Large U.S. Study Finds No Link Between COVID Vaccine and Shingles
No association was detected between COVID-19 vaccination and herpes zoster infection in a database study involving more than 2 million individuals in the U.S. Using a self-controlled risk interval (SCRI) analysis, the risk of herpes zoster in the month after receiving a dose of COVID-19 vaccine was no different when compared with a control period […]
Tenofovir, Vaccine Combo Eliminates Mom-to-Child HBV Transmission
Earlier maternal tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) combined with infant vaccination completely eliminated vertical transmission of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) from highly viremic mothers, even without the use of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIg), a randomized trial conducted in China found. At 28 weeks postpartum, mother-to-child transmission was an identical 0% with early maternal TDF therapy […]
Nothing Lasts Forever, Including Infant BCG Vaccine Protection
Infants who received BCG [bacille Calmette-Guérin] vaccination at birth had protection against tuberculosis into early childhood, but that protection largely disappeared in only a few years, according to a meta-analysis. Effectiveness of the BCG vaccination against tuberculosis in all age groups was 18%. However, when the results were stratified by age, only in children younger […]
HPV Vaccination Close to Surgery May Reduce Recurrent Cervical Lesions
Vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV) near the time of surgery for precancerous cervical lesions significantly reduced the rate of lesion recurrence, a meta-analysis showed. Overall, vaccination reduced the risk of recurrent cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2+ (CIN2+) by 57% as compared with surgery alone. An even larger risk reduction (74%) occurred when the analysis was […]
Vaccination Linked to Reduction in Long COVID Symptoms
Vaccination appeared to reduce the likelihood of continuing symptoms of long COVID, British researchers found. Among adults who were first infected with the virus and then received a COVID-19 vaccine, one dose was linked to an initial 12.8% (95% CI -18.6 to -6.6, P<0.001) reduction in the odds of long COVID, and a second dose […]
Meningitis B Vaccine May Protect Against … Gonorrhea?
Vaccination against meningococcal serogroup B may also provide modest protection against gonorrhea, evidence from the U.S. and Australia showed. According to surveillance records from New York City and Philadelphia, complete vaccination with the four-component meningococcal serogroup B vaccine (MenB-4C; Bexsero) provided 40% protection against gonorrhea infection compared with no vaccination (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR] 0.60, […]
Post-COVID Vax Myocarditis Similar to Other Vaccines
Not only were rates of myopericarditis following COVID vaccination extremely low, but they were comparable to non-COVID vaccines, a systematic review and meta-analysis found. In an analysis of 11 studies with over 400 million vaccine doses, there was no significant difference in incidence of myopericarditis after COVID vaccines versus non-COVID vaccines (18.2 vs 56.0 cases […]
Shoulder Injury More Common After Certain Vaccines
Certain types of vaccines contributed to a risk of shoulder injury following vaccination, a large, retrospective population-based dataset found, although the absolute risk was small. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines were tied to the highest risk of post-vaccination shoulder conditions of any vaccine, while among influenza vaccines, quadrivalent influenza vaccines were associated with the highest risk, reported […]
Bell’s Palsy, Other Rare Events Not Linked With COVID-19 Vaccines
Immune-mediated neurologic events did not increase after COVID-19 vaccination, electronic health record data in the U.K. and Spain showed. No safety signal was found between COVID-19 vaccines and Bell’s palsy, encephalomyelitis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, or transverse myelitis, reported Daniel Prieto-Alhambra, MD, PhD, of the University of Oxford in England, and co-authors. However, rates of Bell’s palsy, […]
Third U.S. Case of Congenital Varicella in the Last 25 Years
An Illinois mother with no history of varicella vaccination or documented disease delivered a premature infant with congenital varicella infection — reportedly only the third U.S. case of congenital varicella syndrome since 1995. The infant was born at 24 weeks gestation following induction of labor after ultrasound showed fetal abnormalities. The baby died shortly after […]