Category: Vaccine

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BACH offers weekday and after-hours influenza vaccine walk-in clinics | ClarksvilleNow.com – Clarksville Now

November 3, 2023

By Maria C. Yager

Blanchfield Army Community Hospital

FORT CAMPBELL, KY Blanchfield Army Community Hospital has added several after-hours seasonal influenza vaccine walk-in clinics, in addition to current opportunities available to service members, retirees, and family members to get protection from the flu.

Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Some people, including those aged 65 years and older, young children, and people with certain health conditions, are at higher risk of serious flu complications, said BACH public health nurse, Capt. Gregory Richter. We encourage all our eligible beneficiaries ages 6 months and older to receive the flu vaccine annually, which can help prevent or lessen the severity of flu.

Currently, TRICARE-enrolled beneficiaries who receive care at BACH can receive the seasonal influenza vaccine on a walk-in basis in their assigned medical home Monday-Wednesday and Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. or after hours from 4-6 p.m. on the following dates:

TRICARE beneficiaries who receive care off-post through a network provider and those enrolled to BACH may also take advantage of the Nov. 2 and upcoming Saturday, Nov. 18, walk-in influenza vaccine event, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. at Cole Park Commons, 1610 William C. Lee Road, Fort Campbell.

Healthcare staff will provide participants with proof of vaccination for those requiring documentation for work, school, childcare, travel, etc.

Individuals will need to present their military ID or common access card with a DoD ID number on the back in order to receive the vaccine. Parents or guardians can obtain this number for minor children without a physical card at the Department of Defense ID Card Office Online under the My Profile Tab athttps://idco-pki.dmdc.osd.mil/idco/.

Visitwww.tricare.mil/fluto learn about TRICARE coverage and the flu vaccine.

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BACH offers weekday and after-hours influenza vaccine walk-in clinics | ClarksvilleNow.com - Clarksville Now

Vaccines on the ballot: a QUARTER of Americans now say Covid-19 shots are unsafe and that they know someone … – Daily Mail

November 3, 2023

Americans are growing more skeptical about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and politicians from left and right are echoing these fears in their campaigns to win the White House.

Polling this week shows that, while most voters trust shots forCovid-19, MMR and other bugs, millions more have changed their minds in recent months and no longer see them as safe.

The surveys come as health chiefs warn of rampant online misinformation linking injections with death and autism, and that ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug typically used on animals, can treat Covid-19.

Despite these warnings and their implications for public health, two politicians are building vaccine skepticism into their 2024 campaign platforms Robert F. Kennedy Jr, an independent, and Ron DeSantis, Florida's Republican Governor.

The Annenberg center polled people about vaccine safety (top left), autism (top right), and ivermectin (bottom right). Rasmussen Reports separately asked about vaccine deaths and class-action lawsuits

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, which released polling on vaccines this week, described ominous 'warning signs' about rising rates of skepticism.

Do you think COVID-19 vaccines are safe?

'Growing numbers now distrust health-protecting, life-saving vaccines,' said Jamieson.

Her poll of more than 1,500 adults found that the share of Americans who see Covid-19 vaccines as unsafe has jumped from 18 percent in August last year to 24 percent last month.

Meanwhile, the share of people who linked autism in children to the growing use of vaccines has risen from 10 percent in April 2021 to 16 percent last month.

Likewise, the share of adults who support using ivermectin to treat or prevent Covid-19, has jumped from 10 percent in September 2021 to 26 percent last month.

Using ivermectin against coronavirus runs counter to the advice of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

A separate poll of 1,110 US adults by Rasmussen Reports delivered even more startling results.

Uptake of the latest, updated Covid-19 shots has been slow, since they became available in mid-September

Nearly a quarter of respondents 24 percent said they knew someone personally who died from side effects of a Covid-19 shot.

Though there have been cases of heart problems and thrombosis from coronavirus injections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says serious adverse reactions are 'rare.'

Studies show the shots prevented millions of deaths and hospitalizations in the US.

More than 1.1 million Americans have died from Covid-19 since the pandemic began, with the unvaccinated perishing at much higher rates.

Uptake of the latest, updated Covid-19 shots has been slow, since they became available in mid-September.

According to Rasmussen, millions of Americans also say they would be keen to join a class-action lawsuit against Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna, and other manufacturers over the side effects of shots.

