$3 Million Awarded to Biotechnology Firm to Develop Vaccine
A Massachusetts biotechnology firm has been awarded $3 million by the National Institutes of Health to develop a vaccine for the potentially fatal West Nile Virus. The virus can cause encephalitis. However, most who contract it experience only flu-like symptoms and never realize they have been exposed. The virus first appeared in the Western Hemisphere last year when it killed seven people and sickened more than 60 others in the New York area. While no deaths have been reported this year, mosquitoes carrying the virus have been found in New York. The virus has also been located in birds in the Northeast and New York.
OraVax Inc., a Cambridge, Mass-based subsidiary of Britain's Peptide Therapeutics Group, has been working on the West Nile vaccine since last fall. They announced that the vaccine will be developed by using a proven 60-year-old yellow fever vaccine. The vaccine will cause a mild infection with no symptoms and leave the person immunized against West Nile. Testing could begin on humans within the next 18 months.
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
A Controversial Reboot: New Vaccine Panel Faces Scrutiny, Support, and Sharp Divides
June 26th 2025As the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for the first time under sweeping changes by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the national spotlight turned to the panel’s legitimacy, vaccine guidance, and whether science or ideology would steer public health policy in a polarized era.
Getting Down and Dirty With PPE: Presentations at HSPA by Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski
June 26th 2025In the heart of the hospital, decontamination technicians tackle one of health care’s dirtiest—and most vital—jobs. At HSPA 2025, 6 packed workshops led by experts Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski spotlighted the crucial, often-overlooked art of PPE removal. The message was clear: proper doffing saves lives, starting with your own.