Category: Vaccine

Bill Maher took presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to task on Fridays episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, over his and his running mates persistent efforts to spread anti-vaccine misinformation.

Maher has consistently platformed RFK Jr. throughout his presidential campaign, touting his guts and integrity, as hes promulgated misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. The presidential candidate's unsavory anti-vax rhetoric was once again pushed to the forefront of his campaign, when his running mate Nicole Shanahan called for a recall of the Moderna vaccine, earlier this month. Apparently the comment didnt sit so well with Maher.

But your Vice Presidential pick wants to recall the Moderna vaccine, thats the one I got, said Maher, who looked out onto the laughing audience. Do you agree with that? Recall it?

Appearing to be taken off-guard, RFK Jr. sputtered in response. I think those vaccines need to, we need to have again true double-blind placebo controlled trials on that, he said. There is 25 percent of Americans who believe that they know somebody who was killed by a Covid vaccine.

Killed? Maher asked.

Killed. 25 percent of Americans. 52 percent of Americans believe that the vaccines are causing injuries, including death. 52 percent, RFK Jr. responded. He then dove into describing the results of the Pfizer vaccines clinical trial study, but his argument was less than convincing to the talk show host.

People who got the vaccine had a 23 percent higher death rate, from all causes, at the end of that study, RFK Jr. said.

That could not be the disease itself? Maher asked, incredulously.

If it is, then the vaccine doesnt work, RFK Jr. said. The audience began applauding, but Maher quickly shut it down, forced to fact-check his friend in Real Time.

Well, no no, thats not, thats not true at all, he said. And Im someone who did not want to get the vaccine, and didnt think I should have been made to get it. But it does work. Maher contended that the vaccine had only killed, mostly the obese and the very elderly.

Most people are alive today, I think, because of the vaccine. I think thats the truth. Does it also have complications? Yes, he said. But they couldve had worse issues if they got the disease.

RFK Jr. went on the defensive. I think that [if] people want vaccines, they should be able to get it, Im not anti-vaccine, he said.

Well people think you are, Maher replied.

In response, the presidential candidate, who had just spouted blatant misinformation about vaccines, argued that that term is often used to silence him. RFK Jr. instead clarified that he is simply against vaccine mandates, an essential tool in ensuring that vaccines can work the most effectively.

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Bill Maher Batters His Buddy RFK Jr. Over Anti-Vax Claims - The Daily Beast

Key points

The WHO Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition (TAG-CO-VAC) meets regularly to assess the impact of SARS-CoV-2 evolution on the performance of approved COVID-19 vaccines. This includes meeting in person approximately every six months to determine the implications of SARS-CoV-2 evolution on COVID-19 vaccine antigen composition and to advise WHO on whether changes are needed to the antigen composition of future COVID-19 vaccines. The twice-yearly evidence review by the TAG-CO-VAC is based on the need for continued monitoring of the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and the kinetics and protection of vaccine-derived immunity.

In May 2023, the TAG-CO-VAC recommended the use of a monovalent XBB.1 descendent lineage, such as XBB.1.5, as the vaccine antigen. In December 2023, the TAG-CO-VAC advised retaining the use of a monovalent XBB.1 descendent lineage, such as XBB.1.5, as the vaccine antigen. Several manufacturers (using mRNA, protein-based and viral vector vaccine platforms) have developed COVID-19 vaccines with a monovalent XBB.1.5 formulation which have been approved for use by regulatory authorities and introduced into COVID-19 vaccination programmes in some countries. Previous statements from the TAG-CO-VAC can be found on the WHO website.

The TAG-CO-VAC reconvened on 15-16 April 2024 to review the genetic and antigenic evolution of SARS-CoV-2; immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 vaccination; the performance of currently approved vaccines against circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants; and the implications for COVID-19 vaccine antigen composition.

The published and unpublished evidence reviewed by the TAG-CO-VAC included: (1) SARS-CoV-2 genetic evolution with support from the WHO Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE); (2) Antigenic characterization of previous and emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants using virus neutralization tests with animal antisera or human sera and further analysis of antigenic relationships using antigenic cartography; (3) Immunogenicity data on the breadth of neutralizing antibody responses elicited by currently approved vaccine antigens against circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants using animal and human sera, including modelling data; (4) Vaccine effectiveness estimates (VE) of currently approved vaccines during periods of circulation of XBB.1 and JN.1 lineages; (5) Preliminary immunogenicity data on immune responses following infection with circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants; and (6) Preliminary preclinical and clinical immunogenicity data on the performance of candidate vaccines with updated antigens shared confidentially by vaccine manufacturers with TAG-CO-VAC. Further details on the publicly available data reviewed by the TAG-CO-VAC can be found in the accompanying data annex. Unpublished and/or confidential data reviewed by the TAG-CO-VAC are not shown.