Independent presidential candidateRobert F. Kennedy Jr said in a podcast: 'There's no vaccine that is safe and effective'

Fully 42 percent of respondents said they would probably join such a legal effort, including 24 percent who said they would very likely do so.

There are also signs that rising skepticism of vaccines is feeding into next year's race for the White House.

Kennedy, who recently dropped out of the race for the Democratic Party's nomination to run as an independent, has long campaigned against vaccines, among other offbeat theories.

Earlier this year, he said in a podcast that 'there's no vaccine that is safe and effective,' and told FOX News that shots can cause autism.

DeSantis, who is championed for his early reopening of schools and businesses from Florida's pandemic-era lockdowns, appears to be embracing vaccine hesitancy to win votes.

The DeSantis administration last month urged Floridians under the age of 65 from against getting the updated Covid-19 shots counter to the advice from federal agencies.

Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, seen here wearing cowboy boots, has started second-guessing the effectiveness of vaccines

This week, he appeared at a 'medical freedom' town hall in Manchester, New Hampshire, an early-voting state in next year's primary contest, and downplayed the effectiveness of shots.

The Governor said Covid-19 vaccines had been rolled out without proper studies and that federal officials were wrong about their risks and benefits.

'We know the federal government muffed this in many different ways, and we need a reckoning,' DeSantis told the crowd.

Though DeSantis had more than 30 percent of support among Republican voters for the party's nomination at the start of 2023, he now barely gets 13 percent, according to an average of polls.

That's well behind the front-runner, former president Donald Trump.

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Vaccines on the ballot: a QUARTER of Americans now say Covid-19 shots are unsafe and that they know someone ... - Daily Mail

The Download: NASAs tiny spacecraft, and the RSV vaccine shortage – MIT Technology Review

November 3, 2023

This is todays edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of whats going on in the world of technology.

Inside NASAs bid to make spacecraft as small as possible

Since the 1970s, weve sent a lot of big things to Mars. But when NASA successfully sent twin Mars Cube One spacecraft, the size of cereal boxes, to the red planet in November 2018, it was the first time wed ever sent something so small.

Dont settle for half the story. Get paywall-free access to technology news for the here and now.

Just making it this far heralded a new age in space exploration. NASA and the community of planetary science researchers caught a glimpse of a future long sought: a pathway to much more affordable space exploration using smaller, cheaper spacecraft.

There was a catch, thoughone that NASA soon had to grapple with. Miniaturization can only go so far before it comes to a crashing halt against some very fundamental laws of physics. Read the full story.

David W. Brown

This story is from our most recent print issue of MIT Technology Review, which is all about societys hardest problems, and how we should tackle them. If you dont subscribe already, sign up now to get future issues when they land.

RSV is on the rise but preventative drugs are in short supply

This year we were supposed to have more tools than ever before to protect kids from RSV (short for respiratory syncytial virus), including a new shot thats given preventively to babies and vulnerable toddlers to protect them from the worst effects of the virus.

But nowjust as rates of sickness are risingthis medicine is in short supply. The CDC issued an alert last week advising pediatricians to ration doses, reserving them for babies younger than six months and those with underlying conditions that place them at highest risk for severe RSV.

The situation is frustrating to parents and pediatricians alike. But shouldnt forecasting demand for this kind of preventative be relatively straightforward? And why was there such a mismatch between supply and demand in the first place? Read the full story.

Cassandra Willyard

This story first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Reviews weekly biotech newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday.

The must-reads

Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Sam Bankman-Fried has been found guilty on all seven fraud charges But hell have to wait until March next year to find out his sentence. (Economist $) + The tech industry has already moved on, though. (NYT $) + Its unlikely that SBF will be the last of his kind. (The Atlantic $)

2 Metas open-source AI comes at a price Just because Llama 2 is publicly available doesnt mean its cheap. (The Information $) + AI firms really dont want to pay for training data. (Insider $)

3 We shouldnt get complacent about covid this winter The fact vaccines are much harder to get these days isnt helping. (The Atlantic $) + Who benefits most from the new covid vaccines? (MIT Technology Review)

