaccination programmes, would do well to learn from Sweden. In 2012, the country rolled out a free, school-based HPV vaccination programme for girls as young as 10 alongside a successful screening and treatment programme. Here again, planning and stakeholder cooperation was essential. By 2021, 90% of girls in the country had received one vaccine dose by age 15, and 84% had received two.

Going forward, governments around the world must place prevention of cervical cancer high on the health agenda. Health and education departments must cooperate, and must allocate funding to all aspects of HPV vaccination from vaccine procurement to infrastructure, awareness campaigns to human resources. Without this focus, roll-out will fail.

Ishu Kataria surveyed physicians in India to understand their hesitancy around the HPV vaccine.Credit: Ishu Kataria

People in India are generally not hesitant about vaccines, especially for children. Yet, the Indian government has not included the HPV vaccine in its national immunization programme even though one person dies from cervical cancer every eight minutes here.

In 2019, I interviewed 32 physicians in Kolkata, to try and understand the hesitancy surrounding HPV vaccination5. The physicians foremost reason was that many parents associate HPV vaccination with promiscuity. Because HPV is transmitted through sexual intercourse, parents often assume that giving a young child the vaccine will be viewed in the community as a sign that they are sexually active.

Physicians were also unclear about the benefits of recommending the HPV vaccine before a child becomes sexually active, and they did not want to risk their reputation by making a recommendation that could be controversial. Similar concerns and misunderstandings are common elsewhere, including in Eastern Mediterranean countries6.

Cancer will cost the world $25 trillion over next 30 years

A campaign run by national health departments is needed to instil confidence in the vaccine among physicians. It should make clear that vaccination is most effective between the ages of 9 and 14, because that is when it produces the most robust immune response. The campaign should highlight that the vaccine is extremely safe. It should provide guidance on communicating the benefits to parents in a culturally sensitive way as a vaccine to prevent cancer, rather than against a sexually transmitted infection.

Raising general awareness among schoolteachers, parents, children and adolescents is also crucial.

The campaign run by the health department for the northeastern state of Sikkim when it first rolled out the HPV vaccine in 2018 provides a blueprint for others to follow. Sikkims six-month-long campaign educated physicians, community leaders, government officials, the media and the public through workshops, written materials and television and radio broadcasts. It resulted in 97% HPV vaccine uptake among eligible girls7.

Indian states cannot afford to roll out the vaccine unless it is part of the national immunization programme (in which case the government covers the cost of the vaccine). The launch of an affordable, cost-effective, India-manufactured vaccine by the Serum Institute in September 2022 has put pressure on the Indian government to fund the HPV vaccine, with a decision expected after this years election. States should now lay the groundwork for roll-out, following Sikkims lead. Key first steps include communication with physicians and parents, along with logistical planning.

Public-health expert Lisa Huang.Credit: Expertise France

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to rolling out cervical cancer screening programmes. For LMICs, the best strategies focus on maximizing efficiency and thereby reducing costs for resource-poor countries.

This can be achieved by integrating screening and treatment programmes into existing health-care systems and facilities. The SUCCESS project, of which I am a director, is trialling such an approach in Burkina Faso, Cte dIvoire, Guatemala and the Philippines.

Performing screens in existing health-care settings minimizes the need for extra medical workers, who are scarce in LMICs. Screening programmes can be run in primary health-care settings, gynaecology clinics, family-planning services and importantly HIV clinics. The last is essential because the 20 million women living with HIV are six times more likely than other women to develop cervical cancer.

African scientists call for research equity as a cancer crisis looms

Local contexts need to be considered. In many countries, staff members will need to be trained in screening, and supply chains and inventory management systems will need to be set up. Digital health-information systems are crucial, allowing patient information to be passed between departments and between health workers to aid follow-up.

In the SUCCESS project, weve seen the benefits of such digital solutions. In Burkina Faso and Cte dIvoire weve made use of the DHIS2 Tracker, an app available as part of DHIS2 an open-source health-information management platform widely used in LMICs. Using a tablet, a health-care worker can input patient information into the tracker along with information about any follow-up needed, which the patient can be told of either by instant messaging or when visiting another health centre.