The TAG-CO-VAC acknowledges several limitations of the available data:

As of April 2024, nearly all circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants reported in publicly available databases are JN.1 derived variants. As virus evolution is expected to continue from JN.1, future formulations of COVID-19 vaccines should aim to induce enhanced neutralizing antibody responses to JN.1 and its descendent lineages. One approach recommended by TAG-CO-VAC is the use of a monovalent JN.1 lineage (GenBank: OY817255.1, GISAID: EPI_ISL_18538117, WHO Biohub: 2024-WHO-LS-001) antigen in vaccines.

The continued use of the current monovalent XBB.1.5 formulation will offer protection given the neutralizing antibody responses to early JN.1 descendent lineages, and the evidence from early rVE studies against JN.1. However, it is expected that the ability for XBB.1.5 vaccination to protect against symptomatic disease may be less robust as SARS-CoV-2 evolution continues from JN.1. Other formulations and/or platforms that achieve robust neutralizing antibody responses against currently circulating variants, particularly JN.1 descendent lineages, can also be considered.

In accordance with WHO SAGE policy, vaccination programmes should continue to use any of the WHO emergency-use listed or prequalified COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination should not be delayed in anticipation of access to vaccines with an updated composition. WHO stresses the importance of access to and equity in the use of all available COVID-19 vaccines.

Given the limitations of the evidence upon which the recommendations above are derived and the anticipated continued evolution of the virus, the TAG-CO-VAC strongly encourages generation of data on immune responses and clinical endpoints (i.e. VE) on the performance of all currently approved COVID-19 vaccines against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, and candidate vaccines with an updated antigen over time.

As previously stated, the TAG-CO-VAC continues to encourage the further development of vaccines that may improve protection against infection and reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Continue reading here:

Statement on the antigen composition of COVID-19 vaccines - World Health Organization (WHO)

A new mouth-spray vaccine reportedly stops urinary tract infections (UTIs) from coming back again and again, as can happen in many people prone to the condition.

The pineapple-flavored vaccine, called Uromune, has so far been tested in one study without a placebo group and one completed gold-standard clinical trial. Both studies suggest that, for more than half of the participants, the vaccine helped ward off recurrent UTIs for months. It will need more testing to be fully approved but shows promise.

"Vaccines would be a game changer for a huge number of people who are, at the moment, stuck with long-term UTIs and there's nothing that can help them," Jennifer Rohn, a researcher who specializes in renal medicine at University College London and was not involved in the studies, told Live Science.

UTIs can cause debilitating pain; abdominal cramping; and an urge to urinate when you don't need to. Approximately 50% of women will have a UTI at least once in their life; of those, 22% will experience recurrent infections.

Women are about 30 times more likely to get UTIs than men.

Related: Dangerous 'superbugs' are a growing threat, and antibiotics can't stop their rise. What can?

Many patients who develop UTIs repeatedly are prescribed preventive antibiotics to help reduce their risk of future infections. Yet research shows that heavy reliance on antibiotics has led to the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Plus, antibiotics can wipe out helpful bacteria in the body along with the disease-causing kind.

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UTI vaccines could offer an alternative approach, and Uromune is one such vaccine. The spray contains a mixture of the four bacteria most commonly responsible for recurrent UTIs: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecalis and Proteus vulgaris.

"Together, they make up about 88% of urinary tract infections," Dr. Glenn Werneburg, a physician-scientist at the Cleveland Clinic who was not involved in the studies, told Live Science. For the vaccine, these bacteria are inactivated by heat so that the proteins on their surface are still intact and thus can be identified by the immune system.

The vaccine is sprayed under the tongue because exposing the base of the tongue, the tonsils and the roof of the mouth is thought to trigger a strong immune response in "mucosal" tissues. These include the lining of the urinary tract and bladder, Werneburg said.

