Vaccination

Every year, global health experts are faced with a high-stakes decision: Which influenza strains should go into the next seasonal vaccine? The choice must be made months in advance, long before flu season even begins, and it can often feel like a race against the clock. If the selected strains match those that circulate, the vaccine will likely be highly effective. But if the prediction is off, protection can drop significantly, leading to (potentially preventable) illness and strain on health care systems.

Messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines entered the public consciousness when they were introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna used the technology in developing their highly effective vaccines to fight the virus.

For the first time, people can get their annual flu vaccine without leaving the comfort of home.

There was an overall decrease in influenza vaccine uptake among U.S. adults from 2020 to 2024, according to a study published online in PLOS Global Public Health.

Data released this week by the World Health Organization and UNICEF indicate modest gains in childhood vaccination rates, but globally, more than 14 million children remain unvaccinated.

How can Sweden better protect public health during the next pandemic? A new study from Lund University shows that during the COVID-19 pandemic, new arrivals to Sweden were excluded from information, despite good intentions on the part of the authorities. This may have influenced their willingness to get vaccinated.

Flu shots save lives across the United States every year. These vaccines are good at protecting the population from severe influenza infections, but not every person gets the same level of protection.

US President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday canceled a $590 million contract with Moderna to develop an avian flu vaccine, the US biotech company said.

Want a COVID-19 vaccination this fall? For many Americans, it’s not clear how easy it will be to get one—or if they’ve lost the choice.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends extra measles protection for people traveling to areas with active outbreaks in the United States, CBS News reported.