“New Zealand’s native birds are now under threat from a new enemy: a highly evolved strain of deadly bird flu.
The country is in the second phase of vaccination trials on native birds, with early results suggesting it could be an effective line of defence against the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu strain.”
From The Guardian.
“The Government of the Republic of Zambia, through the Ministry of Health, today [10/27/25] officially launched the malaria vaccine – R21/Matrix-M,as part of its Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), marking a historic milestone in the country’s fight against malaria. Over 500,000 children aged 6-8 months will be vaccinated in the months following the launch.
Zambia will be the 24th country to introduce the malaria vaccine.”
From UNICEF.
Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism | Communicable Disease
“South Africa has become the first African country — and our medicines regulator the third worldwide — to register the revolutionary twice-a-year anti-HIV jab, lenacapavir (LEN), that could bring an end to Aids if enough people take it.”
From Bhekisisa Times.
“Grippin and colleagues analyzed the records of more than 1000 patients who were treated for advanced skin and lung cancer at MD Anderson between 2019 and ’23. People who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors lived significantly longer than those who received the same drugs but didn’t get the vaccine. For patients with advanced lung cancer, the median survival rate nearly doubled, rising from 20.6 months to 37.3.”
From Science.
“An international team of vets has made a breakthrough in a vaccine trial for a virus that killed seven elephants at Chester Zoo.
Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) is a leading cause of death for young Asian elephants, both captive and wild, with no cure. Trials with adult elephants at Chester Zoo found a new vaccine safely triggered a strong immune response. The team (University of Surrey, Chester Zoo, Animal and Plant Health Agency) observed no side effects.”
From The Independent.