4 The AI boom is lining Big Techs pockets The rich are becoming even richer thanks to their cloud investments. (WSJ $)

5 Surveillance tech is coming to a city near you City councils are investing in Fusus AI systems, but not all residents are happy. (404 Media) + Marseilles battle against the surveillance state. (MIT Technology Review)

6 Zoonotic diseases are a growing threatAnimal-to-human diseases are forecast to kill many more people in future decades. (FT $) + Meet the scientist at the center of the covid lab leak controversy. (MIT Technology Review)

7 Forget the leap secondits time for the leap minuteTechnically, it could bridge the two ways we tell the time. But is the world ready? (NYT $)

8 How online gambling ensnared a whole generation of AfricansIts governments are ill-equipped to protect residents who are becoming increasingly addicted. (Bloomberg $) + How mobile money supercharged Kenyas sports betting addiction. (MIT Technology Review)

9 Airbnb isnt what it used to be Its cost is on the riseand so are complaints. (Vox) + New Yorks war against Airbnb has made it even more expensive to visit. (The Atlantic $)

10 We all know diet soda is bad for us Maybe sweet protein substitutes could offer a healthier alternative. (Proto.Life)

Quote of the day

The crypto industry might be new, the players like Sam Bankman-Fried may be new, but this kind of fraud is as old as time and we have no patience for it.

Damian Williams, the US attorney who led the prosecution of disgraced crypto founder Sam Bankman-Fried, has a solemn message for reporters outside the Manhattan courtroom, Reuters reports.

The big story

Inside the app Minnesota police used to collect data on journalists at protests

March 2022

Photojournalist J.D. Duggan was covering a protest in Minnesota in April 2021 when police officers surrounded him and others, and told them to get on the ground.

Officers sorted the press from the protesters, walked them to a parking lot, and began photographing them, one by one. They told Duggan the photos would be stored in an app.

An investigation by MIT Technology Review found the data was collected using a tool called Intrepid Response, an easy way to almost instantly de-anonymize protest attendees and keep tabs on their movements. For some, the tools use is a dangerous step in the direction of authoritarianism. Read the full story.

Sam Richards & Tate Ryan-Mosley

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet em at me.)

+ Thanks to the wonders of AI, weve been blessed with one last Beatles song. + 65 years ago today, Laika the dog became the first canine in orbit! + Working as a Disney animation model looks absolutely exhausting. + The worlds most remote lighthouses is a great subject for a book. + Historic England is on the hunt for ghost signsthose beautifully faded painted signs advertising businesses and products of the past.

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The Download: NASAs tiny spacecraft, and the RSV vaccine shortage - MIT Technology Review

Vaccine trust plunges in U.S., with misinformation drowning out truth: survey – PennLive

November 3, 2023

Americans trust in a variety of vaccines has fallen significantly in just a few years even with more fact-checking and pleas from doctors in response to viral misinformation, according to a recent survey.

The number of U.S. adults who believe vaccines approved for use in the United States are safe fell to 71%, down from 77% in April of 2021.

The percentage who believe they are unsafe grew to 16% nearly double the level of about two-and-a-half years ago, the survey found.

The survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania involved about 1,500 adults in the United States.

It also found that only 63% of Americans believe it is safer to get the COVID-19 vaccine than to get the disease, down from 75% in April, 2021.

The declines came despite concerted efforts by news organizations, public health officials, scientists, and fact-checkers to counter viral misinformation about vaccination and Covid-19, the center said in a news release.

There are warning signs in these data that we ignore at our peril, said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center and director of the survey. Growing numbers now distrust health-protecting, life-saving vaccines.

The survey found that 26% of respondents incorrectly think Ivermectin is an effective treatment for COVID-19, up dramatically from 10% in April, 2021.

It also found a small but growing number 16% believe increased vaccines are why so many kids have autism these days. Thats up from 10% in 2021.

READ MORE FROM PENNLIVE:

Ivermectin shows no benefit in treating COVID-19, new study finds

Doctors try stronger dose of ivermectin on COVID-19 patients, still find no benefit

Members of Florida family sent to prison for selling fake Miracle Cure for COVID-19

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Vaccine trust plunges in U.S., with misinformation drowning out truth: survey - PennLive

Scientists identify changes in dendritic cells during the immune response with promising implications for vaccine design – Medical Xpress

November 3, 2023

This article has been reviewed according to ScienceX's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

peer-reviewed publication

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by Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (F.S.P.)

