By Julia Simpson One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, members of my extended family began reaching out to me with questions about the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines that the FDA had approved under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) just a month prior1, 2. Anti-vaccine rhetoric rang through their social circles and media, and they hoped that, … Continue reading Navigating Conversations with Vaccine-Hesitant Family and Friends
vaccines
Tackling HIV Prevention, One Shot At A Time
By Chris Kendra Fighting the spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has become easier than ever with newly developed therapeutics. In addition to current once-daily pills, new tools in the fight against the HIV epidemic have come in the form of two types of long-lasting injectable HIV medications, one as a first line prophylactic and … Continue reading Tackling HIV Prevention, One Shot At A Time
New Developments in Dengue Fever Treatment
By Hannah Johnson Figure 1: Heat map of the world showcasing the suitability of Dengue transmission1 Dengue fever is a severe viral disease that affects nearly 100 million people worldwide each year. Currently, the only treatment available for this disease is in symptom management; however, recently advances to treat disease etiology have been made2,5. In … Continue reading New Developments in Dengue Fever Treatment
How We Almost Eradicated Polio
By Sonam Lhamo In the late 1940s and early 1950s, polio was a feared infectious disease in the U.S. During summers, when the disease peaked, parents would keep their children from going to swimming pools and movies for fear of their children contracting polio from infected children1. Polio is a highly contagious, infectious disease caused … Continue reading How We Almost Eradicated Polio
What’s the buzz about Mosquirix?
By Victoria Silvis While the world has focused on rapidly developing a vaccine for SARS-CoV2, the WHO recently approved a vaccine that has been developed for malaria, a serious illness endemic to poorer tropic and subtropic regions globally. In 2020 alone, there were 229 million cases with an estimated half a million deaths.1 Malaria infections … Continue reading What’s the buzz about Mosquirix?
Give Me a Boost! The Debate on the COVID-19 Booster Vaccine
By Gaelyn Lyons There has been a lot of talk lately about the COVID-19 booster vaccine, especially with new variants arising and Pfizer submitting an application to the FDA for a booster against COVID-19. The first two jabs have been found to significantly protect individuals from severe symptoms and reduce the risk of hospitalization.1 However, … Continue reading Give Me a Boost! The Debate on the COVID-19 Booster Vaccine
Why should children get the HPV vaccine?
By Gail D'Souza Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Yes, we have all heard of it. HPV is a common sexually transmitted disease that people can be exposed to as early as adolescence.1 Currently, there are 79 million HPV-infected Americans, and an estimated 14 million new HPV infections recorded annually.2 Most cases are detected in young adults in … Continue reading Why should children get the HPV vaccine?
Are We Ready for a COVID-19 Vaccine?
By Gaelyn Lyons At this point, no one is a stranger to COVID-19. We have all been affected by the virus, whether it be socially, physically, or mentally. As of August 15th, there have been about 5.2 million cases in the US, of which about 167,000 patients have died (CDC, 2020). Although it feels as … Continue reading Are We Ready for a COVID-19 Vaccine?
A Cure by Prevention: Eradication of Viruses by Vaccination
Credit: Arek Socha from Pixabay May 8, 2020 will mark the 40th anniversary of the groundbreaking declaration by the World Health Assembly that smallpox—a disease that had plagued humanity for over two millennia—had been completely eradicated following the vaccination efforts of the World Health Organization (WHO). This year also marks the 1st anniversary of another … Continue reading A Cure by Prevention: Eradication of Viruses by Vaccination
Lions Talk Science 