Immunization

Town halls in Sydney and Melbourne will host free influenza vaccination clinics as health authorities warn Australians to prepare for flu season. The flu has been less prominent in the past two years as restrictions targeting COVID-19 curtailed movement, but with curbs ending around the country a surge in influenza infections is expected. Research commissioned by vaccine advocacy group the Immunisation Coalition found just 35 per cent of adults under 65 planned to have a flu shot this year, despite 73 per cent expecting this year's season to be worse than 2020 and 2021. The group is hosting free flu vaccination clinics for people under 65 on Friday at Melbourne and Sydney Town Halls with support from the St Vincent's Mobile Immunisation and Health Service. "The latest research shows that people are aware that we could be in for a bad flu season but that's not translating to people booking a vaccination appointment with their GP or pharmacist," Imm...

Chickenpox is a viral infection caused by the varicella zoster virus (a herpes virus). It causes symptoms like blisters, rashes, fever, and more. It is transmitted easily through contact with other people who have an active chickenpox infection. The infection lasts between five and 10 days and is normally mild. However, some people with chickenpox experience serious health issues. A chickenpox vaccine became available in the United States in 1995, preventing millions of infections and many hospitalizations and deaths. This article discusses the chickenpox vaccine, its effectiveness, and potential risks and side effects. FatCamera / Getty Images What Is the Chickenpox Vaccine? The chickenpox (varicella) vaccine is an immunization that most people in the United States receive when they are young children. There are several types of vaccines. The chickenpox vaccine is a live- attenuated vaccine. Live-attenuated vaccines contain a weakened ...

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) -The covid pandemic led a lot of professions to look for online options. That includes the medical field. Northern Light Health, including Northern Light AR Gould launched a new virtual walk in clinic. It's this weeks Medical Monday with Kelly O'Mara. Dr. John Thyng: The pandemic really opened the door for us to realize how convenient and how important this service is to try and get as many people as possible. Kelly: Dr. John Thyng, the Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Northern Light AR Gould, is talking about the new virtual walk in clinic Northern Light Health has officially opened to the public. Dr. Thyng: It certainly works well for a setting like a walk in clinic, for minor illnesses, minor injuries.The pandemic kind of pushed us into it and we've learned that it's a very useful platform for caring for people at their convenience. Kelly: Minor illnesses and injuries that could be treated through the virtual walk in clini...

More than 1.7 billion people -- or a quarter of the world's population -- are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis , the bacterial strain that causes tuberculosis (TB). For years, scientists have been working to develop an effective vaccine, but current TB vaccines are only partially protective. New research by a team including investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Harvard Chan) has identified helpful and unhelpful aspects of the immune response that determine whether the body can keep TB infections under control. The findings, which are published in Immunity , may be helpful for designing a more effective vaccine. Although the body's immune system can often keep M. tuberculosis infections under control so that people don't experience any symptoms, there were more than 10 million active cases in 2017, with 1.6 ...

Abstract Host genetic factors can confer resistance against malaria 1 , raising the question of whether this has led to evolutionary adaptation of parasite populations. Here we searched for association between candidate host and parasite genetic variants in 3,346 Gambian and Kenyan children with severe malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum . We identified a strong association between sickle haemoglobin (HbS) in the host and three regions of the parasite genome, which is not explained by population structure or other covariates, and which is replicated in additional samples. The HbS-associated alleles include nonsynonymous variants in the gene for the acyl-CoA synthetase family member 2,3,4 PfACS8 on chromosome 2, in a second region of chromosome 2, and in a region containing structural variation on chromosome 11. The alleles are in strong linkage disequilibrium and have frequencies that covary with the frequency of HbS across populations, in particular being much more common in Afr...

Ground was broken in Johnson City April 28 to launch construction of the new Wilson Project on the campus of UHS Wilson Medical Center. A groundbreaking ceremony and news conference took place at 2 p.m. at the construction site on Main Street. The Wilson Project represents a major step forward in the enhancement of UHS Hospitals' facilities, as the not-for-profit UHS healthcare system continues to build the future of care and service in the Southern Tier. The project will develop a new, six-story, state-of-the-art clinical tower at UHS Wilson, adding 183,375 square feet of space to the existing hospital. This is one of the largest capital projects UHS has ever undertaken and the first expansion of the Johnson City campus in more than 30 years. The building will include four inpatient medical/surgical units with 30 private rooms each. Facing Main Street, the tower will be the "front door" to UHS' services going forward, and will feature a new emerge...

King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin held a public briefing on April 25, 2022, answering questions from the news media and members of the community. A transcript of the briefing is now available, and the video of the briefing is below. Dr. Duchin discussed the recent increase in COVID-19 case counts, which moves King County into the "medium" category in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) COVID-19 community level framework: The CDC medium risk category is not a magic threshold, meaning the COVID-19 pandemic locally is suddenly or fundamentally different or that we're approaching a crisis level. But it does tell us that COVID-19 infection risk is increasing for individuals and the community… The threat from COVID-19 has decreased substantially, but it's not disappeared. No one can predict when or how much more cases will rise or when they will fall. But I would expect ongoing ups and downs for month...

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 Business  view all 2022-04-27 THE tourism sector, which is forecast to contribute 2,5% growth to the gross domestic product this year continues to show positive developments despite a slow recovery. 2022-04-27 THE agricultural sector, which constitutes about 8% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), posted a growth of 2,0% in 2021, compared to 2020. 2022-04-27 CLARE DUFFY SOCIAL media company Twitter Inc on Monday said it has agreed to sell itself to Elon Musk in a roughly US$44 billion deal, one that would put the world's richest man in charge of one of the world's most influential social networks.

This is part of a series of stories on inflammation triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Other articles in the series include: lectins , Covid-19 and brain injury , and long Covid . They may also be found on my website, www.williamhaseltine.com/ . Inflammation is a key feature of SARS-CoV-2 infection, both during the acute phase of Covid-19 and also as a contributor to post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), otherwise known as long Covid. Inflammation in reaction to any microbe is Janus-faced. On the one hand, it can serve as a barrier to prevent the spread of, and also destroy, invading pathogens. On the other hand, if uncontrolled, inflammation can lead to serious multi-organ damage and even death. New research from Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital provides insights into the multiple ways SARS-CoV-2 can trigger inflammation. Junqueira et al. found that non-productive infection of monocytes and macrophages stimulates the release of potent inflamm...

Low self-esteem and a lack of confidence can affect how people feel about themselves and their abilities. It can also affect how individuals make decisions and live their lives. Changing how people talk to themselves may help improve self-esteem and confidence. If people have low self-esteem and a lack of confidence, they may have an unbalanced view of themselves and feel doubtful of their abilities or what they have to offer. Low self-esteem and a lack of confidence can negatively affect people's relationships, work, or studies. Without interventions, it may also have a negative impact on their mental and physical health. This article looks at levels of self-esteem and confidence, signs of low levels in these traits and their effects on health, and steps people can take to improve their self-esteem and confidence. Confidence is the belief a person has in themselves and their abilities and ideas. If a person has confidence, they generally understand and accept themselves as they ar...