Although it is challenging to collect digital data in LMICs, I am confident that tracking screening will save lives. Governments should aim to implement tracking technologies as soon as possible. People often resist complex changes, so engagement with health-care workers is an essential first step in a move towards digitization, to gain support for the switch. Investment from local and international funders is key, and time must be taken to understand each countrys health-care ecosystem and ensure that new digital solutions are interoperable with those already in use.

Kathleen Schmeler helps to train medical graduates in Mozambique.Credit: Sarah Berger

LMICs face a shortage of medical providers. Just 4% of the global medical workforce is in Africa, for instance yet the continent shoulders one-quarter of the global disease burden8. Most LMICs have no formal training programmes for cancer specialists, particularly surgeons. In these countries, more specialized nurses and physicians are urgently needed to diagnose and treat cervical cancer.

Global collaboration can help to meet the need for training, as demonstrated by two international projects in which Ive been involved. Both focused on Mozambique, a country that has no organized screening programme and few trained medical providers. In Mozambique, 39 of every 100,000 women die from cervical cancer, compared with the global average of 7.2.

First, I co-lead a collaboration between the Mozambique Ministry of Health, the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, and five institutes in Brazil. The collaboration which was initiated in 2014 at the request of the First Lady of Mozambique aims to build capacity in Mozambique by teaching the nations medical providers to treat pre-cancerous cells. Specialists from Texas and Brazil travel to Mozambique three or four times a year to provide lectures, hands-on training and mentoring to trainee doctors and nurses. We train 3040 participants each time. Ongoing support is provided through monthly video conferences.

Second, I co-chair a global gynaecological oncology fellowship run by the International Society of Gynecologic Cancer (see go.nature.com/4b6edzk) for institutions in LMICs that lack formal training in cancer care. The fellowship site is paired with a partner institute in a high-income country. Fellows recently, graduates in obstetrics and gynaecology spend two years undertaking a comprehensive education and training programme, mainly in their home country, but with a few months at the mentor institution. Maputo Central Hospital in Mozambique was a pilot site when the programme first began in 2017. There are now fellowship sites in 22 countries.

Each of these projects initially required a handful of very motivated international mentors. But training and mentoring is now being performed, at least in part, by programme graduates living in Mozambique.

To scale up these efforts, institutes in high-income countries must coordinate with one another, and enhance collaborations with health ministries and training institutions in LMICs. Funding for our work has come from small grants, philanthropic, institution and foundation budgets, and often from the volunteers themselves. These types of donation can fund individual projects, but investment from governments, United Nations agencies and industry partners is needed to make the approach work on a global scale.

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Cervical cancer kills 300,000 people a year here's how to speed up its elimination - Nature.com

Hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) surged during the holiday season and remain high in the new year with young infants hit particularly hard by RSV-related illness.

RSV is a common and highly contagious respiratory virus that can cause infections ranging from mild to severe. It can lead to bronchiolitis, pneumonia, respiratory failure, and death in some cases.

RSV usually causes mild cold-like symptoms in adults, [but] it can be severe and lead to hospitalization in infants and older adults, Dr. Adi Katz, Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told Healthline.

It is estimated to result in 6,00010,000 deaths among seniors and 100300 deaths among children younger than 5 [years old] annually [in the United States]. During the 202223 season, children were hospitalized with RSV-related illness at an overall rate of 605.6 per 100,000, more than 10 times the rate of the general population, Katz said.

To help protect young infants from RSV illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages people who are 3236 weeks pregnant during RSV season to get a single dose of Pfizers bivalent RSVpreF vaccine (Abrysvo). This is sometimes known as the maternal RSV vaccine.

The take home message is that this [vaccination] is a simple step that a pregnant individual can take to protect their newborn baby, said Katz. It can be a life saving measure.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Abrysvo vaccine for pregnant people in August 202, after researchers found it was safe and effective for preventing lower respiratory tract infections in newborns.

