The Mysteries of Rabies
This article about rabies surprised me a little.
See, we know how to prevent rabies, but we have absolutely no idea how to cure it. In fact, we don’t even really know how it kills people. Despite (and, perhaps, because of) its status as one of the first viruses to be tamed by a vaccine, rabies [...]
Quebec’s Vaccine Distribution Inspired by Disneyland
If you’ve tried to get the H1N1 vaccine, then you may know just how hard it is to find a place that actually has the shots in stock and won’t make you wait in line for hours. In order to avoid the mess of lines, Quebec took a tip from Disneyland and set up a [...]
What Does it Matter if I’m Allergic to Eggs? (A Flu Shot FAQ)
Since we’re right in the middle of flu shot season, here are the answers to a few questions you might be mulling over on your way to get your injection of this year’s vaccine cocktail.
How long have flu shots been around?
The flu has been making us sick since at least 1580, when a major [...]
A ‘Vaccine’ for Cocaine
Katherine Harmon writes in Scientific American that pharmacology researchers are developing a drug that could diminish the pleasurable effects of cocaine. Taking the drug might help addicts detoxify with greater success:
The vaccine itself does not destroy cocaine molecules, rather it induces antibodies that bind to it, making the opiate lose its ability to pass through [...]
Progress on a HIV Vaccine
Donald G. McNeil, Jr. writes in The New York Times that a new vaccine tested on 16,000 Thai volunteers demonstrated improved resistance to the virus that causes AIDS. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, it’s a significant discovery. McNeil writes:
Col. Jerome H. Kim, a physician who is manager of the army’s [...]
