August 28, 2026

HPV Vaccine

HPV Vaccination and Risk of Head and Neck Cancers: A Large Real-World Cohort Study
Authors analyzed 1.4 million propensity-matched individuals in a U.S. real-world cohort. HPV vaccination was associated with reduced head and neck cancer risk (HR 0.315), about a 70% reduction. Risk reduction was most pronounced for oropharyngeal cancer (HR 0.087), more than 90% reduction. Protective benefits persisted up to 13 years and across diverse subgroups. Results support the potential of vaccination to reduce head and neck cancer burden.

Mpox

Monkeypox Virus Surveillance — United States, 2024–2025
The number of reported cases of MPXV infection during September–October 2025 was double that during the same period in 2024. Unvaccinated patients accounted for 76.1% of cases and had 9.7 times the odds of hospitalization, as did those who completed the 2-dose JYNNEOS
Persistent low-level transmission of clade IIb MPXV in the United States suggests a likely transition toward endemic circulation.

Polio

Effect of Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine on Nasal Mucosal Immunity and Pharyngeal Shedding Following Novel Oral Poliovirus Vaccine Type 2 Challenge: A Randomized, Open-label Trial
This multicenter, randomized, open-label, parallel-group trial was conducted in Bangladesh in 500 polio vaccine-naive infants aged 6–8 weeks. Two infant cohorts (vaccinated with 3 doses of either IPV or bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine [bOPV]) were challenged at 18–20 weeks with novel OPV type 2 (nOPV2). Pharyngeal and fecal viral shedding, and nasal, intestinal, and serum immune responses were measured post-nOPV2-challenge. Poliovirus type 2 (PV2) pharyngeal shedding was minimal post-challenge (1.7% of IPV-vaccinated and 2.6% of bOPV-vaccinated infants). Nasal PV2-specific neutralizing antibody titers were higher in the IPV group post-nOPV2-challenge (day 14; geometric mean titers [GMT]: IPV, 7.5 [95% CI: 5.1–11.1] vs bOPV, 0.6 [95% CI: 0.3–1.2]). Stool PV2-specific neutralization titers were comparable at day 14 (GMT: IPV, 124.0 [95% CI: 54.7–281.0] vs bOPV, 127.3 [95% CI: 74.0–218.9]). Serum PV2 neutralizing antibody titers were consistently higher in IPV group, peaking at day 28 (GMT: IPV, 4347.4 [95% CI: 2378.2–7947.2] vs bOPV, 259.9 [95% CI: 115.5–584.9]).
Conclusions: Novel OPV type 2 pharyngeal shedding was low following IPV or bOPV vaccination, whereas IPV induced higher nasal and serum, and comparable intestinal PV2-specific immunity, suggesting a potential role for IPV in poliovirus outbreak response in IPV-only settings.

Ebola

Post-Exposure Prophylaxis With a Monoclonal Antibody Cocktail Following Bundibugyo Ebolavirus Exposure in Adults and Children
Five individuals from a single-family cluster, one rVSV-ZEBOV-vaccinated adult and four unvaccinated children aged 1–7 years, received investigational MBP134 as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) 5–6 days after high- to intermediate-risk occupational or household exposure to Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV). Given the absence of approved preventive interventions against BDBV and the substantial case fatality rate of Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD), MBP134 was administered as an individual treatment attempt under emergency Investigational New Drug (eIND) authorizations. Administration was well tolerated, with no treatment-related adverse events. Throughout the 21-day monitoring period, all family members remained free of clinical or laboratory evidence of BVD, as assessed by daily medical evaluation and serial PCR testing. Plasma Orthoebolavirus-reactive antibodies were detected after infusion, persisted throughout follow-up and mediated broad neutralizing activity against multiple Orthoebolavirus species, including authentic BDBV. Notably, endogenous BDBV-reactive IgM and IgA were detected in the adult following high-risk exposure despite persistently negative PCR results. Together, these findings support prospective evaluation of MBP134 as PEP for high-risk adult and pediatric contacts during BDBV outbreaks.

COVID: Active Vaccination/Immunity

Cardiac Outcomes Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection versus BNT162b2 Vaccination in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Cohort Study of 4 Million Individuals
These are the results of a retrospective cohort study that used TriNetX data (December 2020–September 2025) for 4,072,375 individuals aged 16–25 years, categorized as uninfected/unvaccinated (n = 3,572,000), infected/unvaccinated (n = 248,546), vaccinated/uninfected (n = 241,152), or hybrid immunity (n = 10,677). The infected/unvaccinated group had the highest cumulative incidence of myocarditis (0.116%). After 1:1 propensity-score matching, SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with significantly higher risks of myocarditis (relative risk [RR] = 4.91; 95%CI = 3.11–7.77), pericarditis (RR = 1.93; 95%CI = 1.39–2.67), and mortality (RR = 1.33; 95%CI = 1.04–1.71) versus no infection. In direct comparison, vaccination was associated with 85% lower myocarditis risk, 79% lower pericarditis risk, and 72% lower mortality versus infection. Protection was consistent across sexes.