Medical News Today • 16th August 2024

Weather change allergies: Can the weather cause symptoms?

Weather changes do not cause allergies. However, people may experience allergies when the seasons change for other reasons, such as an increase in pollen or mold in the air. Alternatively, a person may not have an allergy at all. Nonallergic rhinitis is a condition that causes nasal irritation and a runny nose. It can occur when there are changes in temperature or humidity.

Despite the similarities, nonallergic rhinitis is not an allergy. Scientists are not entirely sure what causes it.

Medical News Today • 15th August 2024

Does local honey help allergies? Myths and facts

Eating local honey may reduce hay fever symptoms. However, very limited scientific evidence supports this, and existing studies tend to have mixed results. Some believe that the traces of pollen in raw local honey could help the immune system build tolerance to pollen, thereby reducing a person’s hay fever symptoms. This is also the idea behind immunotherapy, a medical treatment for allergies. However, most people with hay fever are allergic to grass pollen, whereas bees pollinate flowers.

Medical News Today • 23rd January 2024

Why are allergies worse at night? Contributing factors and treatment

Allergies may worsen at night due to natural circadian rhythms, increased nocturnal pollen counts, and environmental allergens. Lying down can also increase congestion. People with respiratory allergies are familiar with persistent sneezing, itchy eyes, and nasal congestion, which often accompany the condition. However, for some individuals, symptoms become more significant at night.

HealthNews • 5th October 2023

US Government Agencies Endorse COVID-19 Vaccinations for Children Under 5

Infants as young as 6 months old are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine coverage. This month has seen further moves in the fight against the pandemic as health officials have authorized COVID-19 vaccines for babies and young children.

HealthNews • 3rd October 2023

HPV Vaccination: What Everyone Should Know

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States. Nearly everyone becomes infected with HPV within the first few months or years of becoming sexually active.

HealthNews • 7th July 2023

Blueprint for Longevity: Unveiling Immunity Secrets of Long Life

Average life expectancy has more than doubled since 1900, soaring from 31 to 73 years. Furthermore, a rising number of individuals reach the age of 100 or more. But why do some people live so long while others don’t? A new study has found that centenarians possess unique immune system composition and activity, allowing them to live longer. These groundbreaking findings hold promise for developing healthy aging therapeutics.

The dynamics of aging and the immune system

Aging is a complex journey

Medical News Today • 31st January 2023

COVID and HIV: The link, vaccines, and more

COVID-19 is a potentially serious disease that can cause severe illness in some individuals. Therefore, people living with HIV, particularly those who are older or have lower CD4 counts, should take extra precautions to protect themselves from contracting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease. HIV destroys white blood cells that help fight infections. People with HIV, particularly those without appropriate strategies to control the virus, have an increased risk of developing all types of

Medical News Today • 23rd December 2022

Anthrax vaccine: Use in the military, lawsuit, compensation & safety

Anthrax is a potentially life threatening bacterial infection that can occur in humans and animals. Typically, doctors give the vaccine to people who may be at risk for exposure to anthrax, such as military personnel and workers in certain other high risk occupations. The spore-forming bacteria that cause anthrax, Bacillus anthracis, are found naturally in the environment. They can spread through contact with infected animals, contaminated animal products, or by breathing in the spores of the ba

Medical News Today • 12th December 2022

Does the COVID-19 vaccine weaken the immune system? What to know

It is a myth that the COVID-19 vaccine weakens the immune system. After someone receives a vaccine, their immune system is better equipped to protect against subsequent infections. Although there are slight differences in the ways that the various COVID-19 vaccines work, they all follow the same principle. They help the body create immunity, or resistance, to SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — by mimicking an infection. The immune system then remembers how to fight that infection in t

Medical News Today • 30th November 2022

How long does the COVID-19 vaccine last? AstraZeneca, Moderna, more

All data and statistics are based on publicly available data at the time of publication. Some information may be out of date. Visit our coronavirus hub for the most recent information on COVID-19.

Read on to learn about the protection each vaccine type provides, when boosters are necessary, and more.

Although experts are confident that vaccines are effective, they are unsure exactly how long they provide protection. Figures vary depending on the type of vaccine a person gets, but most research

Medical News Today • 29th November 2022

Moderna vaccine side effects: How long they last and common reactions

The Moderna vaccine can cause mild side effects such as fatigue, muscle aches, and headache. Typically, these mild side effects may persist for up to 3 days. The Moderna vaccine is one of the most common vaccines that protect against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Healthcare professionals have administered over 243 million doses of the original Moderna vaccine since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Adults should receive of the vaccine 8 weeks apart, along with appropriate booster

Medical News Today • 31st October 2022

COVID-19 natural immunity: What it is, vaccine immunity, and more

People can develop temporary natural immunity after recovering from COVID-19. However, vaccines are the best way to train the immune system to recognize viruses. When a vaccinated person encounters SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, their immune system recognizes it. It then creates antibodies and other defenses to protect them from infection. People can also build natural immunity to a virus by recovering from an infection. However, natural immunity is not always long lasting, and anti

Medical News Today • 31st October 2022

Can I get a false positive rapid COVID-19 test after the vaccine?