Scientists first tested the vaccine in a U.K.-based trial of 75 female participants; there was no comparison group that didn't use the spray. In that study, 59% of the women who used the spray daily for three months had no subsequent UTIs for the following year. These participants had experienced three or more UTIs in the year prior to receiving the vaccine.

In a second phase of the study, the scientists followed up with nearly 40 of the original participants, and they also added 17 men to the trial. In that group they found that, for 48 of them, the vaccine was still very protective nine years after its initial administration. These participants had remained UTI-free over that period and had no adverse effects.

On average across the whole group, all the patients remained UTI-free for about 55 months, or about 4.5 years.

The findings of this study were presented at the European Association of Urology Congress in Paris on April 6. Uromune has also been tested in one gold-standard clinical trial with a placebo group. In that trial, 56% and 58% of women who used the spray for three and six months, respectively, remained free of UTIs for up to nine months, compared to only 25% of the placebo group.

"I'm excited about these findings because it's more evidence that this vaccine may be an excellent alternative for these patients," Werneburg said.

Both the trials had limitations. For instance, the vaccine has only been tested for uncomplicated UTIs, meaning infections that don't involve catheters, fever, the kidneys or other complicating factors, for example.

"Some of the people who are most prone to infection are people with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction and people with chronic indwelling catheters," Werneburg said. "I really look forward to trials that assess the vaccine's safety and efficacy in these populations."

Not everyone responded to the vaccine in these initial trials. But "given how complicated UTI is and how every patient has something different going on different bugs, different immune systems half of the people responding is actually really good," Rohn said.

One possible reason some patients did not respond could be that they were infected by types of bacteria not included in the vaccine. Bacteria can also hide from the immune system and antibiotics by sticking to the bladder wall and coating themselves with a slimy shield. Other UTI vaccines being tested in mice could potentially target these germs.

Uromune has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for any use in the U.S. However, currently, it's available for compassionate use in 26 countries, meaning it's available to people who aren't enrolled in a formal trial but who haven't responded to other treatments. Time will tell if it will earn full approval for UTI prevention.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.

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Media Advisory

Saturday, April 27, 2024

Study highlights need for defined markers of mpox immunity to inform public health use.

A dose-sparing intradermal mpox vaccination regimen was safe and generated an antibody response equivalent to that induced by the standard regimen at six weeks (two weeks after the second dose), according to findings presented today at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Global Congress in Barcelona. The results suggest that antibody responses contributed to the effectiveness of dose-sparing mpox vaccine regimens used during the 2022 U.S. outbreak.

The mpox virus has been present in west, central and east Africa for decades, with the first human case identified in 1970. In May 2022, a global mpox outbreak caused by the clade IIb strain of the virus provided the first epidemiologic evidence of community mpox transmission outside of historically affected countries. The Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN, sold as JYNNEOS) vaccine was made available to help contain the outbreak in the United States. The National Institutes of Healths (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) sponsored a study of dose-sparing strategies to extend the limited vaccine supply.

The mid-stage study enrolled 225 adults aged 18 to 50 years in the United States who had not previously been vaccinated against mpox or smallpox. Participants were randomized to receive either the standard Food and Drug Administration-approved MVA-BN regimen, a regimen containing one-fifth of the standard dose, or one with one-tenth of the standard dose. The standard dose was injected under the skin (subcutaneously), while the dose-sparing regimens were injected between layers of the skin (intradermally). Participants in all study arms received two injections 28 days apart and were monitored for safety and immune response.

Two weeks after the second dose (study day 43), participants who received one-fifth of the standard dose had antibody levels equivalent to those of participants receiving the standard MVA-BN regimen, based on predefined criteria. By day 57, participants who received one-fifth of the standard dose had lower antibody levels than those in the standard regimen arm; the clinical significance of this difference is unknown. Participants who received one-tenth of the standard dose had inferior antibody levels at all measurements. The most reported adverse events were mild, local injection-site reactions. Adverse events were similar across all arms of the trial, and no serious adverse events related to the vaccine were reported.

The authors note that because there are no defined correlates of protection against mpoximmune processes confirmed to prevent diseasethese findings cannot predict the efficacy of dose-sparing regimens with certainty. Real-world data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others have shown similar vaccine effectiveness for the dose-sparing regimen given intradermally and the standard regimen given subcutaneously. A study of the standard MVA-BN regimen in adolescents is ongoing and will report findings later this year.

