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A vaccine can take between five and 10 years to research, develop and produce

Vaccine Race: 12-18 month forecast 'still best guess'

Scientists and pharma companies working to get vaccine doses rolling off the production line say the accelerated pace of development is staggering.

Coronavirus • 06 May 20

GSK does not see mass-produced vaccine before mid-2021

GlaxoSmithKline, the world's largest vaccine maker, said the global push to develop an immunisation against the coronavirus would not lead to widely available products before the second half of next year.

Business • 29 Apr 20

Finding a vaccine is the only possible way to bring the world back to 'normality' UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last week

Worldwide race on to find coronavirus vaccine

Oxford University is launching a human trial of a potential coronavirus vaccine, with the daunting aim of making a successful jab available to the public later this year.

News Lens • 23 Apr 20

The vaccine aims to turn the virus' spikes against it

Human trials of Covid-19 vaccine to begin in England

Trials of a vaccine that could protect against Covid-19 are to begin in the UK.

Coronavirus • 20 Apr 20

Outbreak is primarily affecting member of the Orthodox Jewish community

Mandatory vaccines ordered in Brooklyn measles outbreak

A measles outbreak in Brooklyn, primarily among Orthodox Jewish children, prompted New York City to declare a public health emergency, requiring unvaccinated people in the affected areas to get the vaccine or face fines.

US • 10 Apr 19

Scientists say the number of dementia cases could drop by half

Alzheimer vaccine could soon be tested on patients

A vaccine against Alzheimer's has come a step closer to reality after scientists succeeded in preventing the build-up of toxic brain proteins linked to the disease.

Health • 20 Nov 18

Researchers have found the immune system can produce memory cells which can recognise different strains of the same virus

New process could transform vaccine development

Scientists have found a new process of antibody memory that enables immune cells to fight different strains of the same virus, a discovery which could help transform vaccine development.

Science • 01 May 18

People in high risk groups are urged to get the flu vaccine

Vaccine urged as 'Aussie flu' linked to deaths

The Health Service Executive has urged people to get the flu vaccination after it confirmed a number of deaths from the so-called 'Aussie flu' strain.

Health • 31 Dec 17

Kevin Kelleher said having the measles vaccine is now as important as having a passport when going abroad

People urged to get measles vaccination

A public health consultant has said the latest case of measles in north Cork should act as a "good stimulus" for those who have not been vaccinated and who have never had the disease to get the jab.

News • 16 Aug 16

Zika virus in pregnant women can cause microcephaly

Florida reports case of Zika-linked microcephaly

Florida reported its first case of a baby born with the birth defect microcephaly, after the child's mother was infected with the Zika virus while pregnant, officials said.

News • 28 Jun 16

Gardasil has been offered to school girls since May 2010

Medicine regulator to seek dismissal of HPV case

The Health Products Regulatory Authority will ask the High Court to dismiss a case taken by a Co Westmeath mother who wants it to withdraw a vaccine given to schoolgirls to prevent cervical cancer.

News • 03 Mar 16

One in eight newborns would continue to be eligible for the vaccine

HIQA recommends making BCG vaccine selective

The Health Information and Quality Authority has advised the Minister for Health that Ireland's BCG vaccination scheme change from a universal programme to a selective one.

News • 08 Dec 15

Pfizer has raised its full-year profit and revenue forecast for the second time in as many months

Pfizer profit beats forecast as vaccine sales rise

Pfizer has reported a much better-than-expected quarterly profit, mainly helped by demand for its pneumonia vaccine and breast cancer drug, Ibrance.

Business • 27 Oct 15

HIQA said selective vaccination will continue to protect those at higher risk

HIQA suggests move away from national BCG vaccine

The Health Information and Quality Authority has suggested Ireland move away from a national BCG vaccination programme in favour of a selective one.

News • 09 Sep 15

Carysfort Healthcare said the offer would expire on 25 August

Company offered 40,000 doses of BCG vaccine

An Irish private healthcare company has said that it has been offered 40,000 doses of the BCG vaccine from the Canadian medical supply company, Intervax.

News • 21 Aug 15

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee has recommended a cost effective agreement for the vaccine

Call for introduction of Meningitis B vaccine

The Department of Health has confirmed that it is considering a recommendation to introduce a vaccine against Meningitis B as part of the childhood immunisation programme.

News • 30 Mar 15

A health worker tests lab samples at Redemption Hospital which had formerly been used as an Ebola holding centre near Monrovia, Liberia

First trials of Ebola vaccines in Liberia

The first large-scale trials of two vaccines to combat the Ebola virus are getting under way in Liberia.

News • 02 Feb 15

The experimental vaccines now moving into large clinical trials in West Africa target the current Ebola Zaire virus strain

Focus shifts towards stockpiling Ebola vaccines

As West Africa's devastating Ebola outbreak begins to dwindle, scientists are looking beyond the endgame at the kind of next-generation vaccines needed for a vital stockpile to hit another epidemic hard and fast.

Special Reports • 02 Feb 15

The World Health Organisation has said there has been almost 16,000 cases of Ebola in west Africa

Ebola vaccine passes early safety test

An experimental Ebola vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline has caused no serious side effects in an early trial, scientists reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

News • 27 Nov 14

The world's worst outbreak of Ebola has killed nearly 1,000 people in West Africa

Clinical trial on Ebola vaccine to begin soon

A clinical trial of an experimental vaccine against the deadly Ebola virus is set to start shortly.

News • 11 Aug 14

The risk of narcolepsy was 13 times higher among those given the Pandemrix vaccine

HSE letter over flu vaccine to be set aside

The Health Service Executive has said it will continue to pay the medical expenses of those suffering from a sleep disorder claimed to be linked to the human swine flu vaccine.

News • 09 Dec 13

A study found 1,000 people in Ireland could die of complications arising from the flu virus this winter

At-risk groups urged to get flu vaccine

The Health Service Executive has urged people in at-risk groups to get vaccinated against the flu before the winter sets in.

News • 07 Oct 13

Poor training blamed for flu vaccination errors

An independent report into the under-dosing of over 1,200 patients with seasonal flu vaccine by some pharmacists has found that the primary cause was incorrect training on measuring the dose for administration.

News • 09 Jul 12

HSE urges parents over measles vaccine

The Health Service Executive has urged parents to make sure children are vaccinated against measles following an outbreak in west Cork.

News • 02 Jun 12

Vaccine