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A team of scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) and Hospital de la Princesa-UAM in Madrid have discovered that dendritic cells, an important cell type in the immune response to viral and bacterial infections, are profoundly changed by their involvement in this process in ways that were previously unknown.

In a study published in Nature Communications, the scientific team led by Prof. Francisco Snchez-Madrid provide invaluable information about the mechanisms involved in the immune response to pathogens and point the way to the design of novel vaccines against future pandemics.

Study first author Dr. Diego Calzada Fraile explained that during the immune response to infection, "dendritic cells, which can be likened to sentries stationed in our tissues, are able to detect the pathogen, ingest or absorb it, and degrade it into small fragments which they present on their surface to lymphocytes, the effector cells of the immune system that can then recognize the pathogen and mount a specific response."

This process of antigen presentation requires the dendritic cell and its lymphocyte partner to come into close contact through the formation of a dynamic structure called an immune synapse, through which these cells can exchange information.

The study shows that the formation of the immune synapse not only activates the lymphocyte, as was well known, but also triggers profound changes within the post-synaptic dendritic cell.

The scientists describe important changes in the protein content of the post-synaptic dendritic cell. In addition, as Dr. Calzada Fraile explained, the study identifies "increased lipid peroxidation in dendritic cells as key mechanism for increasing the efficiency of antigen presentation to cytotoxic CD8 lymphocytes."

Using a mouse model developed by collaborators at the University of Padua in Italy, the scientists were able to analyze and manipulate post-synaptic dendritic cells that had interacted with T lymphocytes during an immune response in vivo triggered by vaccination with an antigen formulated with alum, the most widely used adjuvant used in human vaccines.

As Prof. Francisco Snchez-Madrid explained, "Post-synaptic dendritic cells are responsible for the generation of specific CD8 lymphocytes in response to a vaccine, and thus present an attractive target for interventions aimed at stimulating CD8 lymphocyte responses during vaccination."

According to Prof. Francisco Snchez-Madrid, the importance of this finding lies in the fact that "the effectiveness of a vaccine depends on its ability to trigger a strong CD8 response, because this determines the level of protection against a wide range of infections."

The potent ability of post-synaptic dendritic cells to activate cytotoxic CD8 T lymphocytes suggests that they have therapeutic potential as a type of vaccine that could be administered to boost the body's defenses against bacterial and viral infections.

One of the attractions of such a strategy is that "unlike conventional vaccines, the protection does not depend on the inclusion of material from the pathogenic organism, so this approach could be used to combat unknown pathogens that might emerge and cause a new pandemic."

More information: Diego Calzada-Fraile et al, Immune synapse formation promotes lipid peroxidation and MHC-I upregulation in licensed dendritic cells for efficient priming of CD8+ T cells, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42480-3

Journal information: Nature Communications

Provided by Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (F.S.P.)

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Scientists identify changes in dendritic cells during the immune response with promising implications for vaccine design - Medical Xpress

Hong Kong to receive new Covid-19 vaccines targeting XBB variant ‘by end of year’ – South China Morning Post

November 3, 2023

The insider said the quantity of the first batch was expected to be in the tens of thousands.

Some administrative and IT work will be needed before jabs are given out, another source said, without elaborating when the vaccines could be made available to the public.

Lo urged the public not to wait for the vaccines to land, telling them to get a booster shot if six months had passed since their previous dose.

The inactivated and mRNA vaccines could still offer sufficient protection as a booster dose, he said, referring to the two types of inoculation available.

Last month, the two scientific committees under the Centre for Health Protection jointly recommended the vaccine targeting the XBB variant as a preferred choice when available.

Experts of the committees said people at the greatest risk of severe Covid-19, such as the elderly living in residential care homes, should be given a higher priority to receive the XBB vaccine in case of limited local supply.

Specialists at last months meeting reviewed data from vaccines aimed at the XBB variant made by US drug firms Pfizer and Moderna.

Sources declined to disclose which brands the government had bought.

A spokesman for Moderna said it was discussing with relevant departments and waiting for a decision from the authorities.

Experts recommend Hongkongers receive latest Covid jab targeting XBB strain

The allocation of vaccine batches for Hong Kong and the post-arrival administration plan will be determined following an approval decision, and after consultation with the relevant departments, the spokesman said.

Moderna is committed to supplying the XBB vaccine to Hong Kong as early as possible, pending approval.

The Post has approached also Fosun, which is responsible for the Pfizer Covid-19 jabs in Hong Kong, for comment.

XBB is the most prevalent Covid-19 variant in the city, accounting for more than 99 per cent of cases.

The government-subsidised vaccination programme at present includes first-generation monovalent vaccines produced by Pfizer and Sinovac, as well as the formers second-generation shots, which are based on the original virus strain and the Omicron variant.

Hospital Authority chief warns of flu surge as Hong Kong enters mask-free winter

The citys Covid-19 infections remain stable, according to the Centre for Health Protection data.

Flu infections returned to the baseline level last week, prompting the government on Thursday to announce the 10-week summer flu season had ended.

Health authorities said the percentage of flu-positive respiratory specimens handled by public laboratories, as well as the public hospital admission rate of people diagnosed with influenza, had also returned to regular levels.

The number of flu infections dropped to 23 last week, from 91 in mid-September. Severe cases also plunged from 51 in the final week of September to 28 last week.

But authorities have urged residents to stay vigilant. Based on historical data, influenza season usually arrives in the winter months, a spokesman for the Centre for Health Protection said.

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Hong Kong to receive new Covid-19 vaccines targeting XBB variant 'by end of year' - South China Morning Post

Vaxart Doses First Subject in Phase 1 Trial of Its Norovirus Vaccine Candidate in Lactating Mothers – Yahoo Finance

November 3, 2023

Vaxart, Inc.

Trial evaluating the ability of oral vaccine tablets to induce breast milk antibodies and transfer of antibodies to young infants

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vaxart, Inc. (Nasdaq: VXRT) today announced it has dosed the first subject in its Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating Vaxarts oral pill bivalent norovirus vaccine candidate focused on lactating mothers.

Initiating this study is an important step toward Vaxarts goal of developing a vaccine that may reduce the significant global health threat norovirus poses to children under 5 years of age, said Dr. James F. Cummings, Vaxarts Chief Medical Officer. We believe an oral norovirus vaccine pill may make it possible for mothers to protect their infants against this highly contagious virus for which there currently is no approved vaccine.

Norovirus sickens approximately 21 million people in the United States each year, and 15% of children under age 5 contract norovirus annually. This would translate into about 3 million sets of parents needing to take time from work (approximately 2.2 days on average) to care for their children.

Globally, in countries that have adopted a rotavirus vaccine program, norovirus has become the leading cause of pediatric gastroenteritis in health care settings.1 Pediatric deaths in the United States due to norovirus are rare, but they are much more common in the developing world.

About the VXA-NVV-108 Clinical Trial

The Phase 1, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled single dose, dose-ranging study is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of orally administered bivalent GI.1/GII.4 norovirus vaccine in healthy lactating females of at least 18 years of age and their breast-feeding infants (aged 30 days to 11 months). The study is expected to enroll approximately 76 subjects at seven sites in South Africa. Subjects will be randomized into high- or low-dose vaccine (N=30 for each arm) or placebo (N=16). The primary endpoints are:

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Frequency, duration and severity of solicited symptoms of reactogenicity (local and systemic) for one week following study drug dose;

Frequency, duration and severity of unsolicited treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), serious AEs (SAEs), adverse events of special interest (AESIs) and new onset of chronic illness (NOCIs) through the active period (four weeks post dose);

Serum VP1-specific (GI.1 and GII.4) IgA on Day 1 (baseline), Day 8 and Day 29 (four weeks post last dose);

Breastmilk VP1-specific (GI.1 and GII.4) IgA on Day 1 (baseline), Day 8 and Day 29 (four weeks post last dose).

1 Shah and Hall, Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2018 Mar; 32(1): 103-118.

About Vaxart Vaxart is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a range of oral recombinant vaccines based on its proprietary delivery platform. Vaxart vaccines are designed to be administered using pills that can be stored and shipped without refrigeration and eliminate the risk of needle-stick injury. Vaxart believes that its proprietary pill vaccine delivery platform is suitable to deliver recombinant vaccines, positioning the company to develop oral versions of currently marketed vaccines and to design recombinant vaccines for new indications. Vaxarts development programs currently include pill vaccines designed to protect against coronavirus, norovirus, seasonal influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as well as a therapeutic vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV), Vaxarts first immune-oncology indication. Vaxart has filed broad domestic and international patent applications covering its proprietary technology and creations for oral vaccination using adenovirus and TLR3 agonists.

