Flu virus mutates so quickly that one year’s vaccine won’t work on the next year’s common strains. But a new way to create vaccines, called ‘rational design,’ might pave the way for more lasting solutions.
Most ill health can be avoided on family holidays through research and planning in advance, plus smart packing.
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From November 1, the shingles (herpes zoster) vaccine will be available for free to people aged 70 to 79 years. So how and why do you get shingles, and who should be vaccinated?
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?
A boy is vaccinated during an emergency campaign against yellow fever in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Reuters/Kenny Katombe
Prospective parents, aware of how devastating whooping cough can be, want to leave no stone unturned to protect their baby. But is No Vax, No Visit supported by the best evidence?
An Ethiopian boy receives a polio vaccination. Africa has done well with polio eradication but lags behind other vaccination efforts.
Unicef Ethiopia/2013/Sewunet
Every year hundreds of thousands of children die from vaccine-preventable diseases. Africa leaders could change this if they improved vaccination efforts.
Parents are sensitive to what they hear about vaccines.
Kevin T. Quinn/Flickr
As more vaccines have been developed, the challenge of delivering them with minimal pain and number of visits to the doctor has increased. Needle-free vaccinations might help.
Protecting the herd means a certain proportion of the population has to be immunised.
Flickr/Princessrica
Lynn Morris, University of the Witwatersrand; Nono Mkhize, National Institute for Communicable Diseases; Penny Moore, University of the Witwatersrand, and Zanele Ditse, National Institute for Communicable Diseases
Two major clinical trials will be conducted in South Africa in 2016 to test ways of preventing new HIV infections.
A child receives vitamins during a vaccination campaign against polio.
Reuters/Thierry Gouegnon
A Harvard University researcher last week suggested western women stop breastfeeding after a couple of months to reduce the risk of passing potentially harmful toxins on to infants via breast milk.
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