NIH is grateful to the research sites and volunteers who participate in studies to improve the mpox response.

For more information about this study, please visit ClinicalTrials.gov and use the identifier NCT05512949.

Frey et al. Safety and Immunogenicity of Fractional Doses of Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic. European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) Global Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Saturday, April 27, 2024.

Andrea Lerner, M.D., M.S., medical officer in NIAIDs Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, is available to discuss this research.

NIAID conducts and supports researchat NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwideto study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

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The rest is here:

Lower dose of mpox vaccine is safe and generates six-week antibody response equivalent to standard regimen - National Institutes of Health (NIH)...

A major landmark study to be published by The Lancet reveals that global immunization efforts have saved an estimated 154million lives or the equivalent of 6 lives every minute of every year over the past 50 years. The vast majority of lives saved 101million were those of infants.

The study, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), shows that immunization is the single greatest contribution of any health intervention to ensuring babies not only see their first birthdays but continue leading healthy lives into adulthood.

Of the vaccines included in the study, the measles vaccination had the most significant impact on reducing infant mortality, accounting for 60% of the lives saved due to immunization. This vaccine will likely remain the top contributor to preventing deaths in the future.

Over the past 50years, vaccination against 14diseases (diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, measles, meningitis A, pertussis, invasive pneumococcal disease, polio, rotavirus, rubella, tetanus, tuberculosis, and yellow fever) has directly contributed to reducing infant deaths by 40% globally, and by more than 50% in the African Region.

"Vaccines are among the most powerful inventions in history, making once-feared diseases preventable, said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Thanks to vaccines, smallpox has been eradicated, polio is on the brink, and with the more recent development of vaccines against diseases like malaria and cervical cancer, we are pushing back the frontiers of disease. With continued research, investment and collaboration, we can save millions more lives today and in the next 50years.

The study found that for each life saved through immunization, an average of 66years of full health were gained with a total of 10.2billion full health years gained over the five decades. As the result of vaccination against polio more than 20million people are able to walk today who would otherwise have been paralysed, and the world is on the verge of eradicating polio, once and for all.

These gains in childhood survival highlight the importance of protecting immunization progress in every country of the world and accelerating efforts to reach the 67million children who missed out on one or more vaccines during the pandemic years.

Released ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) to take place in May 2024, the study is the most comprehensive analysis of the programmes global and regional health impact over the past five decades.

Founded in 1974 by the World Health Assembly, EPI's original goal was to vaccinate all children against diphtheria, measles, pertussis, polio, tetanus, tuberculosis, as well as smallpox, the only human disease ever eradicated. Today, the programme, now referred to as the Essential Programme on Immunization, includes universal recommendations to vaccinate against 13diseases, and context-specific recommendations for another 17diseases, extending the reach of immunization beyond children, to adolescent and adults.

The study highlights that fewer than 5% of infants globally had access to routine immunization when EPI was launched. Today, 84% of infants are protected with 3 doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) the global marker for immunization coverage.

Nearly 94million of the estimated 154million lives saved since 1974, were a result of protection by measles vaccines. Yet, there were still 33million children who missed a measles vaccine dose in 2022: nearly 22million missed their first dose and an additional 11million missed their second dose.

Coverage of 95% or greater with 2doses of measles-containing vaccine is needed to protect communities from outbreaks. Currently, the global coverage rate of the first dose of measles vaccine is 83% and the second dose is 74%, contributing to a very high number of outbreaks across the world.

To increase immunization coverage, UNICEF, as one of the largest buyers of vaccines in the world, procures more than 2billion doses every year on behalf of countries and partners for reaching almost half of the worlds children. It also works to distribute vaccines to the last mile, ensuring that even remote and underserved communities have access to immunization services.

Thanks to vaccinations, more children now survive and thrive past their fifth birthday than at any other point in history, said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. This massive achievement is a credit to the collective efforts of governments, partners, scientists, healthcare workers, civil society, volunteers and parents themselves, all pulling in the same direction of keeping children safe from deadly diseases. We must build on the momentum and ensure that every child, everywhere, has access to life-saving immunizations.