We now have an RSV vaccine that can prevent serious RSV infection in infants when received during pregnancy, Dr. Jennifer Thompson, FACOG, an associate professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center told Healthline.

By receiving the RSV vaccine during pregnancy, maternal antibodies cross the placenta and provide protection to the newborn. These antibodies help prevent the development of severe RSV lower respiratory tract infection in infants up to 6 months of age, Thompson said.

The vaccine is made from an inactivated protein from the surface of RSV, known as the fusion glycoprotein, or protein F.

When the vaccine is given to a pregnant person, their immune system responds by producing antibodies against protein F. This allows their immune system to recognize and attack RSV if it encounters the virus later on.

It takes about 2 weeks for the pregnant persons immune system to produce antibodies following vaccination.

The pregnant person passes the antibodies onto the developing fetus across the placenta, which provides protection against RSV that continues for at least 6 months after birth.

Its still possible for infants to contract RSV after their birthing parent has received the Abrysvo vaccine in pregnancy. However, the vaccine significantly reduces the newborn infants risk of developing RSV infection in general and severe RSV infection mainly.

Researchers found that when pregnant people received the Abrysvo vaccine during weeks 3236 of pregnancy, it reduced their babys risk of lower respiratory tract disease from RSV by 34.7% within 90 days following birth and 57.3% within 180 days after birth.

The vaccine provided even greater protection against severe lower respiratory tract disease, lowering the risk by 91.1% within 90 days after birth and 76.5% within 180 days after birth.

RSV can be such a devastating disease for some families, said Thompson, and to now have a vaccine to offer patients that is safe and effective at preventing severe RSV in infants is wonderful.

The risk of serious side effects from the Abrysvo vaccine is low. Most side effects are mild and short-lasting.

The main side effects that have been reported are similar to other vaccines and include pain at the injection site, headaches, and muscle pain, said Thompson.

Researchers found the rate of preeclampsia was slightly higher among pregnant people who received the vaccine: 1.8% of those who received the vaccine in a clinical trial developed preeclampsia, compared with 1.4% of pregnant people who received the placebo. The overall rate of preeclampsia remained low.

Researchers also found the rate of preterm birth was slightly higher among pregnant people who received the vaccine (5.7%, compared with those who received a placebo (4.7%). However, they could not determine whether this difference was caused by the vaccine or something else.

The FDA has taken steps to manage the potential risk of preterm birth by approving the Abrysvo vaccine for only those pregnant people who are 3236 weeks pregnant.

People who have a history of severe allergic reactions to any component of the vaccine shouldnt receive it. Severe allergic reactions to vaccines are rare.

Pregnant people can speak with their obstetrician to learn more about the potential benefits and risks of getting the RSV vaccine or other immunizations during pregnancy.

Abrysvo is specifically recommended for people who are 3236 weeks pregnant during RSV season, which lasts from September through January across much of the United States but may vary in some regions. Speak with your doctor if you live in Alaska, Florida, or outside the continental United States to learn about the timing of RSV season in your region.

If you recently gave birth and didnt receive the Abrysvo vaccine at least 2 weeks before delivery, talk with your doctor to learn whether your baby should receive immunization against RSV with the monoclonal antibody nirsevimab (Beyfortus).

Beyfortus can lower the risk of serious RSV infection among infants, but its available in the United States only in limited supplies. It may be given to an infant as a single injection shortly before or during their first RSV season and in some cases, shortly before their second RSV season.

Most babies who are born to a birthing parent who received the Abrysvo vaccine at least 2 weeks before delivery dont require immunization with Beyfortus later on.

But some babies with high risk factors for severe infection may benefit from immunization from Beyfortus, even if their birthing parent did receive the Abrysvo vaccine.

This includes certain infants who:

A physician may also recommend immunization with the monoclonal antibody palivizumab (Synagis) in rare cases. This immunization is only given to children under the age of 24 months who have certain health conditions that raise their risk of severe RSV disease.

