Diseases and Vaccines
Potential breakthrough in search for a coronavirus vaccine as an Australian treatment is tested on COVID-19 for the first time
Australia could be one step closer to a coronavirus vaccine breakthrough.
A new vaccine developed by University of Queensland researchers will soon be tested on the live virus for the first time in a biosecurity facility in the Netherlands.
The School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences team has joined forces with Dutch company Viroclinics Xplore to conduct pre-clinical studies to get a better understanding of how the vaccine performs before it’s tested on humans.
It comes as testing of another potential coronavirus vaccine began at the CSIRO lab in regional Victoria last week.
As a service organisation, we have committed to realigning our resources, equipment and materials to initiatives to test promising vaccines, anti-virals and immune modulators in the battle against COVID-19 and we have developed a number of preclinical models of COVID-19 infection,’ Viroclinics spokesperson Dr Koert Stittelaar said.
The vaccine was developed usinng molecular clamp technology that locks the ‘spike’ protein into a shape which allows the immune system to be able to recognise and then neutralise the virus.
The researchers announced earlier this year it hopes to develop the vaccine within six months through its recently invented rapid response technology. Read More.
Abbott Launches 5-Minute Virus Test for Use Almost Anywhere
Abbott Laboratories is unveiling a coronavirus test that can tell if someone is infected in as little as five minutes, and is so small and portable it can be used in almost any health-care setting.
MEASLES OUTBREAK UPDATE: HEALTH OFFICIALS WARN OF EXPOSURE AT LAX, DENVER AIRPORT
Health officials have warned passengers who passed through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Denver International Airport last Wednesday that they may have been exposed to measles.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a statement that three infectious, non-residents with measles travelled through LAX. Visitors to the airport may have come in contact with an infectious person at Terminals 4 and 5 on December 11, between 6:50 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
Full story HERE
‘Anti-vaxxer’ charged as Samoan government battles deadly measles outbreak
An alleged anti-vaxxer has been charged with “incitement against the government vaccination order,” the Samoan government said Thursday.
Vaccine Preventable Diseases A – Z
The use of vaccines has led to major improvements in child health over a relatively short period. Many of the infectious illnesses you or your parents had as children, from chickenpox to polio to measles, no longer affect most children today. If you follow the immunization guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), you can help make your child healthier than was ever possible in earlier generations.
Think Measles: Clinical Guidelines for Patient Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Management
This year, the United States is having more reported cases of measles than usual. Most of these cases are associated with international travel. CDC urges healthcare professionals to consider measles when evaluating patients with febrile rash and ask about a patient’s recent travel history and contact with individuals who have recently traveled abroad. Centers for Disease Control
Vaccine Campaign in Poor Countries to Save 20 Million Lives
In poor countries, childhood vaccines will save 20 million lives and $350 billion in health care costs by 2020, a new study says. Read More Here