In 2000, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which includes WHO, UNICEF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) as core founding members, was created to expand the impact of EPI and help the poorest countries in the world increase coverage, benefit from new, life-saving vaccines and expand the breadth of protection against an increasing number of vaccine-preventable diseases. This intensified effort in the most vulnerable parts of the world has helped to save more lives and further promote vaccine equity. Today, Gavi has helped protect a whole generation of children and now provides vaccines against 20 infectious diseases, including the HPV vaccine and vaccines for outbreaks of measles, cholera, yellow fever, Ebola and meningitis.

Gavi was established to build on the partnership and progress made possible by EPI, intensifying focus on protecting the most vulnerable around the world, said Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. In a little over two decades we have seen incredible progress protecting more than a billion children, helping halve childhood mortality in these countries, and providing billions in economic benefits. Vaccines are truly the best investment we can make in ensuring everyone, no matter where they are born, has an equal right to a healthy future: we must ensure these efforts are fully funded to protect the progress made and help countries address current challenges of their immunization programmes.

Immunization programmes have become the bedrock of primary health services in communities and countries due to their far reach and wide coverage. They provide not only an opportunity for vaccination but also enable other life-saving care to be provided, including nutritional support, maternal tetanus prevention, illness screenings and bed net distribution to protect families from diseases like malaria.

Since the study only covers the health impact of vaccination against 14 diseases, the number of lives saved due to vaccination is a conservative estimate and not a full account of the life-saving impact of vaccines. Societal, economic or educational impacts to health and well-being over the 50 years have also contributed to further reductions in mortality. Today, there are vaccines to protect against more than 30 life-threatening diseases.

While the HPV vaccine, which protects against cervical cancer in adults, was not included in the study, it is expected to prevent a high number of future deaths as countries work towards increasing immunization targets aimed at eliminating cervical cancer by 2030. New vaccine introductions, such as those for malaria, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and meningitis, as well as cholera and Ebola vaccines used during outbreaks, will further save lives in the next 50 years.

Global immunization programmes have shown what is humanly possible when many stakeholders, including heads of state, regional and global health agencies, scientists, charities, aid agencies, businesses, and communities work together.

Today, WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, and BMGF are unveiling Humanly Possible, a joint campaign, marking the annual World Immunization Week, 24-30 April 2024. The worldwide communication campaign calls on world leaders to advocate, support and fund vaccines and the immunization programmes that deliver these lifesaving products reaffirming their commitment to public health, while celebrating one of humanitys greatest achievements. The next 50 years of EPI will require not only reaching the children missing out on vaccines, but protecting grandparents from influenza, mothers from tetanus, adolescents from HPV and everyone from TB, and many other infectious diseases.

It's inspiring to see what vaccines have made possible over the last fifty years, thanks to the tireless efforts of governments, global partners and health workers to make them more accessible to more people, said Dr Chris Elias, president of Global Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. We cannot let this incredible progress falter. By continuing to invest in immunization, we can ensure that every child and every person has the chance to live a healthy and productive life.

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For more information on WHO World Immunization Week 2024 campaign, visit World Immunization Week 2024 (who.int) and Humanly Possible campaign, http://itshumanlypossible.org.

Access photos and broll on immunization here.

About the data WHO led the analysis of the impact of the Expanded Programme on Immunization from 1974 to 2024 with input from researchers from University of Basel, Safinea Ltd., University of Washington, KidRisk Inc., Penn State University, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, University of Cape Town, Imperial College London, the Vaccine Impact Modelling Consortium, and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. The analysis covers the global and regional health impact of vaccination against 14 diseases: diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, measles, meningitis A, pertussis, invasive pneumococcal disease, polio, rotavirus, rubella, tetanus, tuberculosis, and yellow fever.

About WHO Dedicated to the health and well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere, an equal chance at a safe and healthy life. We are the UN agency for health that connects nations, partners and people on the front lines in 150+ locations leading the worlds response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health issues and expanding access to medicines and health care. Our mission is to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.www.who.int

About UNICEF UNICEF works in some of the world's toughest places, to reach the world's most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work, visit: http://www.unicef.org. Follow UNICEF on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube

About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate more than half the worlds children against some of the worlds deadliest diseases. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunize a whole generation over 1 billion children and prevented more than 17.3 million future deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 78 lower-income countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningococcal and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation, above all the zero-dose children who have not received even a single vaccine shot. The Vaccine Alliance employs innovative finance and the latest technology from drones to biometrics to save lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Learn more atwww.gavi.organd connect with us onFacebookandTwitter.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving peoples health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all peopleespecially those with the fewest resourceshave access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Co-chairs Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates and the board of trustees.

