Our immune system protects us but when it comes to some mosquito-borne disease, it can work against us. What are the implications for the development of a Zika virus vaccine?
Stories of meningococcal outbreaks tell us it’s that season again. But what is meningococcal, why does it occur in seasons, and why does it strike fear into the hearts of so many?
Rotavirus vaccines are expensive and take time to produce. For developing countries, the fact that the vaccines need cold storage also presents a challenge.
Public health experts enlist the molecular biology tools that create genetically modified organisms – as well as the GMOs themselves – in the fight against emerging infectious diseases.
A few cancers vanish without any medical treatment. Researchers are studying these ‘spontaneous regressions’ to see if they can lead to new cancer treatments.
Every year hundreds of thousands of children die from vaccine-preventable diseases. Africa leaders could change this if they improved vaccination efforts.
Nobel Laureate Barry Marshal discovered that bacteria called Helicobacter pylori caused peptic ulcers. He is using the same bacteria to create probiotics and edible vaccines.
Dean Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of Vaccinology at University of the Witwatersrand; and Director of the SAMRC Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand