Researchers report a breakthrough in generating powerful antibodies that can neutralize HIV.       An HIV infection is really an intensive molecular arms race launched from the minute the virus infects a new host. AIDS progresses not because the body isn’t capable of fighting off HIV – it is. But the immune defenses ...

Infants now receive dozens of shots at a time, but the latest study says that does not increase their risk of developing autism. About one-third of parents are concerned about unsubstantiated claims that vaccines can cause autism. And although research, including an analysis by the Institute of Medicine, has not found ...

Although experts recommend girls and young women be vaccinated against the virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer, parents seem to be increasingly worried about the vaccine’s safety, a new U.S. study shows. Experts say the findings are both worrying and puzzling, because the vaccine — which guards against the ...

A vaccine that thwarts cancer cells has so far proved to be better in theory than in practice, and researchers may finally understand why. The possibility of turning the body’s own immune system against tumor cells has hovered like a medical mirage over the cancer-research community for decades. While tumors emerge ...

Researchers have discovered the first U.S. cases of whooping cough caused by a germ that may be resistant to the vaccine. Health officials are looking into whether cases like the dozen found in Philadelphia might be one reason the nation just had its worst year for whooping cough in six decades. ...

Flu hospitalizations among the elderly rose sharply last week, prompting federal officials to take unusual steps to make more flu medicines available and to urge wider use of them as soon as symptoms appear. The U.S. is about halfway through the flu season, which is shaping up to be worse than ...

Based on early data from flu sufferers, health officials say the current influenza vaccine is 62% effective in reducing symptoms of the disease. That means that those who are vaccinated are 62% less likely to need to see a doctor for their illness compared to those who are not vaccinated. While ...

The mercury component was removed from most childhood vaccines, but doctors say an international ban would put more youngsters at risk of infectious diseases. The U.N. Environment Program is discussing ways to lower environmental exposure to mercury, a chemical linked to developmental problems. Part of the proposal involves removing thimerosal, a ...

The latest report shows not all children are receiving the recommended five doses of pertussis vaccine, but even among those who are, the effectiveness of the immunization wears off. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) report in the Journal of the American Medical Association that while vaccines ...