Vaccines
Vaccines help protect people from diseases. They contain "weakened" or "dead" germs, such as viruses or bacteria, which stimulate the body's immune system in a manner that can prevent us from getting sick with harmful pathogens. Here's the latest science news on vaccines.Vaccines
Latest about vaccines

'Health impacts are being felt in real time': How the CDC is being decimated by the Trump administration
By Jordan Miller published
Opinion The CDC's current crisis has been building since Trump's first week in office and boiled over after Kennedy fired the agency's newly appointed director.

HPV vaccination drives cervical cancer rates down in both vaccinated and unvaccinated people
By Patrick Pester published
Researchers have found that human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines are highly effective at reducing cervical cancer-causing infections and can offer herd immunity, reinforcing previous research and highlighting the need for a global HPV vaccine rollout.

RFK Jr. wants to overhaul the country's 'vaccine court.' Here's what stands in his way.
By Anna Kirkland published
Opinion The 40-year-old "vaccine court" relies on scientific evidence to determine whether a person experienced harm from a routine vaccination.

Unpacking RFK Jr.'s (many) false claims about COVID vaccines
By Deborah Fuller published
Opinion Chaos at the CDC and the sharp move away from mRNA vaccines has public health experts alarmed.

Vaccines hold tantalizing promise in the fight against dementia
By Anand Kumar, Jalees Rehman published
A prominent Nature study and related research raise the possibility that vaccines may have a broader role in experimental therapeutics outside the realm of infectious diseases.

COVID-19 vaccines for kids are mired in uncertainty amid conflicting federal guidance
By David Higgins published
Opinion Abrupt policy changes and confusing public messaging have injected confusion in back-to-school vaccine protocols.

'These decisions were completely reckless': Funding cuts to mRNA vaccines will make America more vulnerable to pandemics
By Nicoletta Lanese published
Interview mRNA expert Jeff Coller spoke with Live Science about the future of mRNA vaccines in the United States in the aftermath of huge federal funding cuts.

Scientists gave mice flu vaccines by flossing their tiny teeth — and it worked
By Amy Arthur published
In a proof-of-concept study, scientists have shown that flossing your teeth could be a way to deliver vaccinations that protect you against viruses.

Thimerosal carries no health risks and is almost never used anyway. So why are anti-vaxxers obsessed with it?
By Terri Levien published
Opinion There's no solid evidence that thimerosal harms children. It was removed from almost all vaccines more than 20 years ago out of an abundance of caution, but RFK Jr.'s hand-picked vaccine advisory committee is looking into it.
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.