Researchers Shine Spotlight on New Barriers to Vaccination

The 20th century saw many advancements being adopted in the medical field, among them, potable water, penicillin and, most importantly, vaccines. Vaccines have saved millions of lives, from the eradication of smallpox globally in the 1980s to their use in curbing the spread of the coronavirus in 2020.

Over the last 10 years, however, rates of vaccination have begun to drop, threatening the great beneficial effects of vaccinations not only in the United States but also around the globe.

A recent review examined the new public health and clinical barriers to vaccination in the United States. The review was conducted by scientists from the Schmidt College of Medicine and the Florida Atlantic University.

Dr. Charles H. Hennekens, the review’s senior author, stated that the continuing efforts of public-health officials and healthcare providers combined with the public-health system’s resilience and advancements in vaccine tech all offered promise for the future. Hennekens explained that the pneumococcal vaccine had demonstrated effectiveness and safety in trials for patients 18 to 79 years of age, as well as those aged 80 and older. This, he noted, made it especially beneficial to immunocompromised individuals, the elderly and individuals who are at high risk for pneumonia.

Despite this, he continued, vaccination rates were still not sufficient.

The researchers determined that increasing hesitancy to vaccination was a huge barrier, noting that this threatened the objective of eradicating and eliminating infectious illnesses. It doesn’t help that recent outbreaks in areas with low rates of vaccination, worsened by hesitancy, has led to a loss of herd immunity.

In their report, the researchers explained that healthcare providers in the U.S. faced problems in achieving high rates of vaccination against the coronavirus, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus. They also discussed the public-health and clinical challenges of measles in the U.S. and globally. As of July 2023, 116 countries in the world recorded lower rates of measles vaccination. This is despite the fact that vaccinations conducted since 1974 have prevented roughly 154 million premature deaths.

In August 2024, the World Health Organization declared an international public health emergency on mpox, which is a smallpox variant. Mpox was primarily controlled by smallpox vaccinations, which have reduced since its eradication in the ‘80s.

In their conclusion, the researchers voiced concerns associated with the recent emergence of a new strain of influenza in China. They also noted that achieving goals in vaccination to help eradicate various infectious illnesses required sustained collaboration. The review’s findings were published in “The American Journal of Medicine.”

It is becoming increasingly vital to develop alternative ways to prevent infectious diseases from taking a huge toll on human health. Approaches such as the development of immunotherapies by companies such as Scinai Immunotherapeutics Ltd. (NASDAQ: SCNI) can help to treat those who are in critical need as these emerging and reemerging infectious diseases become widespread.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Scinai Immunotherapeutics Ltd. (NASDAQ: SCNI) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/SCNI

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