4 h. ago Saving the world’s fattest parrot: can New Zealand vaccinate its rare species before bird flu gets to them?

In the last continent to remain untouched by the virus, hopes are being pinned on immunisation as migration season approachesIt is easy to imagine how it could happen. A petrel, flying east from the Indian Ocean at the end of the Austral winter, makes landfall at New Zealand’s southern Codfish Island/Whenua Hou. Tired from its long journey, the petrel seeks refuge in the burrow of a green kākāpō: a critically endangered flightless species that is the world’s fattest parrot.If the seabird intrudes when the kākāpō is primed to breed, the male parrot may attempt to mate with the smaller petrel, accidentally smothering it in the process. Continue reading...

Politics

21 h. ago NHS issues flu jab update as millions eligible for 'lifesaving' vaccines from today

Flu jabs have been rolled out for pregnant women and children in England ahead of winter

Economics

31 h. ago Flu jabs rolled out for pregnant women and children in England ahead of winter

The NHS is urging people to get vaccinated as it rolled out free flu jabs for children and pregnant women on Monday

Politics

43 h. ago British baby dies from whooping cough as vaccination rates fall

Infant’s mother had not been vaccinated against the highly infectious disease, which affects the lungs and airwaysA baby in the UK has died from whooping cough, marking the first such death in the country this year.The infant’s mother had not been vaccinated against the highly infectious disease, which affects the lungs and airways. This death occurred as vaccination rates among children and pregnant women in the UK have fallen to their lowest levels in 15 years. Continue reading...

Events

44 h. ago Children and pregnant women in England to start receiving flu vaccinations

Expectant mothers and all children aged between two and 16 years are eligible for the vaccine in the rollout ahead of winter

Politics

3 w. ago RFK Jr has slashed vaccine research. You need to know how perilous that is for the world | Devi Sridhar

The avian flu virus is now just one mutation away from easier transmission among humans. Donald Trump’s health chief is a grave risk to world healthProf Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of EdinburghYou’d be hard-pressed to find many public health experts who have positive things to say about Donald Trump’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States. Alongside his numerous policy failures, one Cornell University study found that he was the biggest source of Covid-19 misinformation. But if there’s one redeeming feature to Trump’s pandemic record, it has to be his leadership on Operation Warp Speed – a massive, government-funded initiative that played a pivotal role in fast-tracking Covid-19 vaccines.“Operation Warp Speed stands as one of the most remarkable scientific and humanitarian achievements of the past half-century,” the former US surgeon general Jerome Adams said. It directed billions of dollars into vaccine development and manufactur...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Horrific’: report reveals abuse of pregnant women and children at US Ice facilities

Report from senator Jon Ossoff’s office found 510 credible reports of human rights abuses since Trump’s inaugurationA new report has found hundreds of reported cases of human rights abuses in US immigration detention centers.The alleged abuses uncovered include deaths in custody, physical and sexual abuse of detainees, mistreatment of pregnant women and children, inadequate medical care, overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions, inadequate food and water, exposure to extreme temperatures, denial of access to attorneys, and child separation. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Despite RFK’s funding block, mRNA vaccines are too impressive to ignore

Scientists fear decision may increase vaccine hesitancy, but other countries are still willing to invest in researchIt was a blow many were braced for, yet the block on US funding for mRNA vaccines by Robert F Kennedy Jr’s health department has left scientists reeling, with some stating the move could make the world less safe.On Tuesday, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it would cancel $500m (£376m) in funding for mRNA vaccines, ending 22 federal contracts – including one with the pharmaceutical company Moderna for its bird flu vaccine for humans. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago What is the mRNA vaccine and why is the US withdrawing funding?

The decision will impact 22 projects speerheaded by major pharmaceutical companies for vaccines against bird flu and other viruses

Economics