Folks might want to try timing their COVID-19 booster vaccine to coincide with a period of increased transmission in their area, a new study suggests.

Doing so can improve protection against COVID infection as much as fourfold compared to getting the jab when the coronavirus isn’t spreading as ...

Powerful COVID vaccines could be setting people's immune systems up to successfully fight off not just future COVID variants, but other types of coronaviruses as well, a new study shows.

People repeatedly vaccinated for COVID -- the initial shots, followed by boosters and updated vaccines -- generate...

Lots of vaccine disinformation spread during the pandemic, and doctors worried that may have given some parents pause about not only the risks of the COVID shot, but of childhood vaccines as well.

Now, new research puts that worry to rest.

"We did not see a significant increase in parents who are hesitant toward routine childhood vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to bef...

Some people mistrust the safety and effectiveness of human vaccines for COVID-19 and other diseases, a fact that became abundantly clear during the pandemic.

Now, a new survey of 2,200 dog owners shows this mistrust may often extend to canine vaccinations.

The finding suggests there is spillover between the issues, with those who have negative feelings about human vaccines more lik...

People may assume that a COVID-19 infection protects them the next time they encounter the virus, but that's not necessarily true.

A new study of 750 vaccinated seniors living in retirement homes and long-term care facilities found that those infected during the first omicron wave were actually more vulnerable to reinfection with a later wave.

"This research highlights the need for...

Smallpox vaccines, which were routinely given into the 1970s, seem to provide protection from mpox, a new study says.

The mpox virus, responsible for a worldwide outbreak last year, could surge again this summer, public health experts have warned. It was previously called monkeypox.

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden wondered whether the smallpox vaccine would offer ...

The first vaccine designed to protect infants against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) by vaccinating their mothers during pregnancy has been backed by a panel of advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

On Thursday the independent committee of experts voted unanimously that the Pfizer-made vaccine was effective, and 10-4 that there was adequate data on safety to move the vacci...

The first RSV vaccine designed to protect infants is under consideration by a panel of advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

An independent committee of experts will vote Thursday on whether to recommend the shot for pregnant mothers at 24 to 36 weeks gestation.

"Before the pandemic, RSV was the No. 1 cause of infant hospitalization in the United States, so this is...

Severely obese people may need more frequent COVID-19 booster shots to keep their immunity going, new research suggests.

Protection from the shots declines more rapidly in those who are severely obese compared to those at a normal weight, according to scientists at the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh in the United Kingdom.

"Because of the high prevalence of obesity across ...

Obesity is a well-known risk factor for severe COVID-19, and researchers think they've uncovered a possible reason why.

Obese folks appear to have a blunted inflammatory response to COVID, leaving their immune systems less capable of fighting it, according to a recent study.

The findings were a surprise to researchers, given that severe COVID often has been tied to an overactive imm...

It may be possible to nudge your vaccine to work a little better. The trick is a good night's sleep.

Sleep helps the immune system respond to vaccination, according to a new meta-analysis of past research, published March 13 in Current Biology.

In it, researchers found that people who slept fewer than six hours per night produced significantly fewer antibodies than people w...

Side effects from a COVID-19 vaccination might have made you feel poorly for a day or two, but that may have come with an extra benefit.

A new study of health care workers finds a link between stronger side effects and a longer-lasting vaccine.

In addition, those who had a COVID-19 infection prior to their vaccination also had a more powerful immune response, according to researche...

Natural immunity acquired from a COVID infection provides strong and lasting protection against severe illness if a person becomes reinfected, a new evidence review has concluded.

Ten months after a COVID infection, protection against hospitalization and death remains at 89% for Omicron and 90% for earlier variants, according to pooled data from 65 studies conducted in 19 countries.

Older people have vaccines available to prevent severe influenza and COVID-19, but there's been nothing to protect against the third respiratory virus that contributed to this season's wretched "triple-demic."

Until now.

Two major pharmaceutical companies published clinical trial results this week that pave the way for an RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccine to be available for...

A highly infectious strain of avian influenza is tearing through commercial and backyard poultry flocks, causing egg prices to rise as sick chickens are culled across the United States.

Now, some experts are worried that the H5N1 avian flu might become humankind's next pandemic-causing pathogen, if the raging virus makes the leap from birds to humans.

That's because other mammals ha...

For the first time, COVID-19 vaccines have been added to the list of routine immunizations recommended for adults -- a further sign the virus is here to stay.

The addition is being made to the 2023 Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule, released Thursday by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP), an expert panel that advises the U.S. federal government on vaccination rec...

The U.S. flu season is expected to extend into spring, and experts say it's not too late to get a flu shot.

Last year's flu season was mild, but this season has already seen triple the number of flu-related deaths in the United States.

"Even a minor respiratory virus can be hard on someone with lung disease, and the flu is especially challenging,"said