Vaccines

Russia’s cancer vaccine is ready. Here’s why it matters

Russia has reportedly developed a vaccine against cancer that it will launch early next year. The jab, which will be free of cost, will treat patients instead of preventing the disease in the general population

Why vaccine stocks tumbled after Trump chose RFK Jr for US health secretary

The selection of vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr by US President-elect Donald Trump to head the Department of Health and Human Services has sparked a market shock, with stocks of leading vaccine makers, including Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax, taking significant hits

Taliban suspends door-to-door polio vaccinations, shifts it to mosques

With Afghanistan and Pakistan being the last countries with endemic polio, Taliban's move could have global repercussions. The World Health Organization is in discussions to shift the campaign to site-based immunization, but risks remain high

Once blamed for COVID-19, China’s Wuhan lab invents nasal vaccine against ‘future pandemics’. Here's what we know

China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, which faced scrutiny over the origin of the pandemic, has developed a nanovaccine that reportedly offers universal protection against all major COVID-19 strains. But can it prevent ‘future pandemics’?

India's SII working on mpox vaccine; will share positive news within a year, says CEO Poonawalla

Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, said that SII is currently working on developing mpox vaccine to cater to millions of lives that might be at risk

Are there vaccines against mpox? How effective are they?

Mpox, a viral infection that spreads through contact with the infected, has spread in Africa and Pakistan, with cases also emerging in Sweden and the Philippines. As the WHO has declared the disease a global health emergency, questions are emerging on how people can stay. Are there vaccines that offer protection?

Why has India's top medical body, ICMR, slammed the study on Covaxin side effects?

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has dubbed a study by Banaras Hindu University researchers on the side effects of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin as ‘poorly designed’. But what did the study say and why has ICMR distanced itself from the paper?

This Week in Explainers: How fallout between Swati Maliwal and AAP was in the making

Swati Maliwal’s allegations against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar have rocked the Aam Aadmi Party. But even before the assault row, there was chasm between the Rajya Sabha MP and the party. Here’s all this and more in our weekly roundup from India

What is VITT, the other blood clotting condition linked to AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine?

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine has been under the scanner since the pharma giant’s admission that it can cause a rare side effect of blood clotting. Some cases of vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT) emerged in 2021. Now, an Australian study has shed some more light. But what is this condition?

After AstraZeneca side effect, adverse events in some who took Covaxin. Is it a reason to worry?

There has been intense speculation over Covishield’s safety after AstraZeneca admitted its COVID-19 vaccine caused a rare side effect. Now an observational study on India-made Covaxin pointed out that nearly a third of participants reported adverse events of special interest (AESI) like viral upper respiratory tract infections and skin disorders. Who is at risk?