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COVID-19 is an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has wreaked havoc on countries, economies, and communities globally. The pandemic has resulted in governments, international and national non-government organizations, and intergovernmental organizations joining hands in solidarity to fight the spread of the SARS-CoV-2. The World Health Organization (WHO) has been at the …

H1N1—also known as Swine Flu An influenza pandemic is described as an epidemic of an influenza virus that spreads on a worldwide scale and infects a large proportion of the human population. On June 11, 2009, a new strain of H1N1 influenza was declared to be a global pandemic by …

What is it? The dictionary meaning of the word convalescence is recovery. A patient who recovers from a given disease and develops high titres of antibodies can become a donor of such antibodies after his/her recovery. The extra vascular component of these antibodies is difficult to collect, but the intravascular …

How do vaccines work? Vaccines, which are made from killed, weakened, or partial version of specific pathogens, prime the body’s immune system against future attacks by those pathogens. So, following vaccination, in case of an attack by a particular pathogen, the immune system will recognize it and fight it off. …

A vaccine is a preparation used to prevent a particular disease by triggering an immune response to the disease without actually suffering from the disease. Step-by-step protection against childhood infection is vital for a healthy life. Side effects of vaccination, in general, are fever, pain, and swelling at the site …

As far as similarities between influenza and COVID-19 are concerned, both have similar presentation, in that they both cause respiratory disease presenting as a wide range of illness, from asymptomatic or mild to severe disease and death. Because both are transmitted by contact, droplets, and fomites, they require the same …

Maurice Ralph Hilleman, microbiologist Philadelphia, United States (b Miles City, Montana, August 30, 1919), died from cancer on April 11, 2005. Robert Gallo, co-discoverer of HIV (the virus causing AIDS) has described him as “the most successful vaccinologist in history”, and he is credited with saving more lives than any …

  In 1879, renowned French scientist Louis Pasteur created the first vaccine (for chicken cholera) in his laboratory, and his experiments later led to the development of live attenuated cholera vaccine (in 1897) and inactivated anthrax vaccine (in 1904). Pasteur, along with Emile Roux also developed the first rabies vaccination …

  The development of the COVID-19 vaccine is a worldwide effort involving some of the best biological and pharmaceutical companies. Not only is it an effort involving massive amounts of money, but also, a race among nations for prestige and achievement. As of date, the leading companies with their COVID-19 …

Results of a World Health Organization coordinated study show that remdesivir has “little or no effect on mortality” for patients hospitalized with coronavirus, and that it doesn’t seem to help patients recover any faster. Till date, this antiviral drug was the only drug that the US FDA had granted COVID-19 …