Lyme disease vaccine found to be safe and effective in clinical trial
French company Valneva has developed a vaccine that works by stopping Lyme-causing bacteria in ticks from passing into people’s bloodstreams when the ticks bite.
Public health & disease
From disease eradication efforts to advances in vaccination and maternal health, this archive tracks real progress in public health. Stories here focus on what’s working — policies, interventions, and research that are improving and extending lives around the world.
New blood test can detect prostate cancer with unprecedented precision
A new blood test for prostate cancer is producing a 99% accuracy rating—precision that has never before been achieved for a blood test of this particular kind of cancer. The test can also determine the exact stage and progression of the cancer, reducing the need for invasive biopsies and scans.
Flu shots significantly cut risk of heart attack or stroke for people over 50, shows news study
One of the largest studies of its kind looked at data from more than seven million patients and found that a seasonal flu shot cut the risk of heart attacks by up to 85 percent, and halved the number of strokes.
Oklahoma voters approve Medicaid expansion
At least 200,000 Oklahoman adults will be newly eligible for Medicaid, but program enrollment may climb even higher as the state’s unemployment rate has surged to nearly 13 percent.
The Vatican urges Catholics to drop investments in fossil fuels and arms
The calls were contained in a 225-page manual for church leaders and workers to mark the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical “Laudato Si” on the need to protect nature, life and defenseless people.
Researchers develop world’s first model to predict likelihood of and outcomes from COVID-19
Cleveland Clinic researchers have developed the world’s first risk prediction model for healthcare providers to forecast an individual patient’s likelihood of testing positive for COVID-19 as well as their outcomes from the disease.
Ugandan startup recycles plastic bottles into face shields for COVID-19 frontline workers
The new effort provides critical relief in a country where medical workers have discussed work boycotts to protest the lack of protective equipment, especially after several healthcare workers were confirmed infected with the virus.
Morocco sends 8 million masks to 15 African countries
The aid also includes 900,000 visors, 600,000 hygiene caps, 60,000 medical coats, 30,000 litres of hydroalcoholic gel, 15,000 packs of Azithromycin, and more.
Low-cost, widely available steroid is first known drug to improve COVID-19 survival
Researchers from Oxford University say said the drug Dexamethasone reduced deaths by 35 percent for patients on ventilators and by 20 percent in those only needing supplemental oxygen.
Scientists find a switch to flip and turn off breast cancer growth and metastasis
Researchers at Tulane University School of Medicine have also discovered a way to inhibit an aggressive form of breast cancer from occurring. The animal study results have been so compelling that the team is now working on FDA approval to begin clinical trials.