Vaccines

A sign for monkeypox vaccinations is shown at a vaccination site in Miami Beach, Fla.

Health & Safety

The CDC is worried about a mpox rebound and urges people to get vaccinated

7:07pm May 18, 2023

by Pien Huang

A cluster of mpox cases in the Chicago area has sparked fears of a summer wave. Health officials are pointing to new research showing the vaccine is effective and hoping people take notice.

Shana Alesi administers a COVID-19 booster vaccine to Marine Corps veteran Bill Fatz at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Hines, Ill., in 2021. A new round of boosters could become available for some people this spring.

Health & Safety

The FDA may soon authorize a spring round of COVID-19 boosters for some people

1:22pm March 29, 2023

by Rob Stein

The Food and Drug Administration appears poised to make available the COVID-19 vaccines that target omicron as a second booster for people with weak immune systems and those ages 65 and older.

Queue Listen Now

map shows all counties in NC have low community levels of COVID-19

Health & Safety

Triad health care systems go mask optional

3:32pm March 28, 2023

by Paul Garber

The Triad area’s major health care providers have dropped the requirement for masks.

Dr. Firdausi Qadri has been engaged in a decades-long battle against a microbial foe — the bacterium that causes cholera.

Where this doctor finds hope amid her country's record cholera outbreak

5:00am March 02, 2023

by Ari Daniel

Treating cholera has been a passion for Bangladeshi scientist Firdausi Qadri. She reflects on her career and inspirations, cholera's scourge, as well as successes in combating the disease.

Health & Safety

Vaccine misinformation continues as flu season hits

1:27pm December 08, 2022

by Paul Garber

The return of flu season has also meant the return of vaccine misinformation.

Darine Al-Ahmar (left), who directs a primary care health center in Douris, Lebanon, and Josette Hajjar, with the Lebanese branch of the Mérieux Foundation, have seen the number of cholera cases rise around their region.

Health & Safety

Amid vaccine shortages, Lebanon faces its first cholera outbreak in three decades

10:20am November 09, 2022

by Ari Daniel

Several crises in the country — including political instability, COVID and financial collapse — have created deteriorating conditions that have allowed the bacteria to spread.

Afrigen Biologics staff members in the company's lab in Cape Town, South Africa. Afrigen is working on a project to figure out how to manufacture the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine â part of an effort to address global health inequities.

African scientists say Western aid to fight pandemic is backfiring. Here's their plan

8:05pm November 04, 2022

by Simar Bajaj

Monkeypox is the latest case of how global health inequities persist. Vaccines went to the rich world while Africa lacks access. African scientists call for a bold plan to protect against pathogens.

Travel rules and regulations — and national lockdowns — have varied wildly, which gave SARS-CoV-2 lots of opportunities to spread. Above: A young traveler's temperature is checked at Taipei Songshan Airport in July 2020.

Health & Safety

4 ways the world messed up its pandemic response — and 3 fixes to do better next time

6:30pm September 14, 2022

by Ari Daniel

A new report from the Lancet Commission sums up the many mistakes that have been made and offers proposals for a more effective global strategy if and when another pandemic should strike.

In many places, there's still a major shortage of monkeypox vaccines. A plan to stretch the U.S. supply could help get shots into arms more quickly, but it's also untested and introduces new challenges.

Health & Safety

The new U.S. monkeypox vaccine strategy offers more doses — and uncertainty

10:50am August 19, 2022

Missteps and delays have hampered the U.S. effort to vaccinate people against monkeypox. Now state health officials and community members are trying to adapt to a controversial "dose sparing" plan.

Queue Listen Now

This 2014 illustration made available by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention depicts a polio virus particle.

Q&A: The polio virus was detected in New York City wastewater. Do you need to worry?

1:45pm August 12, 2022

by Jaclyn Diaz

The highly infectious viral disease can lead to permanent paralysis of the arms and legs and even death in some cases. Health officials are urging people to get vaccinated if they haven't been.