Vaccines

Catch up with this week's 5 most-read infectious disease stories.

Moderna announced new mRNA vaccine candidates to combat prevalent viruses, and is even developing their first-ever bacterial vaccine for Lyme disease.

Pfizer’s investigational RSV prefusion F protein−based vaccine (RSVpreF) was 81.8% effective at preventing medically attended severe RSV-associated lower respiratory tract illness in infants.

Despite high vaccination rates and intensive contact tracing and infection control protocols, an Omicron BA.5 outbreak occurred in Urumqi, China after the “zero-COVID policy” was lifted.

Nursing home residents 85 years and older or with comorbidities were the most susceptible to COVID-19 breakthrough infections.

This study examined the impact of COVID-19 vaccination and infection on the risk of cardiac and all-cause mortality in young people aged 12-29 years.

Because trust in science predicts willingness to get a COVID-19 vaccine, the results of this study have significant public health consequences.

A new study found negative expectations prior to COVID-19 vaccination were associated with more systemic adverse events in individuals receiving their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Using a pregnant rabbit model, investigators found a robust antigen-specific antibody response in pregnant rabbits against HIV and Zika virus.

A new study shows vaccination decreased the chances of developing the debilitating condition by nearly half.

The Wistar Institute’s Amelia Escolano, PhD, is developing a novel approach using sequential immunization to capture protection against multiple strains.

A new study suggests prioritizing administering the first dose a smallpox vaccine against mpox in cases where vaccine supplies are limited.

The FDA's Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee recommended approving Pfizer’s New Drug Application for Paxlovid to treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults at high risk of severe or fatal disease progression.

With this FDA emergency use authorization (EUA), all persons 6 months and older are now eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent booster.

If FDA approved, this 5-in-1 investigational candidate could provide the broadest meningococcal serogroup coverage.

A 4-dose COVID-19 vaccine regimen and prior infection with either the BA.1 or BA.2 variants were extremely effective against the Omicron BA.5 subvariant.

Children were hospitalized the most during the Omicron variant, but disease outcomes were the least severe during this variant period.

The hepatitis B vaccine (Recombinant), Adjuvanted (Heplisav-B) is approved in adults 18 years of age and older, and the vaccine’s developer, Dynavax, is working towards finding potential commercial partners for Great Britain.

Gut microbial abundance was observed to be independent of age and influenced COVID-19 spike IgG levels.

Based on the data presented today, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) believed the benefits outweighed the safety concerns.

Pfizer indicates their RSV vaccine candidate, Abrysvo (RSVpreF), to prevent acute respiratory disease and lower respiratory tract disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults 60 years and older by active immunization.

Two people developed Guillain-Barre syndrome among a total of 19,942 vaccinated participants in the clinical studies submitted for the company’s biologicals license application (BLA).

A booster dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy increases protection of infants from infection and related hospitalization.

A new report shows these providers are playing a larger role in vaccine administration, but without federal legislation codifying PREP, half the US states could determine not to continue this path for pharmacists and take away this now vital responsibility.

"We made a mistake," said Wendy Wright, DNP, ANP-BC, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, FNAP. "We needed to have a 3-dose primary series and not call these booster shots.”

The candidate, Ad26.RSV.preF–RSV preF protein vaccine, was 80.0% effective against severe disease and 69.8% effective against any RSV acute respiratory infection.

Why have “long COVID” cases become less frequent and less severe over time?

Some chronic hepatitis B patients experienced a dramatic decrease in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Could there be a correlation?

The 2023 changes include vaccines for influenza, pneumococcal disease, measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) and COVID-19.

The vaccine even provided significant protection when children had just one dose, investigators found.