Moderna moves three vaccines into final stage trials

Nikos Pekiaridis | Lightrocket | Getty Images Moderna has more to offer beyond its Covid vaccine. The biotech company Wednesday announced positive clinical trial data on three experimental vaccines against other viruses. The company is moving those shots to final stage studies, it said. The update brings Moderna a step closer to having multiple products … Read more

West Virginia Gov. Justice breaks with GOP Legislature to veto bill rolling back school vaccine rule

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Republican Gov. Jim Justice on Wednesday broke with West Virginia’s GOP-majority Legislature to veto a bill that would have loosened one of the country’s strictest school vaccination policies. West Virginia is only one of a handful of states in the U.S. that offers only medical exemptions to vaccine requirements. The bill would … Read more

A CDC team joins the response to 8 measles cases in a Chicago shelter for migrants

CHICAGO — Eight people living at a Chicago shelter for migrants have tested positive for measles since last week, prompting the arrival of a team with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to guide city and state officials’ response to the infections, including vaccination efforts. Ten infections total have been reported in the city … Read more

West Virginia lawmakers OK bill drawing back one of the country’s strictest child vaccination laws

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s GOP-controlled state Legislature voted Saturday to allow some students who don’t attend traditional public schools to be exempt from state vaccination requirements that have long been held up as among the most strict in the country. The bill was approved despite the objections of Republican Senate Health and Human Resources … Read more

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. ___ Executive Order 9066 authorized Japanese detention during World War II, not gift cards for recent migrants CLAIM: … Read more

Puerto Rico is entangled in a heated public health debate over vaccines and masks

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A fiery debate over public health and personal rights gripped Puerto Rico this week, intensifying Wednesday when legislators clashed with medical experts. The debate began earlier this month after the administrator of Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives announced the mandatory use of face masks, following various COVID-19 cases reported in … Read more

Cameroon starts world’s first malaria vaccine program for children

Cameroon will be the first country to routinely give children a new malaria vaccine as the shots are rolled out in Africa. The campaign due to start Monday was described by officials as a milestone in the decades-long effort to curb the mosquito-spread disease on the continent, which accounts for 95% of the world’s malaria … Read more

How to stay healthy during cold, flu and COVID-19 season

Winter is here, inflicting its usual array of symptoms — coughs, nasal congestion, fatigue and fever — and, this year, a new COVID-19 variant is dominating the scoreboard. COVID-19 is leading hospital admissions among the respiratory viruses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last week, 25 U.S. states had high or … Read more

Stigma against gay men could worsen Congo’s biggest mpox outbreak, scientists warn

KINSHASA, Congo — As Congo copes with its biggest outbreak of mpox, scientists warn discrimination against gay and bisexual men on the continent could make it worse. In November, the World Health Organization reported that mpox, also known as monkeypox, was being spread via sex in Congo for the first time. That is a significant … Read more

Flu and COVID infections are rising and could get worse over the holidays, CDC says

NEW YORK — Look for flu and COVID-19 infections to ramp up in the coming weeks, U.S. health officials say, with increases fueled by holiday gatherings, too many unvaccinated people and a new version of the coronavirus that may be spreading more easily. High levels of flu-like illnesses were reported last week in 17 states … Read more