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THURSDAY, Nov. 18, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Gene therapy shows promise in reducing, and even halting, potentially life-threatening bleeding events in people with hemophilia, researchers report.Hemophilia A is the most common inherited bleeding disorder, affecting one in 5,000 males worldwide. It's caused by a missing coagulation factor called FVIII.The current standard of care involves regular infusions of the FVIII protein, but this can be disruptive for patients and their families, and does not reduce the risk of joint disease or death, the authors of the new study noted.The new adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector-based gene therapy is designed to enable hemophilia A patients to express FVIII in the liver, and a phase 1/2 clinical trial found that it led to sustained expression of...

THURSDAY, Nov. 18, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Gene therapy might soon offer a new option for children with a rare genetic disorder that damages tissues throughout the body, researchers are reporting.In a study of eight children with the condition, called Hurler syndrome, researchers found that the gene therapy was safe over two years. It also showed potential for beating the current standard treatment, stem cell transplantation.If the gene therapy proves safe and effective in the longer term, experts said, it may well replace stem cell transplants in the future."I do think this is a triumph," said Dr. Christopher Dvorak, who co-wrote an editorial published with the study Nov. 18 in the New England Journal of Medicine."It's likely to change lives in the not-too-distant future," said...

THURSDAY, Nov. 18, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Several frozen vials that were labeled "smallpox" have been discovered in a vaccine research facility in Pennsylvania, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.There is no indication that anyone was exposed to what was in the vials, the agency noted.The vials were found by a laboratory worker while cleaning out a freezer in a facility that conducts vaccine research. The CDC and law enforcement are investigating the matter and the vials' contents appear intact, the CDC said in a statement to CNN."The laboratory worker who discovered the vials was wearing gloves and a face mask. We will provide further details as they are available," the agency added.Before it was declared eradicated in 1980 by the World Health Organization, the...

THURSDAY, Nov. 18, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly a third of health care staff in U.S. hospitals were not vaccinated against COVID-19 as of mid-September, a new study shows.Researchers analyzed data on more than 3.3 million health care workers at more than 2,000 hospitals nationwide between Jan. 20 and Sept. 15."Our analysis revealed that vaccine coverage among U.S. hospital-based [health care personnel] stalled significantly after initial uptake," said lead author Hannah Reses, an epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Between January and April, vaccination rates quickly rose from 36% to 60%, but then slowed substantially, reaching 70% as of Sept. 15, the study found.While vaccination coverage increased just 5% between April and August, it rose another...