ATLANTA – A government panel has recommended vaccination especially for smokers, for the very first time. The panel decided that, smokers under 65 should get pneumococcal vaccine.

The shot is already recommended for adults aged 65 or older and provides protection against pneumonia, meningitis and other illnesses.

Studies have already proven that smokers higher degree than nonsmokers to suffer pneumococcal disease. Also, the number of cigarettes someone smokes each day is directly proportional to odds of developing illnesses.

The reason for, why smokers are highly susceptible is not exactly known. But some scientists believe, because smoking cause damage to lung which provide bacteria an atmosphere to attack lungs and trachea (windpipe).

Pneumococcal infections are top killer among vaccine-preventable diseases. It’s an advanced complication of influenza, specifically in the elderly. It is also responsible for, around 36,000 deaths per year.

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According to a Canadian study, vaccination against pneumonia almost halves the risk of a heart attack.

In this study the researchers from the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec compared 999 people (who were admitted to different Canadian hospitals for heart attacks) with those 3996 who were admitted for other reasons. The researchers didn’t find any difference in those who had or hadn’t the penumococcal vaccine in the previous year, but a 50 percent lower rate in those who were vaccinated two years earlier.

The study has been published in the current issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. …Click here to read more

David Kirby, an investigative journalist has recently posted an article bringing up an eye catching relationship between “Mitochondrial Dysfunction”, “Vaccines” and “Autism”. This was based on the minutes of the conference call held in the beginning of March, where all the federal vaccine safety officials were brought together to deal with all the apprehensions related to the above association between vaccines and autism.

Hannah, a nine year boy in Atlanta was reported to develop regressive autism after being administered with the vaccine. Doubts are rising regarding the vaccines now which in Hannah’s case worsened the conditions.

This has led to hope in parents of children who lost headway into autism after receiving vaccines that this report may help in creating an alert among the government health officials to seriously consider and act upon the link between vaccines and autism.

Kirby in his article defined ‘Mitochondria’ as the little powerhouses within each cell that convert food and oxygen into energy. It was one of the main topics discussed in the conference call held among the health officials.

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 Iomai Corporation strives to discover and develop vaccines and immune system stimulants which could be administered through a novel, needle-free technology called ‘Transcutaneous Immunization (TCI)’.It tried to establish that a single dose of pandemic influenza vaccine may meet the protection level. FDA recommends a pandemic vaccine which can achieve immune response levels considered protective in 70 percent or more of vaccine recipients.

It has recently announced its positive interim results of the trial among 500 subjects with the use of its immunostimulant adjuvant patch with an injected vaccine for H5N1 influenza.

The trial demonstrated a significant influence of lomai patch when it was used with a single dose of the 45-microgram H5N1 vaccine. It proved that this combination was sufficient to provide an immune response considered protective in 73 percent of those tested. This could be counted as a statistically significant improvement over those who received the H5N1 Influenza vaccine alone.

The trial tested three different dose levels of Solvay Biologicals, B.V. (Netherlands) egg-derived H5N1 influenza vaccine, the adjuvant patch and placebo. It attempted to resolve which combinations could be most effective in a two-immunization regimen, administered 21 days apart.

Data showed that majority of the subjects who were administered vaccination of 45-microgram dose in combination with the Iomai patch had been able to achieve substantial level of protection. After every dose, the subjects demonstrated significant improvement in immune response. During the trial no treatment related serious undesirable events were reported.

Out of the 500 subjects, 73% were able to achieve an HI titer of greater than 40. This level has recognized as protective and rules out the need of second vaccination. About 49 percent received the vaccine alone without a patch had an immune response which could be considered protective after the first dose and the 24 percentage point difference between the patch and no-patch groups can be taken as statistically significant.

It further saw that a second dose of both vaccine and patch further was able to significantly add to the immunogenicity; 100 % of subjects who received two 45-microgram doses of vaccine and two Iomai patches had a measurable immune response, and 94 % of subjects had immune responses considered protective.

Stanley C. Erck, President and Chief Executive Officer of Iomai proudly states that a single dose of vaccine in combination with an Iomai patches could provide a significant level of protection. The protective levels are achieved rapidly and comply with the standards.

So it can be taken as a major breakthrough for controlling an influenza pandemic as two major hindrances faced by public health officials is limited vaccine stocks and logistic difficulty of administering two vaccinations over a period of several weeks to all individuals in the face of a pandemic.

Lomai plans to test the use of patch in conjunction with other injected pandemic influenza vaccines. Patch has already been proven to be suitable for ambient temperature shipping and handling and has at least a 2-year storage shelf life. This makes it ideal for storing it in bulk and rapid distribution. The patch can be easily applied like an adhesive bandage placed at the site of the injection.

Gregory Glenn, Iomai’s Chief Scientific Officer shares that the data has clearly confirmed approach of using an adjuvant patch to improve the immune response to injected vaccines and the ability to establish strong immune systems with the help of these vaccines administered through skin. “We continue to explore ways to bring this approach to other applications in the high-value field of vaccine adjuvants,” he says.

 A group of German Researchers have found a medical benefit associated with a tattoo rather than just being popular as a fashion statement. According to an article published in the online open access journal, “Genetic Vaccines and Therapy”, it has prospective medical value.Martin Müller and his team working in one of the ‘German Cancer Research Centers’ in Heidelberg, Germany, have found that tattooing could emerge as a more efficient way of delivering DNA vaccines than the conventional way of injecting it intramuscularly. 

The researchers used a coat protein from the ‘human papillomavirus (HPV)’, which is the cause of cervical cancer, as a model DNA vaccine antigen. Instead of inserting it in a standard intramuscular way, they tried to deliver it by tattooing the skin of mice with the standard intramuscular injection. They observed the impact in two conditions, when they added the molecular adjuvant, often given to boost immune response and without it.

They found that the tattoo method gave a stronger response both the humeral that are antibody, and cellular response. It was found to be more effective than intramuscular injection, even when they added adjuvant to the latter. Three doses of DNA vaccine given by tattooing formed 16 times higher antibody levels than three intramuscular injections with adjuvant. The adjuvants were also found adding to the effect of the injection, but in case of tattooing; they didn’t contribute much in enhancing the effect.

Tattooing is done with a solid vibrating needle. It causes a wound and swells the skin and prepares the body to activate the immune system of the body. While tattooing, a bigger area of the skin is covered than an injection, making it possible for the DNA vaccine to enter more cells.

Keeping the above things in account, tattooing can be taken as a new and better alternative for introducing a DNA vaccine into the body as it induces a stronger immune response. However it is not an easy way to gain acceptance among the people as everyone might not find it to be equally tasteful. Its likelihood to hurt also makes it less popular.

It is believed to play an important role in routine vaccination of cattle or in delivering therapeutic vaccines to humans.