Viruses & Vaccinations

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Flu vaccines didn’t work that well in the US, officials find

NEW YORK (AP) — As the U.S. flu season winds down, health officials say the flu vaccine didn’t work very well, with one of its worst effectiveness rates in more than a decade.

https://apnews.com/article/flu-season-cdc-subclade-k-vaccination-11952f89201d2396ec0c52461441c82b?

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Lyme Disease Vaccine

Pfizer is seeking regulatory approval for a Lyme disease vaccine that showed 73.2% efficacy in a late-stage clinical trial. If cleared, it would be the first human vaccine against the tick-borne disease approved in over two decades.  Lyme disease is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected deer tick, with symptoms ranging from a rash to fatigue and arthritis. Roughly 500,000 Americans are diagnosed with or treated for the bacterial infection annually (explore prevalence near you), and most fully recover after a 10- to 14-day course of oral antibiotics. Some patients—including several celebrities—report persistent symptoms, though chronic Lyme disease is not recognized by conventional medicine. The last human Lyme disease vaccine was introduced in 1998 but withdrawn in 2002 after unproven side-effect concerns sank demand. Pfizer's vaccine application may face scrutiny; too few trial participants contracted Lyme disease to prove the shot was effective in at least 20% of the worst cases—a key metric.  PS—A recent edition of our 1440 Health & Medicine newsletter explored Lyme disease. See the best resources we found on the topic here, and sign up for the weekly deep-dive series here.

[Asia Joe]

Pfizer and Valneva’s experimental Lyme disease vaccine, VLA15, failed to meet the primary endpoint of its late-stage clinical trial, even though the shot demonstrated more than 70% efficacy against confirmed Lyme disease. The result creates an unusual tension: a vaccine that clearly reduced infections in a large, well-designed study still did not clear the statistical bar its own trial protocol set. For the millions of people living in tick-endemic areas of the United States and Europe who have had no vaccine option for more than two decades, the outcome raises hard questions about what happens next......

https://www.msn.com/en-us/science/biology/pfizer-valneva-lyme-vaccine-misses-primary-endpoint-despite-efficacy/ar-AA1ZiDz3

The distinction matters for patients. A vaccine with 70%-plus efficacy against a disease that can cause joint pain, neurological complications, and prolonged symptoms in some patients is clinically meaningful. Yet regulators evaluate products against the endpoints sponsors pre-register, not against informal benchmarks or post hoc interpretations. The gap between “this vaccine works” and “this trial succeeded” is where VLA15 now sits, and it is a gap that can delay or complicate any path to licensure

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6 years after COVID-19, Arkansas leaders need to do more to battle vaccine skepticism

Like most people in Arkansas, my daily routine changed completely six years ago this month when the state announced its first case of COVID-19. My beat as an AP statehouse reporter shifted almost entirely to covering the pandemic’s impact on nearly every aspect of Arkansans’ lives.

https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/6-years-after-covid-19-arkansas-leaders-need-do-more-battle-vaccine-skepticism?

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Adult Vaccines: Protect Yourself Against Tetanus and More

https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/ss/cm/slideshow-adult-vaccines?

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On the rise

RSV continues to spread later into the spring than usual, so most states extended the immunization window for infants and toddlers. The respiratory virus can cause serious illness in young children.

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Too young for the MMR shot, babies are at high risk in measles outbreaks

Babies too young to be vaccinated are among the most vulnerable in a measles outbreak. The disease can wreak havoc on their fragile bodies, making them so sick they stop eating and drinking. They can develop pneumonia or brain swelling, and sometimes die. Babies depend entirely on herd immunity — at least 95% of a community must be vaccinated to prevent measles outbreaks. But dropping vaccination rates have eroded protection and across the nation. “Babies become sitting ducks,” said Dr. Deborah Greenhouse, a pediatrician. “The burden is on all of us to protect all of us.” Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

Updated rules for CDC vaccine advisory panel reflect Kennedy skepticism

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Adult Vaccines: Protect Yourself Against Tetanus and More

Medically Reviewed by Jabeen Begum, MD on March 07, 2025

https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/ss/skin-viral-rashes-guide

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‘Collective remembering’

With nearly 1,000 confirmed cases and at least 21 hospitalizations over six months, South Carolina’s measles outbreak — the largest in decades — is finally over. Experts explain how they reined it in.

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What Is Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome?

Hantavirus is a group of viruses that spread through contact with infected rats and mice. It causes flu-like symptoms that include fever, fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, chills, and nausea. The symptoms can get worse quickly and may lead to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which can be life-threatening. 

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome?

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💉 Vaccine reckoning

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A pivotal series of decisions in the next few months will determine the shape of U.S. vaccine policy for years to come, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim reports. Why it matters: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. came into office promising to restore public trust in vaccines and to scrutinize the medical and pharmaceutical establishment. But his boldest moves have drawn political blowback, along with charges that he's spreading misinformation and debunked theories. 💉 State of play: Kennedy shook up precedent and touched off a legal firestorm with moves like limiting eligibility for COVID shots and narrowing the schedule of recommended immunizations for children. Some of his most sweeping efforts have been temporarily frozen by courts. And the actions of a handpicked group of advisers have been stalled. But it's possible that Kennedy will try again by appointing a new panel of advisers. A decision is expected by the end of the year in a high-profile case, brought by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other groups, to overturn Kennedy's childhood vaccine recommendations. 🔎 Trump's continued interest in long-discredited links between vaccines and autism remains a wild card in any federal policymaking. ps:Pathetic, truly pathetic!!!!!