Rx4Prevention

04/24/2026

Exciting research using personalized mRNA vaccines shows great promise for the treatment of pancreatic cancers...and beyond.

Read today's science blog at https://rx4prevention.com.

04/17/2026

Today's Rx4P Science Friday post: Rx for needle phobes

Extreme fear of needle jabs isn't just for kids; as many as 1 in 4 adults have it, with some cases so severe it hinders them from getting recommended immunizations. Explore needle-free immunization alternatives on the LinkedIn Rx4Prevention page.

04/16/2026

So important for all of us to educate ourselves to make sound decisions.

CIDRAP Op-Ed: Measles, misinformation, & what's actually in the MMR vaccine

RFK Jr. has said the MMR vaccine contains "millions of particles that were created from aborted fetal tissue, millions of DNA fragments." It does not.

Full Op-Ed by Jake Scott, MD: https://ow.ly/n39O50YKoOP

04/15/2026

What more can we say? Vaccinate.

Conveniently, this was just out 2 days ago in WIRED. Shingles is truly awful as several in yesterday's comment section testified.

""Garner describes the pain she experienced from shingles as “perpetual”—far worse, even, than the time she broke her back some years previously, because “there was no respite at all.” “I took sleeping pills so I could get to sleep, and I begged God to help me,” she says. Over-the-counter remedies failed to bring relief; a nerve suppressant (pregabalin) calmed her symptoms only slightly, until she began to recover and the pain gradually reduced six weeks later.""

And while her acute pain diminished, the area of her face affected still feels raw to the touch years later, a condition called post-herpetic neuralgia.

Only about a third of those eligible get the vaccine, in part because people don't understand how bad shingles can be ending part because the vaccine can produce deterring side effects. But even if it kicks your ass for a day or two, surely that's better than an awful case of shingles which may last months or more. If you're 50 or older (in the US), talk to your doctor.

Link in comments.

04/14/2026

Darwin Day Iowa City 2026: meeting fellow science fans, giving needed vaccines (including to profs and invited speakers!), learning, teaching, teaming up with colleagues from Johnson County Public Health and the University of Iowa...

Incredible couple of days. Thank you, Dr. Maurine Neiman, for inviting Rx4P to the festivities.

Want to hear Michelle's icing on the cake? She met her vaccine idol, Tara C. Smith!

04/11/2026

Please get the facts on vax.

Babies too young to be vaccinated are among the most vulnerable in a measles outbreak and depend entirely on herd immunity.

04/10/2026

You vaccinate yourself for others.

Too young for the MMR shot, babies are "sitting ducks" in the measles outbreaks.

04/10/2026

Are you fully vaccinated? Come and see us at UI’s Darwin Day!

04/10/2026

Celebrate Iowa City's Darwin Day! Learn the big scientific picture and update your immunizations, all on the University of Iowa campus. See the full schedule of events at

https://iowacitydarwinday.org/

Also ponder: what would Darwin say about vaccines? Check out the Rx4Prevention blog:
https://rx4prevention.com/science-blog

04/09/2026

As tick season ramps up, a pharmaceutical company announced a Lyme disease vaccine is in progress. Experts break down what to know.

04/06/2026

Fascinating read.

By analyzing a “time capsule” of historic samples from recipients of a 1994 influenza vaccine, researchers have defined the breadth of antibody and B cell responses to future, emerging influenza A and B.

Learn more in : https://scim.ag/4sIzkVC

04/04/2026

COVID-19 vaccination was associated with a lower risk of death in one of the largest long-term studies to date.

A nationwide French cohort study published in JAMA Network Open followed more than 28 million adults aged 18 to 59 from November 1, 2021, through January 31, 2025. Researchers found that people who received at least one mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose had a 25% lower risk of death from any cause compared with unvaccinated adults. The protection was even stronger for severe COVID-19 outcomes, with vaccinated individuals showing a markedly lower risk of death linked to serious infection.

The authors also tested whether the result could simply reflect the “healthy user effect,” where people who choose vaccination may already be healthier than those who do not. Even after multiple sensitivity analyses, the study found no evidence that mRNA vaccination increased long-term all-cause mortality in this age group. The reduction in mortality was strongest during the first six months after vaccination, when deaths were about 29% lower, but the benefit remained statistically significant over the full follow-up period.

This does not prove the vaccine directly lowers every cause of death, because the study was observational rather than randomized. But it does provide large-scale real-world evidence that mRNA COVID-19 vaccination was associated with better long-term survival, while also showing no sign of increased mortality risk over nearly four years of follow-up.

Source: Semenzato, L., Le Vu, S., Botton, J., et al. COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination and 4-Year All-Cause Mortality Among Adults Aged 18 to 59 Years in France. JAMA Network Open. 2025;8(12):e2546822.