Vaccines have been all over the news lately — between the passage of new exemption laws and the publication of research on vaccines for Ebola, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and the flu.
Here are 15 stories recently published by Becker's Hospital Review on vaccines, starting with the most recent.
1. Study determines which states have the most, least effective vaccine exemption policies
University of Georgia researchers found states with lax vaccination laws that allow philosophical exemptions and use standardized exemption forms have higher rates of pertussis, or whooping cough.
2. Psychologists explore how best to convince vaccine skeptics to reconsider
A team of psychologists from UCLA and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign published research that suggests vaccine skeptics can be convinced to vaccinate their children if the argument is presented in a certain way.
3. New Ebola vaccine 100% effective in trials
A trial in the West African nation of Guinea has shown an Ebola vaccine developed by Merck and NewLink Genetics offers 100 percent protection after 10 days.
4. Vanderbilt UMC becomes first scientific hub for Human Vaccines Project
As the scientific hub of the Human Vaccines Project, Vanderbilt University Medical Center pledged to dedicate large-scale global efforts to decipher the basic components of the human immune system to enhance design of next-generation vaccines and immunotherapies.
5. Researchers develop aerosolized Ebola vaccine: 3 things to know
An aerosol-based vaccine that has been shown to protect primates against the Ebola virus may provide a basis for advancing clinical trials, according to recent research.
6. Children given wrong vaccinations at county-sponsored event in N.J. hospital
Five children received incorrect immunizations during a "Shots for Tots" clinic that was operated by the Salem County Health Department at Memorial Hospital of Salem County in Salem, N.J.
7. Parents' vaccine views are shifting: 5 things providers should know
Over the past year, as measles and whooping cough outbreaks made national headlines, parents' views on vaccines have become more favorable, according to a nationally representative poll conducted by The University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor.
8. California Gov. signs bill to limit vaccine exemptions in schools
California Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation limiting school vaccine exemptions to medical reasons, meaning children will no longer be able to skip vaccinations if their parents' have religious or personal objections, giving the state one of the toughest vaccine laws in the country.
9. Vaccine-resistant viral mutations in the flu identified: 3 things to know
Flu vaccines administered during the 2014 to 2015 season were largely ineffective at preventing the spread of the virus. This appears to be because the vaccine for that season was not prepared to take on mutations within the virus, according to recent research.
10. MERS vaccine being prepped for clinical trials: 3 things to know
Although Gerd Sutter, MD, chair of virology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich, and his team initially reported developing a vaccine candidate for the MERS coronavirus two years ago, new research says planning for clinical trials is now underway.
11. Why healthcare workers don't get their flu shot: 1 common barrier
Researchers at the University of Georgia in Athens have uncovered the main reasons healthcare workers do or do not get their flu shot in a new study.
12. Rotavirus vaccine campaign reduced infection-related hospitalizations, study finds
Ever since routine immunization against rotavirus launched in 2006, the U.S. has seen a marked drop in the number of infants and young children hospitalized with gastroenteritis.
13. AMA endorses personal belief exemption for vaccines nixed in California
The American Medical Association's policy-making House of Delegates voted to endorse the California State Senate's approval of a bill that will remove the personal belief exemption giving parents the choice to withhold vaccinations from their children for non-medical reasons.
14. Century-old TB vaccine may reverse type 1 diabetes
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a mid-stage trial to test the efficacy of a century-old tuberculosis vaccine on reversing type 1 diabetes
15. New intervention to combat vaccine hesitancy tested, found lacking
A new intervention aimed at improving hesitancy about early childhood vaccines by working directly with physicians was found to be inadequate in a Group Health Research Institute study.