A person can still get COVID-19 and test positive after having a vaccination or booster, but this will not be due to the vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine cannot stop a person getting the virus, but the symptoms will be less severe. At the start of the pandemic, scientists scrambled to develop vaccines for COVID-19. These preparations are based on weakened whole viruses or pieces of the virus (antigens) that stimulate immunity and protect against infection. Experts developed several effective vaccin

Medical News Today • 30th June 2022

Hepatitis B immunity: Vaccination, tests, and more

For some people, their immune system can clear the hepatitis B virus with natural immunity. However, some individuals can build immunity to hepatitis B through vaccination. For some people, the hepatitis B virus causes mild illness and resolves within a few weeks. For others, it is potentially life threatening and can result in lifelong health complications as it inflames and damages the liver. The hepatitis B virus, or HBV, can cause hepatitis B infection in some people. The report that 880,000

HealthNews • 29th June 2022

US Government Agencies Endorse COVID-19 Vaccinations for Children Under 5

Infants as young as 6 months old are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine coverage. This month has seen further moves in the fight against the pandemic as health officials have authorized COVID-19 vaccines for babies and young children.

Earlier this month, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) independent vaccine advisers voted to approve authorization for Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5. This age group represents around 18 million infants.

The va

HealthNews • 6th May 2022

HPV Vaccination: What Everyone Should Know

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States. Nearly everyone becomes infected with HPV within the first few months or years of becoming sexually active.

There are numerous types of HPV, and some can cause health problems like warts and cervical, genital, and throat cancers. However, the HPV vaccine is an effective way of protecting you against HPV and subsequent health complications. In this article, we explore HPV vaccines and how the

Insider • 1st February 2022

Antibiotics treat infections by killing or sterilizing bacteria right after the first dose

• Antibiotics start taking effect immediately, but you may not feel symptom relief for a few days.
• Antibiotics treat bacterial infections by either destroying cell walls or preventing reproduction.
• Some antibiotics may also have anti-inflammatory properties that can help other types of illnesses.

Antibiotics are a popular group of medicines that help the body fight bacterial infections. In 2017, alone, physicians wrote Americans around 260 million antibiotic prescriptions...

Medical News Today • 17th January 2022

Shoulder pain after the COVID vaccine: What to know

Some people experience shoulder pain after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccinations of all types can cause redness, swelling, and pain. These are normal reactions to vaccinations. They are part of the body’s natural process of building immunity. In some cases, people experience pain if a healthcare professional incorrectly injects the vaccine into the shoulder. This can cause inflammation that can be painful and decrease the shoulder’s range of motion. Read more to learn about what type of s

Medical News Today • 8th November 2021

Is eczema an autoimmune disease? What to know

Eczema is an umbrella term for various inflammatory skin conditions, or dermatitis. Several types of dermatitis involve an overreaction from the immune system, and some research suggests autoimmune factors may play a role. An autoimmune disease is the result of the immune system mistakenly attacking the body’s healthy tissues. Typically, this is different from other types of immune response, such as an allergic reaction, which happens when the body perceives exposure to a specific substance as a

Medical News Today • 19th July 2021

COVID-19 vaccine boosters: Knowns and unknowns

There are growing concerns that COVID-19 vaccines do not offer sufficient protection against new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Israel has already started to offer booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine to at-risk adults, and the United States is in talks with Pfizer about introducing these shots for the most vulnerable. There has been talk of a third dose for some COVID-19 vaccines. Why might vaccine boosters be necessary, and what are the questions researchers are yet to answer about them? Ima

Medical News Today • 26th February 2021

High fructose diets may harm the immune system

Excessively high amounts of the sugar fructose, particularly in manufactured sweeteners, may pose a threat to the immune system. Thanyathep Eakphaitoon/Getty Images
• A new study suggests that eating a diet high in the sugar fructose may cause the immune system to become inflamed.
• This process produces more reactive molecules, which are also associated with inflammation.
• Inflammation can damage cells and tissues and lead to disease. A new study suggests that a diet high in the sugar fructose

Medical News Today • 16th February 2021

mRNA vaccines may provide lower immunity to new SARS-CoV-2 variants

• A small study finds that people showed a robust immune response that targets the spike protein, after receiving either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna vaccine.
• Antibodies from volunteers were less able to neutralize model viruses that carried the mutations of the variants first identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil.
• mRNA vaccines and other COVID-19 treatments may need to be periodically updated to keep up with the evolving virus. All data and statistics are based o

Medical News Today • 11th January 2021

Immunity against SARS-CoV-2 may last at least 8 months

A new study suggests that most people who recover from a SARS-CoV-2 infection retain the immune memory they would need to prevent a severe reinfection. The protection provided by vaccination may be similarly long-lasting.
• New research has found that people who have recovered from COVID-19 may have immunity to SARS-CoV-2 for 8 months or more.
• This is due to long-lasting immune memory that allows the immune system to remain active against the virus.
• However, due to differences in individual

Medical News Today • 14th December 2020

How does the COVID-19 vaccine compare with other existing vaccines?

The novelty of the COVID-19 vaccines may seem daunting for some, and it is natural for questions to arise on their effectiveness. In this feature, we examine the difference between effectiveness and efficacy, compare the COVID-19 frontrunner vaccines to other vaccines, such as the flu shot, and compare their safety considerations. All data and statistics are based on publicly available data at the time of publication. Some information may be out of date. Visit our coronavirus hub for the most re