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release regarding Vaxart's strategy, prospects, plans and objectives, results from preclinical and clinical trials and the timing of such results, commercialization agreements and licenses, and beliefs and expectations of management are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may be accompanied by such words as "should," "believe," "could," "potential," "will," "expected," anticipate, "plan," and other words and terms of similar meaning. Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to Vaxart's ability to develop and commercialize its product candidates, including its vaccine booster products; Vaxart's expectations regarding clinical results and trial data, and the timing of receiving and reporting such clinical results and trial data; and Vaxart's expectations with respect to the effectiveness of its product candidates. Vaxart may not actually achieve the plans, carry out the intentions, or meet the expectations or projections disclosed in the forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions, expectations, and projections disclosed in the forward-looking statements. Various important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that Vaxart makes, including uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical endpoints, commencement, and/or completion dates for clinical trials, regulatory submission dates, regulatory approval dates, and/or launch dates, as well as the possibility of unfavorable new clinical data and further analyses of existing clinical data; the risk that clinical trial data are subject to differing interpretations and assessments by regulatory authorities; whether regulatory authorities will be satisfied with the design of and results from the clinical studies; decisions by regulatory authorities impacting labeling, manufacturing processes, and safety that could affect the availability or commercial potential of any product candidate, including the possibility that Vaxart's product candidates may not be approved by the FDA or non-U.S. regulatory authorities; that, even if approved by the FDA or non-U.S. regulatory authorities, Vaxart's product candidates may not achieve broad market acceptance; that a Vaxart collaborator may not attain development and commercial milestones; that Vaxart or its partners may experience manufacturing issues and delays due to events within, or outside of, Vaxart's or its partners' control; difficulties in production, particularly in scaling up initial production, including difficulties with production costs and yields, quality control, including stability of the product candidate and quality assurance testing, shortages of qualified personnel or key raw materials, and compliance with strictly enforced federal, state, and foreign regulations; that Vaxart may not be able to obtain, maintain, and enforce necessary patent and other intellectual property protection; that Vaxart's capital resources may be inadequate; Vaxart's ability to resolve pending legal matters; Vaxart's ability to obtain sufficient capital to fund its operations on terms acceptable to Vaxart, if at all; the impact of government healthcare proposals and policies; competitive factors; and other risks described in the "Risk Factors" sections of Vaxart's Quarterly and Annual Reports filed with the SEC. Vaxart does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Contacts

VaxartMedia Relations:

Investor Relations:

Mark Herr

Andrew Blazier

Vaxart, Inc.

FINN Partners

mherr@vaxart.com

IR@vaxart.com

(203) 517-8957

(646) 871-8486

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Vaxart Doses First Subject in Phase 1 Trial of Its Norovirus Vaccine Candidate in Lactating Mothers - Yahoo Finance

Clinical Challenges: Discussing Childhood Vaccination With Hesitant Parents – Medpage Today

November 3, 2023

"Nearly all pediatricians encounter parents who want to do what is best for their child -- even though it may mean they have questions about vaccines," the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) notes in its advice to physicians on how to talk to vaccine-hesitant parents.

Addressing hesitancy can be complex, but communication is key, experts told MedPage Today.

"The factors that influence it are so broad," infectious disease physician Lori Handy, MD, MSCE, of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told MedPage Today, and these factors can range from a lack of confidence or trust in the medical system or pharmaceutical companies to convenience issues.

Accordingly, it's important to "make sure providers are very knowledgeable about the vaccine they're providing," she said, and that they "encourage questions from anyone who has some level of hesitancy."

The Message Is Benefit

As the season for respiratory pathogens heats up, Ashlesha Kaushik, MD, a pediatrician, infectious disease specialist, and national spokesperson for the AAP, reiterated that viruses like influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can lead to plenty of sickness and hospitalizations among kids.