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Global immunization efforts have saved at least 154 million lives over the past 50 years - World Health Organization (WHO)

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening,

Today marks the start of World Immunization Week a time to celebrate some of the most powerful inventions in history vaccines.

Thanks to vaccines, smallpox has been eradicated, polio is on the brink, and many once-feared diseases can now be easily prevented, including measles, cervical cancer, yellow fever, pneumonia and diarrhoea.

Today, 84% of the worlds children have received three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis which is used as a marker of global vaccine coverage.

But only fifty years ago, in 1974, fewer than 5% of infants globally were vaccinated.

That was the year WHO launched the Expanded Programme on Immunization, or EPI.

The Smallpox Eradication Programme had shown that vaccines could eliminate or even eradicate some diseases.

Building on that success, EPI supported countries to establish standardized vaccination programmes against smallpox and six other diseases: diphtheria, measles, pertussis, polio, tetanus and tuberculosis.

In the five decades since then, every country has established immunization programmes with support from WHO and our partners.

Now called the Essential Programme of Immunization, EPI helps millions of children, adolescents and adults access vaccines against 30 diseases.

A new study led by WHO estimates that EPI has saved at least 154 million lives since 1974 an average of more than 8000 a day, and 6 every minute of every year for the past 50 years.

Thanks to immunization, a child born today is 40% more likely to see their fifth birthday than a child born 50 years ago.

And more and more lives are being saved as more and more diseases are becoming vaccine preventable, with newer vaccines against COVID-19, malaria, cholera, dengue, meningitis, RSV, Ebola and mpox, and more in development.

Immunization programmes are also the bedrock of primary health care in some of the most remote locations.

A child brought to a clinic for vaccination often receives other life-saving services, such as nutritional support, illness screenings or bed nets.

Over the past 50 years, EPI has achieved so much, but we cannot take these gains for granted. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine immunization programmes globally, while in many countries, crisis and conflict means millions of people miss out on vaccines.

Around the world, WHO and our partners are supporting countries to respond to outbreaks, catch up on children missed during the pandemic, and provide access to vaccines in even the most difficult contexts.

In the past 50 years, EPI has shown what is possible when partners work together, including those who are joining us today UNICEF, Gavi and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Today, we are launching a joint campaign called Humanly Possible, calling on world leaders to advocate for, support and fund vaccines and the immunization programmes that deliver these lifesaving products.

To say more, Im delighted to welcome Professor Jos Manuel Barroso, the Board Chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and former President of the European Commission.

Jos Manuel, my friend, you have the floor.

[PROF BARROSO ADDRESSED THE MEDIA]

Thank you, Jos Manuel, for your partnership, and for everything Gavi has done to ensure more children benefit from the lifesaving power of vaccines.

One of WHOs founding partners in EPI 50 years ago was Unicef, so Im very pleased to welcome Dr Ephrem Lemango, Unicefs Associate Director for Health and Global Chief of Immunization.

Ephrem, welcome, and you have the floor.

[DR LEMANGO ADDRESSED THE MEDIA]

Thank you Ephrem, and my thanks once again to Unicef for its steadfast partnership over the past 50 years.

Lastly, so much of this would not be possible without the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, so Im honoured to welcome Violaine Mitchell, Director of the Gates Foundations Immunization Team.

Violaine, welcome, and you have the floor.

[MS MITCHELL ADDRESSED THE MEDIA]

Thank you, Violaine, and my thanks to you and your colleagues at the Gates Foundation for everything you do to expand access to vaccines around the world.

===

One disease for which there was no vaccine 50 years ago but there is now is meningitis.

Just last month, Nigeria became the first country to roll out the new Men5CV vaccine, which protects against the five major strains of bacterial meningitis in Africa.

The campaign aimed to vaccinate 1 million people across several States in northern Nigeria which had been hit hard by meningitis outbreaks.

I thank the Government of Nigeria and partners including Gavi, Unicef, PATH and the United Kingdom, who have been critical to the development and rollout of this vaccine.

Building on this success, WHO is working with governments and partners on future rollout plans, including in Niger.

For the first time, the Men5CV vaccine gives us real hope of being able to eliminate meningitis as a public health problem.

On Friday, I will join global health leaders in Paris for the first high-level meeting on defeating meningitis.

