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May 9, 2013 The two makers of HPV vaccines have agreed to lower the prices for their vaccines to less than $5 a shot for low-income countries. The cheaper vaccine may make it easier to vaccinate girls in places where the risk of death from cervical cancer is greatest.

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March 29, 2013 A government study of the medical records of 1,000 kids found no correlation between the number of vaccines a child received and his or her risk of autism spectrum disorder. Experts hope the finding will allay some parents who worry that many vaccines on one day or in the first two years of life may lead to autism.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

March 4, 2013 More than 90 clinical trials have tested therapeutic vaccines in cancer patients, but the results have been a mixed bag. A recent study in mice suggests that changing a traditional ingredient in the vaccines could make a big difference.

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February 4, 2013 A study in South Africa finds that an experimental vaccine against TB didn't help protect infants very much against either infection with TB or development of disease. The results were a setback, but researchers say the field remains promising.

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January 18, 2013 The Food and Drug Administration just approved a flu vaccine made by cells taken from the fall armyworm, an agricultural pest. The cells produce copies of a piece of the flu virus's outer coat that primes the immune system. Conventional vaccines use the whole virus and take longer to produce.

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January 17, 2013 Flu viruses hijack the machinery inside animal cells to replicate. The theft is a complicated process that takes time. If the virus leaves the cells too early or too late, the risk of infection falls.

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January 16, 2013 Parents will be reassured to hear there's no evidence linking the current timeline for vaccinations to health problems. A review of all available scientific data looked at a wide range of medical conditions — including diabetes, autism and epilepsy — before declaring that there's no reason to worry.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

January 15, 2013 As students return to class from winter break, campus health official are trying to avert an outbreak. Colleges in Boston are especially worried after the mayor's declaration last week of a public health emergency in the city.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

December 17, 2012 The preservative thimerosal keeps vaccines from going bad in places where there is no refrigeration. Anti-vaccine activists say it should be banned because it contains mercury, but public health officials insist it's safe.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

December 12, 2012 A roundup of the medical evidence by a group of independent researchers suggest that giving babies sugar water before injections can help comfort them. But the latest analysis is less enthusiastic about the approach than a previous review.

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December 7, 2012 The flu is back early this season. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says cases

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December 5, 2012 To raise vaccination rates, some states have made it much harder for parents to get exemptions for their children from immunizations based on personal beliefs. One doctor says restrictions could backfire.

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November 28, 2012 There were more than 9,000 whooping cough cases in California in 2010, a 60-year high. There has been a resurgence of the disease across the country lately. Why? People going without vaccination is one factor. Another may lie in the vaccines themselves.

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November 9, 2012 An experimental vaccine for malaria reduces infants' risk of the disease by about a third. That's less than researchers had hoped for, given the vaccine's effectiveness in toddlers, but doctors say it's enough to prevent many high fevers, seizures and deaths in a lot of African children.

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November 1, 2012 Although there's no cure for Ebola, scientists have been experimenting with a vaccine for years. But there's been no easy way to test it in people. A study in monkeys offers a way around this obstacle and sheds light on how the immune systems fights off the deadly virus.

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