A three-dose regimen of a whole-parasite vaccine against malaria — called Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite (PfSPZ) vaccine — demonstrated safety and efficacy when tested in adults living in Burkina Faso, West Africa, which has endemic malaria. That is the finding of a new study published on Dec. 7, 2022, in Science Translational Medicine. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s […]
A group of international researchers is calling for revised guidelines to help improve access to hepatitis B treatment in Africa. Hepatitis B is a highly endemic virus in Africa with an estimated 82 million people chronically infected. Very few people living with hepatitis B are aware of their diagnosis and few have access to treatment. The complications of untreated hepatitis B […]
Molnupiravir (taken as an 800mg dose twice daily for five days) does not reduce hospital admissions or deaths in vaccinated adults with COVID-19 infection who are at higher risk of mortality, according to the results of a randomised controlled trial, published in The Lancet journal. However, the patients treated at home with molnupiravir recovered quicker compared to the control group. Previous studies […]
Although young cancer survivors face an elevated risk for later developing cervical, oropharyngeal, and several other human papillomavirus (HPV)–related cancers, HPV vaccination rates among this group remain low. This is primarily because of certain vaccine‐related concerns, according to a study published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. To understand why young cancer survivors often opt out […]
The antiviral drug nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir (Paxlovid) was granted Emergency Use Authorization for treating COVID-19 in December 2021. In clinical trials, the antiviral was associated with an 88% reduction in hospitalization or death among high-risk, unvaccinated individuals with COVID-19. However, little was known at the time about whether Paxlovid could significantly benefit vaccinated individuals, as well as individuals infected with […]
An award-winning scheme that saw community pharmacists support patients to understand the benefits of being jabbed against Covid-19 and overcome initial hesitancy proved hugely successful, new research by an expert from Kingston University has shown. The Covid Champion scheme was launched by the NHS South East London Integrated Care System in July last year, at a time when there was […]
The number of people in Europe dying because of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) infections has hit an all time high, according to new EU data. An estimated 35,000 Europeans die every year, while drug-resistant infections are responsible for €1.5 billion extra healthcare costs and productivity losses. The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the EU’s medicines watchdog, says it is playing its part […]
With what some are calling a “tripledemic” of COVID-19, the influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, soaring in many parts of the country, the holiday season will come with some tough decisions again this year: Should you go to that Thanksgiving gathering even though you woke up with the sniffles? Send your child to that school performance even […]
Starting antiretroviral treatment (ART) early in the course of HIV infection when the immune system is stronger results in better long-term health outcomes compared with delaying ART, according to findings presented today at the IDWeek Conference in Washington, D.C. The findings are based on an extended follow-up of participants in the National Institutes of Health-funded Strategic Timing of Antiretroviral Treatment […]
Tuberculosis can be tough to detect. Diagnosis usually requires coughing up a sputum sample from the lungs, which can be unpleasant, impractical, and even hazardous. But in a promising new study, a multinational team of researchers may have found another way to identify the bacterial disease. Having patients spit into a cup, then loading saliva into a commercially available testing […]
Recent Comments