The Defeating Meningitis by 2030 roadmap requires an initial investment of 130 million US dollars, which is frankly loose change compared to the return that investment will deliver.

As well as preventing over 900,000 deaths and nearly 3 million cases of meningitis by 2030, defeating meningitis would save billions of dollars in health costs and lost productivity.

Vaccination against meningitis, as part of an integrated with primary health care programme, can also help to combat antimicrobial resistance.

With the support of President Emmanuel Macron and the Government of France, and our partners here today, achieving the goals of the roadmap is feasible.

===

Another disease for which vaccines have only recently been developed is malaria.

In the past two years, WHO has recommended the worlds first two malaria vaccines, which are now being rolled out in Africa and which could save tens of thousands of young lives every year.

Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi and Sierra Leone are already delivering malaria vaccines through national immunization programmes, and many more countries are planning to introduce them in the coming weeks and throughout the year.

Alongside other tools including new types of bed nets, vaccines could help to reignite progress against malaria, which has stalled in recent years.

In 2022, malaria claimed the lives of an estimated 608 000 people worldwide and there were 249 million new cases.

Most cases and deaths are among children under 5 in in the poorest households in sub-Saharan Africa.

To truly address malaria, we have to address the inequity that drives it.

Tomorrow marks World Malaria Day. Together with the RBM Partnership and other partners, were drawing attention to the critical importance of health equity, gender equality and human rights in the fight against malaria.

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Finally, vaccines are also playing a role in the response to dengue outbreaks around the world.

So far this year, more than 5.2 million cases of dengue have been reported from the Americas more than the total number of cases reported from that region last year, which was already the worst on record.

With warmer temperatures and the effects of climate change, other countries around the world must be ready to respond to increasing numbers of cases.

Last year, WHO recommended use of a new dengue vaccine for children aged 6 to 16 in areas where dengue is present.

Countries including Brazil are now using the vaccine, although the supply is constrained and the costs are still relatively high.

In February, WHO released 5 million US dollars from our Contingency Fund for Emergencies, to support priority countries to implement essential interventions against dengue. But the needs are immense and more support is needed from donors.

From the worlds oldest vaccine against smallpox, to the newest vaccines against meningitis, malaria and dengue, WHO remains committed to doing everything humanly possible to realise the lifesaving power of vaccines for everyone, everywhere.

Fadla, back to you.

Continued here:

WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing 24 April 2024 - World Health Organization (WHO)

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said an interview excerpt of him saying there is no vaccine that is safe and effective has been misused Friday.

I made that statement on Lex Fridman[s] podcast, Kennedy said on HBOs Real Time with Bill Maher Friday.

Yes, host Maher responded.

And, it was an answer to a question that Lex had asked me about, Are there any vaccines and if you go back and look at this, cause that statement has been misused, I would never say that, Kennedy continued. What I said was, he asked me Are there any vaccines that are safe and effective? And I said, It appears like some of the live virus vaccines, appear to be both safe and effective.

And then I said, Theres no vaccines that are safe and effective, and I was gonna continue that sentence, If you ask for the product to be measured against other medical products with placebo-controlled double-blind studies. Lex interrupted me.

In an episode of Fridmans podcast from July 2023, Kennedy said that some of the live virus vaccines are probably averting more problems than theyre causing, when asked if he can name any vaccines that he thinks are good.

Theres no vaccine that is safe and effective, Kennedy continued, before Fridman started speaking again.

Kennedy has faced criticism in the past for his anti-vaccine activism, including from members of his own family. His niece, Maeve Kennedy McKean, and siblings former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D) and former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-Mass.) said in a Politico column that his anti-vaccination work is wrong and dangerous in a Politico column from 2019.

The challenge for public health officials right now is that many people are more afraid of the vaccines than the diseases, because theyve been lucky enough to have never seen the diseases and their devastating impact, the three wrote.

But thats not luck; its the result of concerted vaccination efforts over many years. We dont need measles outbreaks to remind us of the value of vaccination.

Kennedy told Maher during the Friday night appearance he is not anti-vaccine, but that the label is a way of silencing him.

Im called that because its a way of silencing me, but I have said for 17 years, Im not anti-vaccine. I just want good science. People should be able to make informed choices, Kennedy said.

