People diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis (MS) often worry about their symptoms intensifying or returning after receiving a live attenuated vaccine, which can cause vaccine hesitancy. 

But a recent study published in JAMA Network Open found that MS patients can receive live attenuated measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) and chickenpox (varicella) vaccines without an increased chance of symptom relapse. 

“The results support the administration of these vaccines when indicated and may help reassure clinicians and patients, reducing vaccine hesitancy,” the authors wrote. 

Live attenuated vaccines contain a weakened but still living version of the virus to trigger a robust immune response to help the recipient avoid diseases that the vaccines target.

No increased relapses in vaccinated patients

Researchers at the University of Vic–Central University of Catalonia in Spain led the retrospective cohort study, which looked at 369 adult MS patients. Of the group, 123 people received at least one dose of the live attenuated chickenpox vaccine and/or MMR vaccine, while 246 people received neither, from July 2016 to October 2024. 

The results support the administration of these vaccines when indicated and may help reassure clinicians and patients, reducing vaccine hesitancy.

The investigators detected 36 relapses, with 15 (41.7%) in vaccinated people and 21 (58.3%) in unvaccinated controls. Vaccination did not increase symptom relapses compared with the control group. 

For the study, the researchers considered a relapse an onset of new neurologic signs or exacerbation of existing symptoms lasting a day or more after vaccination, without fever or infection. The relapse must have occurred 30 days or more after any previous relapse. 

Vaccine uptake remains low among MS patients, because some patients and providers fear that live attenuated vaccines could trigger new symptoms or worsen current ones, the authors noted. They hope the findings reassure MS patients of the safety of live attenuated vaccines—especially amid measles outbreaks in the United States and Europe. 

“Demonstrating the safety of MMR vaccination, even in a population traditionally perceived as vulnerable, such as people with MS, is therefore highly relevant for both clinical practice and public health policy,” they wrote.

Long-COVID patients are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a recent analysis of a national survey published in the journal Clinical

 Medicine Insights: Cardiology. 

Long COVID is a chronic illness in which people experience lingering symptoms after an initial COVID-19 infection. The diagnosis is not well understood, though many patients report cardiovascular complications 

The study confirms that CVD is more common among long-COVID patients: 11.9% of those with long COVID have CVD compared with 6.8% without this diagnosis. In an adjusted analysis, long COVID was associated with 37% higher odds of any CVD diagnosis (odds ratio [OR], 1.37).

Specifically, long COVID was associated with a higher risk of angina (chest pain; OR, 1.81) and myocardial infarction (heart attack; OR, 1.50), but not coronary heart disease (OR, 1.23) or stroke (OR, 1.28). The 95% confidence intervals for the final two conditions ranged below 1, indicating no elevated risk.

Interestingly, those with pre-existing CVD were not more likely to report new long-COVID symptoms. The findings echo those of a study from Sweden published earlier this year.

More long-COVID research needed

The analysis used self-reported data from the 2022 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which included 8,332 participants with a history of COVID-19. 

People were categorized as having pre-existing CVD if they received this diagnosis in the year before they got COVID-19. New-onset CVD was assessed in two ways: if the diagnosis occurred in the same year or following year of a COVID-19 illness, or if it occurred within a year after COVID-19.

Scientists say their findings show the need for additional research to improve health interventions for long COVID, which affects an estimated 17.8 million Americans.

• After months of back and forth, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA’s) Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will meet tomorrow to consider approval of Moderna’s seasonal mRNA flu vaccine (mRNA-1010). Moderna is seeking full FDA approval for adults 50 to 64 years of age and accelerated approval for adults 65 and older. In a document issued ahead of the briefing, FDA reviewers said VRBPAC will need to consider whether the efficacy results from a phase 3 trial, which compared the efficacy of mRNA-1010 to standard-dose flu vaccines, are adequate and clinically meaningful for people aged 65 years and older, given that high-dose flu vaccines are recommended for that age group. Other issues include the lack of efficacy data in immunocompromised individuals and very frail older adults, and whether data from a single flu season is enough to support an approval.
• A researcher at University of California, Irvine has received a $3.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop and test a novel therapeutic vaccine to prevent genital herpes, which affects more than 530 million people worldwide. The five-year award will support a team led by immunologist Lbachir BenMohamed, PhD, who’s been researching a next-generation vaccine strategy that could provide long-lasting protection against recurrent outbreaks of herpes simplex virus type 2, the leading cause of genital herpes. “Our goal is to develop a safe and durable therapeutic vaccine that can reduce recurrent disease, limit transmission, and ultimately improve the lives of millions of people worldwide,” BenMohamed said in a university news release.
• British drugmaker GSK today announced the launch of a first-in-human dose-escalation trial for a monoclonal antibody designed to prevent the deadliest and most prevalent malaria parasite. The phase 1 trial will enroll approximately 40 healthy adults ages 18 to 65 and compare low, medium, and high intravenous doses of the antibody, which targets Plasmodium falciparum malaria, alongside low and medium subcutaneous doses and a placebo. The primary endpoints will assess adverse and serious adverse events over 364 days.