History of Vaccines Blog
With More Deaths in a Younger Population, Measles Is Affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo Worse Than Ebola
According to Doctors Without Borders, there have been over 1,500 deaths from measles in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the first five months of 2019.
Randomized Clinical Trials for Vaccine Safety, Efficacy and Effectiveness
Some of the misinformation regarding vaccines includes an argument that vaccines have not been tested against a saline placebo in a double-blinded randomized clinical trial. This misinformation is aimed at confusing the wealth of evidence regarding the safety and effectiveness of immunizations.
Very Few Religions Expressly Prohibit Vaccination, Yet Confusion Remains
News outlets are reporting an increase in the cases of vaccine-preventable diseases – and some outbreaks – from Thailand and Indonesia due to religious concerns about vaccinations. In both countries, Muslim religious authorities have declared vaccines to be unacceptable since, according to them, vaccines contain pork-derived products.
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria
This digitally-colorized scanning electron micrograph shows Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria derived from a pure culture. Borrelia burgdorferi, the cause of Lyme disease, is transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected tick.
David H. Smith, MD
David H. Smith, MD (1932-1998) , along with his colleague, Porter Anderson, PhD, began working on a vaccine for Haemophilus influenzae type B, a cause of meningitis, in the 1960s. Their polysaccharide vaccine was licensed in 1985.
Hep B Vaccination
Vaccine developer Maurice Hilleman, PhD, watches as his granddaughter receives the recombinant hepatitis B vaccine in 1999. This hepatitis B vaccine was the first human vaccine produced by recombinant DNA methods.
Last Polio in Americas
State Rights, Parental Decisions, and Vaccine Exemptions
How far should state power extend into medical decisions that parents make on behalf of their children? What is a parent’s responsibility to children in the community who have particular susceptibility to harm from infectious diseases?
Déjà vu for Polio Eradication Advocates?
By Alexandra Linn, History of Vaccines Intern
Cholera Vaccination in Haiti
Cholera is one of those diseases that you really don’t want to get. It begins like any other intestinal illness, with abdominal cramps, nausea, and vomiting. Suddenly, a very profuse, watery diarrhea develops. So much water leaves the body through the diarrhea that the person’s mouth becomes dry. He stops urinating because he has no fluid left.