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Researchers think they've figured out why the COVID vaccine causes heart inflammation in an extremely small number of teenage boys — and what might be done to avoid it.

The second dose of COVID vaccine appears to promote a severe inflammatory response in these teens, setting off a cascade of events that causes myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), the researchers reported.

The first vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in seniors aged 60 and older.

Arexvy, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), is expected to help prevent lower respiratory tract infections caused by RSV, the agency said Wednesday.

“Older adults, in particular those with underlying health conditions, such as ...

The Biden Administration announced on Monday that it will lift most federal COVID vaccine mandates next week, as the p...

Travelers to the United States will now only need a single bivalent COVID vaccine from either Pfizer or Moderna to enter the country, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday.

The loosening of vaccination requirements for foreign travelers comes as many other countries have already done so.

"Because some traveler vaccine records might not specify whethe...

While overall support for childhood vaccines remains strong, a new UNICEF report documents a significant decline in the public's faith in the importance of these vaccines.

Confidence in childhood immunizations dropped by up to 44 percentage points in some countries during the pandemic, according to the rep...

Researchers are reporting progress on the path to a "universal" flu vaccine -- one that would battle all strains of the virus and give the world a weapon against future flu pandemics.

In an early clinical trial, U.S. government scientists found that their experimental flu vaccine was able to coax recipients' immune systems to produce "cross-reactive" antibodies. That is, they made antibod...

Seniors and people with weakened immune systems can get another booster dose of the bivalent COVID vaccine this spring, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday.

Seniors age 65 and older can get a booster at least four months following their first dose of the bivalent vaccine, which protects against both the original and Omicron strains of COVID, the FDA said. People with w...

The sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause a range of cancers, but public awareness of this grim fact is slipping in the United States, a new survey finds.

While nearly 78% of respondents knew that HPV could cause cervical cancer in 2014, that dropped to about 70% in 2020, the investigators found.

The common virus can also cause oral, anal, vaginal, vulva and peni...

Molly E. came down with COVID last February when she was 36 weeks pregnant.

“My symptoms were mild, and after speaking to my obstetrician, I felt reassured to hear that if anything, my baby would maybe have some antibodies,” said the New Jersey resident, who did not want her last name used. Her daughter was born on March 23 and, so far, she is a normal and healthy baby.

Now, new...

Despite the proven safety and effectiveness of COVID and flu vaccines during pregnancy, many young women are still doubtful, a new survey shows.

Compared with older women and adult men, the poll found higher percentages of women ages 18 to 49 doubting that vaccination against these viruses during pregnancy is safe.

The survey of 1,600 U.S. adults was conducted in January. Res...

In the early days of the mpox virus outbreak in the United States, vaccines got to the states that needed them but distribution was unequal across racial groups, new research reveals.

Black and Hispanic patients had to travel significantly farther for doses than white people, according to researchers at Yale School of Medicine, in New Haven, Conn.

“The correlation between vaccine...

An RSV vaccine developed by Pfizer provides safe and effective protection in both seniors and newborns, clinical trial results show.

The vaccine is 86% effective in protecting older adults against RSV infections severe enough to cause three or more symptoms, according to findings published

U.S. public health officials want high-risk individuals who haven't been vaccinated for mpox — previously called monkeypox — to do so before a potential resurgence of the virus in the coming months.

That surge could be worse than last year, federal modeling has found, but only about 23% of those at high risk for the virus have received vaccines, according to a report released Thursda...

New advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) says healthy children and teens may not need additional COVID-19 shots, though they may need to catch up on other routine vaccines.

“The public health impact of vaccinating healthy children and adolescents is comparatively much lower than the established benefits of traditional essential vaccines for children -- such as the rotavirus, ...

A review of studies from around the world finds that getting vaccinated halves the risk of long COVID-19.

For the review, a team led by researchers from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom looked at data from 41 studies involving more than 860,000 patients to gauge risk factors for the array of symptoms that can linger after a COVID infection.

Several groups were mor...

It may be possible to nudge your vaccine to work a little better. The trick is a good night's sleep.

Sleep helps the immune system respond to vaccination, according to a new meta-analysis of past research, published March 13 in Current Biology.

In it, researchers found that people who slept fewer than six hours per night produced significantly fewer antibodies than people w...

Side effects from a COVID-19 vaccination might have made you feel poorly for a day or two, but that may have come with an extra benefit.

A new study of health care workers finds a link between stronger side effects and a longer-lasting vaccine.

In addition, those who had a COVID-19 infection prior to their vaccination also had a more powerful immune response, according to researche...

Flu kills more than 500,000 people globally each year and leads to heart problems for many others. Publicizing those potential cardiac ills may spur folks to get their annual flu vaccine, researchers say.

Danish researchers who studied vaccination messaging methods said the two best ways to get people to roll up their sleeves were either a simple reminder or by noting the link between con...

THURSDAY, March 2, 2023 (HealthDay) -- Allergic reactions to the Pfizer or Moderna COVID vaccines are very rare, and a new study questions whether many of those that do occur are even real.

In a small new study of 16 people who said they'd experienced an allergic reaction to a dose of the Pfizer vaccine, those who got a follow-up placebo (fake) vaccine were more likely to complai...

A COVID-19 shot may protect a person from more than the virus alone, new research suggests.

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City linked vaccination with fewer heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular issues among people who later got COVID-19.

The investigators described their study as the first to examine both full and partial vaccina...

Natural immunity acquired from a COVID infection provides strong and lasting protection against severe illness if a person becomes reinfected, a new evidence review has concluded.

Ten months after a COVID infection, protection against hospitalization and death remains at 89% for Omicron and 90% for earlier variants, according to pooled data from 65 studies conducted in 19 countries.

American adults who have no health insurance or those who are underinsured will still be able to get free COVID vaccines from Moderna, even after government-purchased supplies run out, the company announced Monday.

"Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines will continue to be available at no cost for insured people whether they receive them at their doctors' offices or local pharmacies. For uninsured ...

A COVID infection appears to drive up diabetes risk, new research warns.

The good news? Being vaccinated before becoming infected appeared to eliminate any increase in post-infection risk.

The finding follows a deep dive into the medical records of roughly 23,700 patients. At an average age of 47, all were treated for COVID infection at Cedars-Sinai Health System in Los Angeles at s...

COVID-19 booster shots appear to benefit folks 50 and older but less so for younger people, a new study suggests.

For the study, researchers ran a statistical analysis using death rates from COVID, and looked at the vaccines' effectiveness in protecting people from dying of the disease. While t...

U.S. health officials are considering using vaccines in poultry to stem an ongoing outbreak of bird flu.

Scientists will begin testing the first vaccines for birds in years as the spread of avian influenza has killed about 58 million birds, according to the