http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (HealthDay)—Despite high levels of vaccination, the rate of whooping cough in the United States is at its highest level in decades, and one reason may be that immunity from the vaccine diminishes each year after the fifth dose is given. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-evidence-whooping-wanes.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:30:02 EST news282219378 (HealthDay)—Pertactin-negative variants of Bordetella pertussis have been identified in the United States; and children who receive diphtheria-tetanus-whole-cell pertussis (DTwP) priming have lower reported rates of pertussis, according to correspondence published in the Feb. 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-pertactin-negative-bordetella-pertussis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 07 Feb 2013 11:40:01 EST news279457873 Lead scientist Professor Simon Cutting, from the School of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway, has developed the jabs through the use of probiotic spores. He carried out fundamental studies into the biology of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis which attracted the attention of microbiologists due to its ability to form spores that can last millions of years before germinating under the appropriate environmental conditions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-next-generation-vaccineseliminating-needles.html Medications Tue, 23 Oct 2012 12:30:02 EST news270213551 Because whooping cough (pertussis) is almost as contagious as measles (affecting ~12-17 individuals with each case), clinicians are required to report cases of this bacterial respiratory tract infection to the state's department of public health. In 2010, California had the highest number of cases of whooping cough in 60 years. A new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics describes the 2010 whooping cough epidemic and details strategies to decrease the incidence of this infection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-california-whooping-epidemic.html Pediatrics Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:00:01 EST news261849094 (AP) -- Scientists are warning officials negotiating a global treaty on mercury that banning the deadly chemical completely would be dangerous for public health because of the chemical's use in vaccines. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-treaty-mercury-scientists.html Health Fri, 21 Oct 2011 06:03:22 EST news238395784 A new vaccine to combat tuberculosis is less effective at stimulating an immune response when administered to Gambian infants in combination with the routine immunisation schedule, according to clinical trial results published today in Science Translational Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-tb-trial-highlights-vaccine-childhood.html Medications Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:00:01 EST news227966160