I am against vaccine mandates, Kennedy added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

Read more:

RFK Jr.: Interview excerpt of him saying there is 'no vaccine that is safe and effective' is 'misused' - AOL

A cancer vaccine is being tested on British patients for the first time. The vaccine, regarded as a potentially potent tool to combat melanoma, could also halt the progression of lung, bladder and kidney cancers.

Invented uniquely for each patient within weeks, the transformative jab tells the immune system about recognising and eliminating malignant cells. Particularly encouraging results have emerged from phase-two tests o led by pharma heavyweights Moderna and MSD.

It significantly enhanced survival in people with melanoma and showed potential in preventing recurrence.

Given its promising trajectory, a definitive phase-three trial is now underway. Dr Heather Shaw, chief coordinating investigator of this UCL Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust-led study, expressed her optimism, The Mirror reports.

READ: JCB worker Hannah, 20, given 15 months to live raises 250k for treatment in U.S. Hannah Roberts was diagnosed with brain cancer just months after joining the company in September 2022

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She described it as one of the most exciting developments in a long time. She said: "This is one of the most exciting things we've seen in a really long time. This is a really finely honed tool. These things are hugely technical and finely generated for the patient. There is a real hope that these will be the game-changers in immunotherapy."

The treatment is known as individualised neoantigen therapy. It is created to target tumour neoantigens, substances expressed by tumours. These are markers on the tumour that can potentially be recognised by the immune system.

It involves an injection that carries coding for up to 34 neoantigens, triggering an immune response tailored to the unique mutations of a patient's cancer. To produce the vaccine, a tumour sample is surgically removed and then DNA sequencing along with artificial intelligence are employed in its development.

Dr Shaw is hopeful hat it could potentially cure cancer, stating: "Absolutely, that's the drive. With this therapy, what you're doing is dealing with the theoretical risk that the cancer could recur."

She explained that the aim of the treatment is to eradicate all cancer cells, including those not detectable by scans. The phase-three global trial is set to expand to include a broader patient group, seeking approximately 1,100 participants.

In the UK, the goal is to enlist at least 60 patients from eight centres, among them London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Leeds. Phase-two results released in December indicated that individuals with serious high-risk melanomas who were treated with the vaccine in conjunction with MSD's immunotherapy drug Keytruda had a 49 per cent lower chance of death or cancer recurrence after three years compared to those who only received Keytruda.

The potential side effects of a groundbreaking cancer therapy are reportedly no more severe than those associated with the flu jab. Professor Lawrence Young, from the University of Warwick, commented: "This is one of the most exciting developments in modern cancer therapy. The hope is that this approach could be extended to other cancers such those of the lung and colon."

The treatment, which combines different therapies, is currently undergoing trials for bladder and kidney cancer at UCLH.

Among the early participants in the trial is 52 year old musician Steve Young, whose seemingly innocuous "bump on the head", which he believes he had for about ten years, was diagnosed as melanoma.

Reflecting on his condition, Steve shared: "I spent two weeks just thinking 'This is it'. My dad died of emphysema when he was 57 and I actually thought, 'I'm going to die younger than my dad'."

However, upon learning about the trial, Steve's interest was immediately sparked. He said: "It really triggered my geek radar. I was just like, 'It sounds fascinating' and I still feel the same."

Vaccines typically function by introducing a benign fragment of bacteria or virus to stimulate an immune response. However, researchers have crafted a vaccine that employs a molecule known as 'messenger RNA' (mRNA), eschewing the use of live bacteria or viruses.

This innovative mRNA method instructs the body to generate antibodies that target and mark foreign pathogensor cancer cellsfor elimination. Although mRNA was discovered back in the 1960s, it wasn't until the recent pandemic that the first vaccines using this technology were introduced to the market.

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Read more from the original source:

Cancer vaccine trialled on UK patients in world first amid hope of cure - Yahoo News UK

GlaxoSmithKline is suing Pfizer and BioNTech over alleged infringement of multiple GSK-owned patents in the creation of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, the latest in a series of legal disputes between vaccine makers on the rights to the technology at the core of vaccines developed rapidly during the pandemic, often through collaboration between industry and the federal government. GSK alleges its patents are infringed in all dosage forms of the companies main mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 and subsequent bivalent vaccines for...

Original post:

Pfizer Accused Again Of Patent Infringement By GSK Over mRNA Vaccines | InsideHealthPolicy.com - Inside Health Policy