Though parents are familiar with annual recommendations for the flu shot, there are now new options designed to protect infants against severe disease from RSV. CDC advisors recently recommended the monoclonal antibody nirsevimab (Beyfortus) for infants and a maternal RSV vaccine (Abrysvo) designed to pass on protection from mother to infant at birth. In most cases, just one or the other is recommended.

It will be important for providers to discuss both new options with parents, Kaushik said.

Aside from flu and RSV, Kaushik said it's also essential to address the benefits of COVID vaccination in children. Kids, especially those who are immunocompromised, can develop severe complications from COVID, she noted.

Yet, parental hesitancy persists.

Recent polling from KFF found that while nearly half of U.S. adults expect to get the new COVID vaccine this fall, most parents don't expect to get it for their children.

The poll also indicated that there are partisan gaps related to the issue of vaccine hesitancy, but partisans agree their personal doctors, including their children's pediatricians, are "their most trusted sources of vaccine information," KFF noted.

Several suggestions aimed at helping pediatricians have these conversations include listening to parents' concerns and acknowledging them in a non-confrontational way, promoting partnerships in decision-making, and being open regarding what is known about vaccination and what is not known, according to the AAP. Other tips include personalizing information for parents based on cultural beliefs, specific concerns, and literacy level, as well as explaining what clinical trials are and how they work.

'Victims of Our Own Success?'

And it's not just newer vaccines parents are hesitant about.

A little more than 20 years ago, measles was eliminated in the U.S. following the success of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. More recently though, there have been a number of measles outbreaks, largely affecting unvaccinated kids.

"It is highly concerning to see outbreaks of measles in the U.S.," Handy said. "We had decades of measles eradication in the country."

Ultimately, she said, "We may be victims of our own success," as these days, parents may not even know what measles is.

But the risks are very real.

MMR is such an effective and safe vaccine that offers lifetime protection, Kaushik said, and measles "can be very devastating."

"It's not a simple rash," Kaushik explained. It can affect the brain and can lead to a condition called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). Advanced stages of the progressive neurological condition are characterized by patient deterioration to a comatose state, and then to a persistent vegetative state. "I've seen children get very, very sick," she added. "We should not take these outbreaks lightly."

Measles is just one example of the risks posed by vaccine hesitancy. Kaushik also pointed to another vaccine-preventable disease: polio.

History has shown how detrimental polio can be long-term if a child contracts it, she said. And, "for decades now, so many millions of children have been protected" through vaccination. She worries about the outcome for an unvaccinated child should we see a large outbreak in the future.

"We need to pick what's best for our children," Kaushik said. Contracting a disease that could have been prevented by a vaccine "might not be a passing event."

She added that children in other parts of the world continue to lose their lives from vaccine-preventable diseases due to a lack of access. In the U.S., "we have had the privilege," of having vaccines available. "My heart really goes out to those children," who cannot get the vaccines they need, she said.

In reiterating the importance of vaccines, new and old, to parents, Handy said it's critical to explain why they have been developed in the first place: "Vaccines are only designed for those infectious diseases that are really consequential pathogens."

Jennifer Henderson joined MedPage Today as an enterprise and investigative writer in Jan. 2021. She has covered the healthcare industry in NYC, life sciences and the business of law, among other areas.

Disclosures

Neither Handy nor Kaushik reported any relevant conflicts of interest.

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Clinical Challenges: Discussing Childhood Vaccination With Hesitant Parents - Medpage Today

Why do some vaccines (polio, measles) prevent diseases, while others (COVID-19, flu) only reduce their severity? – Medical Xpress

November 3, 2023

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When the first vaccines for COVID-19 rolled out in December 2020, some people hoped they would be a silver bullet against the novel virus the way that polio and smallpox shots are nearly 100% effective against those diseases.

Instead, the updated COVID vaccine is being compared to the flu vaccine in the sense that its goal is to prevent severe disease, hospitalization and death rather than to eliminate infection entirely.

That doesn't mean the COVID and flu vaccines are failures, health experts at Northeastern say.

Mansoor Amiji, university distinguished professor of pharmaceutical sciences and chemical engineering, and Neil Maniar, professor of the practice in public health, say vaccines differ according to whether the viruses they've been designed to quell are mutating or stable.