Limiting contact with people who are sick, washing hands regularly with soap and water or alcohol-based hand cleanser, and wearing face masks in public may also help prevent RSV or other respiratory infections.

Talk with your doctor to learn more about strategies to prevent and manage RSV infections.

To help protect young infants from RSV illness, the CDC encourages people who are 3236 weeks pregnant during RSV season to get a single dose of Pfizers bivalent RSVpreF vaccine (Abrysvo). This is sometimes known as the maternal RSV vaccine.

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RSV Vaccine: What Expecting Parents Should Know - Healthline

Pediatricians across central and northern New York are dealing with a shortage of the vaccine that prevents a dangerous respiratory illness in children, RSV. Now, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is taking steps to try to get the vaccine into the hands of doctors.

Melanie Berrys medically fragile son Gary successfully fought RSV. But it followed weeks on life support at Golisano Childrens Hospital in Syracuse. So, when a vaccine to prevent RSV came on the market, Berrys family jumped on it. He hasnt had RSV since, and wants that assurance to be the norm for all kids.

No mother should have to watch their child go through that, said Berry. No child should have to endure that when we have things that can prevent that."

The problem is that doctors and health care organizations arent getting the doses of the vaccine theyve ordered. Syracuse Community Health interim President Ofrona Reid said his organization ordered hundreds of doses of the vaccine, but has only received 20. Reid said he sees 30 kids each day who need the immunization, but can only offer it to a select few.

The parents can get really upset and angry that we are pretty much neglecting their child from seeing a vaccine because we have a pick and choose, Reid said. So of course, it's not fair.

Golisano has only one box of the vaccine left, which contains five doses. The drug is recommended for all babies born during the winter, when RSV is most prevalent.

Schumer hopes he has the answer to this. He wants the CDC and FDA to pressure drug companies to produce more vaccine, and get it to doctors in a timely manner. Schumer said this is an issue that plagues drugs new to the market, like the RSV vaccine just approved last year.

Its when you have a new drug and a disease that's needed very much, so you need to change, Schumer said. There needs to be more federal oversight in general of how the drug companies distribute it.

The new antibody treatment is shown to reduce the risk of RSV complications by 70%.

Read more from the original source:

Schumer urging federal action to combat shortage of RSV vaccine - WRVO Public Media

Kitchener-Waterloo

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Posted: 3 Hours Ago

Hundreds of vaccine appointments are being made available to students in Waterloo region who have received notice to update their records with public health or face suspension from school.

Region of Waterloo Public Health says there are 32,000 students in the community who need to update their vaccine records.Public health says about 22,000 elementary students and 10,000 secondary students do not have up-to-date records.

Not all students need to get their vaccines. In some cases, they just need to update their records, public health said.

David Aoki, the region's director of infectious diseases and chief nursing officer, said in a release that the catch-up clinics will help students who have not received all their vaccines.

"We have expanded our clinic capacity to help students get the vaccines that they need to stay in school," he said in the release.

Appointments can be booked through the public health website for one of two locations:

Vaccine record updates are mandatory under the Immunization of School Pupils Act.Records can be updated online with a copy of a student's vaccination record and health card number.

Students who do not update their records will face suspension. For elementary students the suspension date is March 27. For secondary students, it's May 1.

More than 10,000 students in the area covered by Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health have received notices they, too, need to update their vaccination records.

Public health says that includes 8,000 elementary students and 2,400 high school students.

Elementary students received a notice that indicated they had until March 6 to update their records.

High school students received their notices in November and have until Feb. 14 to update their immunization records.

Public health notedchildren who cannot be immunized for medical reasons need to submit a form called the statement of medical exemption, which has to be completed by a physician.

If parents or students choose not to immunize for religious or conscientious reasons, there are other stepsthey need to follow. Information about that can be found on public health's website.

Original post:

Hundreds of vaccine catch-up clinic appointments opened for Waterloo region students - CBC.ca