Queensland authorities came under attack yesterday for being unprepared for a Hendra virus outbreak after it was found that they’d only stocked 15 doses of virus antibodies. But the case for stocking up…
Gustav Nossal, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
The Lancet, one of most prestigious medical journals in the world recently published a series of five papers on “the new decade of vaccines”. These were followed by a sixth paper – A call to action for…
As Queensland authorities confirm the third outbreak of Hendra virus within a week, researchers are moving to fast track a horse vaccination for the deadly virus, which can spread from horses to humans…
For only the second time in history, scientists have eliminated a disease from the face of the Earth, saving billions of dollars and boosting food security in the process. Rinderpest, a deadly cattle disease…
The genomes of the recent German E. coli outbreak have revealed crucial insights into the origins of this deadly strain. The bacteria was found in German bean sprouts but it didn’t originate from the gut…
Queensland authorities have confirmed a horse on a farm south of Brisbane has died of Hendra virus, which can spread from horses to humans and has killed four of the seven people ever known to have been…
A Tasmanian devil genome mapping project by U.S. researchers has revealed how a tiny gene pool helped spread a deadly facial tumour disease throughout the population but also uncovered the first ever devil…
Malaria parasites are able to adapt their growth rate to render anti-malarial drugs useless, according to new research by Australian scientists. More than 200 million people are infected annually with…
Let’s be clear: immunisations matter. They matter a lot. We all have a complex and ever-changing ecology of microorganisms and parasites inside our bodies and in our community. A recent fatal case of diphtheria…
Despite high vaccination rates, Australia and other developed countries periodically have small outbreaks of measles, as seen in the recent scares in Victoria and New South Wales. Until about 40 years…
The rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, or “superbugs” is a critical global health issue. Paradoxically, while there is a compelling need for new antibiotics, their development has slowed…
Today the Gillard Government released an independent assessment of Australia’s management of vaccine adverse events. Commissioned by the Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Catherine King, the…