The measles and polio viruses are stable and don't mutate over time, Amiji says. The same is true for the virus for smallpox, which has been eradicated globally and only exists in the lab.

Making a vaccine with an antigen from a stable virus means a vaccinated person's immune system is primed to recognize and destroy the virus every time it appears, Amiji says.

"If you start to see an outbreak of polio, in any part of the world, these vaccines are still incredibly effective. If the virus crops up, it won't evade the immune system or evade the vaccine's response," he says.

Such is not the case with influenza, the virus that causes flu, and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

COVID-19 has gone through an alphabet soup of strains, from the alpha to beta, delta, omicron, Pirola and Erisand is still evolving.

"Even though we have so many people either having natural infection or who have been vaccinated, these viruses continue to mutate," Amiji says.

"We're making vaccines that are looking for the spike proteins in the virus and are basically teaching our immune cells to look for the spike protein. But if the spike protein is mutating, then the vaccine efficacy starts to wane," he says.

Influenza mutates even faster, which is why there are new flu vaccine formulas every year and why 50% is considered a good efficacy rate, he says.

The combinations of antigenic proteins on the influenza surface, known as hemagglutinin and neuraminidasethe H and N in virus nomenclaturevary year to year and even within the flu season, Amiji says.

The flu vaccine is "made up of a cocktail of these peptides," he says. "It's really a guessing game. There is no way of knowing which strain will be prevalent and which vaccines will work," he says.

That rate is making the flu vaccine a harder sell among the public.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says during a year with a good match, vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population.

Consumer research shows "that many people believe flu vaccination doesn't work because of first- or second-hand experience where vaccination may not have prevented illness," the CDC says.

Concerned about drops in flu vaccination among high-risk groups such as pregnant women and children during the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC this fall came up with a new campaignone that spotlights how the flu vaccine can reduce not only the risk of influenza but of potentially serious outcomes.

Called "Wild to Mild," the campaign pairs images of powerful and dangerous animals with innocuous counterpartsa raging bear with a teddy bear or a lion with a kitten, for instance.

"It's definitely a change in messaging," Maniar says.

"It's a clarification in what is being messaged," he says. "There has been sort of this prevailing idea that, "If I get the vaccine, I'm not going to get the flu." And we know that's not the case."

"There's a lot of empirical evidence to show what the vaccine really does is it reduces severity. It reduces the likelihood that someone is going to be hospitalized or even die from getting the flu," Maniar says.

The same is true with vaccination for COVID-19, he says.

"There are some individuals who after getting vaccinated will not get the flu or get COVID, because their immune systems have a more robust protection against the virus," Maniar says.

"But that's not the case for everyone. I think that's where managing expectations comes into play," he says.

The updated COVID vaccineno longer called a booster by the FDAtargets the XBB.1.5 omicron strain prevalent this spring. Pfizer says the monovalent vaccine also addresses currently circulating offshoots of omicron, known as eris or EG.5, andpirola, BA.2.86.

"Vaccination remains right now our best strategy to not just ideally prevent but to have a benign type of infection, just basically a few chills and a sore throat," Amiji says.

"It would be great if you don't get infected. But even if you do get the infection it will be very mild, and you won't be hospitalized."

The flu virus undergoes both antigenic shifts and drifts, Amiji says.

The former is when hemagglutinin and neuraminidase undergo such huge changes the influenza vaccine is not effective at all. Drift is when slight modification occurs, he says.

There are glimmers of hope that both flu and COVID vaccines will become more effective in the future, Amiji says.

Using AI in pharmaceutical technology has led to preclinical studies showing the effectiveness of a universal mRNA flu vaccine that covers more than dozen flu strains in a season, he says.

"The same concept is being applied to a universal COVID vaccine," Amiji says.

"They're not in the clinic yet," he says, but adds he wouldn't be surprised if they were on the market by next fall.

In the meantime, Amiji says he plans to get the updated COVID vaccine and a flu shot this weekend.

"I would absolutely recommend that people get their flu and COVID vaccines as soon as possible," he says.

"As we get toward the winter season, and people start congregating with Thanksgiving holidays and Christmas holidays, the propensity for infection just increases."

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Why do some vaccines (polio, measles) prevent diseases, while others (COVID-19, flu) only reduce their severity? - Medical Xpress

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