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Reminder: Measles Vaccines Protect Those Who Cannot Protect Themselves

A doctor vaccinating a young child, illustrating how measles vaccines protect many people

With measles cases popping up across Canada, U of T researchers explain why getting vaccinated helps those who can’t.   By Ishani Nath Measles cases are popping up across Canada, and with low vaccination rates and travellers returning from March Break, health officials are concerned this preventable disease may continue...

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Got questions about vaccines for kids? A new phone line offers answers

A worried mom holding a baby makes a call on her cellphone

The Vaccine Consult Service pilot project, launched by members of the Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases (CVPD), aims to help increase vaccine confidence by answering Ontario parents' questions about vaccines. By Ishani Nath Canada is in the thick of respiratory illness season, yet the number of individuals getting the updated...

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Infants are vulnerable to chickenpox earlier than previously assumed, new study finds

Woman with long hair holding a young baby over her shoulder. (Upsplash)

Findings published in PLOS ONE indicate that in most cases, the protection passed from mother to infant fades after two months, leaving infants at risk of infection. Ishani Nath Infants are not protected against the varicella-zoster virus, the virus that causes chickenpox, for several months before they are eligible for...

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COVID-​19 vaccination during pregnancy leads to lower risk of neo-​natal death, U of T researchers find

In this 2022 photo, captured inside a clinical setting, a health care provider places a bandage on the injection site of a pregnant patient who just received an influenza vaccine. The best way to prevent seasonal flu is to get vaccinated every year. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6-months of age and older get a flu vaccine every season.

“[This study] provides further reassurance on the safety of maternal mRNA COVID-19 vaccination during all trimesters of pregnancy for newborns and infants," said the study.   By: Gabrielle Giroday This story originally appeared on Temerty Faculty of Medicine's news site.  New research shows pregnant mothers who receive mRNA vaccines to...

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What you need to know about the 3 fall vaccines, according to U of T experts

3D renditions of three dangerous respiratory viruses: RSV (top left), SARS-CoV-2 (bottom center), and flu (top right). Note: not to scale. Credit: NIAID

Here is what these U of T experts want Canadians to know about the new RSV vaccine, the updated COVID-19 vaccine, and this year’s flu shot.   By: Ishani Nath and Betty Zou  As cold and flu season approaches, Canadians are facing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), an increase in COVID-19 activity,...

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IfP Graduate Studentship Award recipient works to improve treatment of migrant workers

Banner image includes Stephanie Mayell's portrait. Mayell received the Institute for Pandemic's Graduate Studentship Award.

Graduate Studentship Award recipient Stephanie Mayell's journey is a testament to the transformative power of education and determination. Dropping out of high school at sixteen years old, her path seemed far removed from the world of academia. However, fast forward thirty years, and Mayell's reality is nothing short of remarkable....

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DLSPH Faculty Among Recipients of the 2023 New Initiative and Innovation Awards

Image of a pharmacist helping a patient

DLSPH faculty were among the recipients of the inaugural 2023 New Initiative and Innovation Awards from the Network for Improving Health Systems (NIHS). The network was created in November 2022 from a $3 million donation from Shoppers Drug Mart to both the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH)...

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This AI will help us get ahead of the next pandemic

Headshot of Dr. Kamran Khan

By Ishani Nath It seems appropriate that the Toronto offices for Kamran Khan’s BlueDot, which uses artificial intelligence to flag potential infectious disease outbreaks around the world, are located at the edge of Lake Ontario. Similar to a lighthouse, BlueDot signals when there’s danger ahead. "We use the internet as...

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U of T Experts Help Ontario Science Centre Bring Vaccine Science to Life

A panel with buttons on it and a series of dots on the floor behind it.

By Ishani Nath “Fun” is not a word people typically associate with vaccines. The Ontario Science Centre wants to change that with new exhibits that invite visitors to see, touch, and — at times — walk through vaccine science. “We don't want to just tell people [about vaccine science], we...

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RSV Immunizations Are Coming. This U of T Researcher Is Helping Parents Prepare

Scanning electron micrography of human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) labeled with anti-RSV/gold antibodies shedding from surface of human lung A549 cultured cell.

By Ishani Nath RSV researchers have been waiting for this moment for decades. Two new ways to protect children from respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV, are on the verge of becoming available in Canada. Even though the majority of children will get infected by age 2, “most parents...

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