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A century after the world’s worst flu epidemic, rapid spread of misinformation is undermining trust in vaccines crucial to public health, warns Heidi Larson.

Ridding the world of polio requires a global initiative that tailors strategies to communities, say Heidi J. Larson and Isaac Ghinai.

In this Comment, Heidi Larson discusses the COVID-19 ‘infodemic’ and suggests the ways in which scientists can help to mitigate the spread of misinformation.

Public mistrust of vaccines is heightening, fuelled by new communication environments such as social media. Using the recent case of the Dengvaxia vaccine, Heidi Larson explores public and political reactions to vaccine risks.

Governments need to think twice before they suppress messages related to COVID-19.

What the organ donation system can learn from global experiences with vaccine programs.

A randomized controlled trial reveals that exposure to recent online misinformation around a COVID-19 vaccine induces a decline in intent to vaccinate among adults in the UK and the USA.

With the generation of large pan-cancer whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing projects, a question remains about how comparable these datasets are. Here, using The Cancer Genome Atlas samples analysed as part of the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes project, the authors explore the concordance of mutations called by whole exome sequencing and whole genome sequencing techniques.

In a large trial involving 180 classes in different contexts in China, interactions with a chatbot provided to parents increased uptake and appointments for human papillomavirus vaccination, with stronger increases in rural areas.

‘Archaeogenetic analysis of black rat remains reveals that this species was introduced into temperate Europe twice, in the Roman and medieval periods. This population turnover was likely associated with multiple historical and environmental factors.’

Evidence shows that science and scientists remain highly trusted. But genuine scientific voices are not shouting loud enough over the noise to hold sway.

Survey data from across 19 countries reveal heterogeneity in attitudes toward acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine and suggest that trust in government is associated with vaccine confidence.

Although progress in the coverage of routine measles vaccination in children in low- and middle-income countries was made during 2000–2019, many countries remain far from the goal of 80% coverage in all districts by 2019.

When the term ‘vaccine hesitancy’ first appeared, it was deemed ambiguous and difficult to measure. A systematic review of published articles on vaccine hesitancy suggests it should be defined as a state of indecisiveness regarding a vaccination decision, independently of behaviour, and that it needs new modes of analysis and measurement.

Genome wide association studies in cancer are used to understand the heritable genetic contribution to disease risk. Here, the authors perform a genome wide association study in European patients with acute myeloid leukemia and identify loci associated with risk of developing the disease.

In the third annual iteration of a survey assessing vaccine confidence in 23 high-income, middle-income and low-income countries, although results were heteregeous across countries, overall willingness to accept a COVID-19 vaccine was found to have increased.

Announced in this Comment and in collaboration with Nature Medicine is the convening of the Quality Health Information for All Commission, to promote equitable access to quality health information from trusted sources and affirm the practice of health communication as a distinct public health discipline.

Structural variants in more than 17,000 human genomes are mapped and characterized using whole-genome sequencing, showing how this type of variation contributes to rare deleterious coding and noncoding alleles.

Sequencing of over 600 genes in a large collection of lung adenocarcinoma samples provides an overview of somatic mutations and signalling pathways altered in cancer genes in this tumour type.

In this Perspective, the authors discuss the new digital communications landscape in relation to vaccines and argue that trust is key to overcoming vaccine hesitancy.

A survey of 23,000 adults in 23 countries in 2023 reports that the pandemic experience reduced participants’ willingness to be vaccinated for COVID-19 and receive routine vaccinations and reduced trust in recommendations from public health authorities.

Vaccine hesitancy is considered a threat to global health and has been rising worldwide, particularly in resource-limited settings. This Comment discusses this issue and highlights the multiple strategies that can be implemented to address it.

The Cancer Genome Atlas Network describe their multifaceted analyses of primary breast cancers, shedding light on breast cancer heterogeneity; although only three genes (TP53, PIK3CA and GATA3) are mutated at a frequency greater than 10% across all breast cancers, numerous subtype-associated and novel mutations were identified.

With a comprehensive analysis of sequencing data, DNA copy number, gene expression and DNA methylation in a large number of human glioblastomas, The Cancer Genome Atlas project initiative provides a broad overview of the genes and pathways that are altered in this cancer type.

Many actors in the response to COVID-19 are holding out for a vaccine to be developed. But in the meantime, tried and tested public-health measures for controlling outbreaks can be implemented. A scorecard can be used to assess governments’ responses to the outbreak.

An overview of the effects of vaccines on global morbidity and mortality, vaccine safety issues, and the hurdles involved in proceeding from vaccine discovery to successful implementation.

de Figueiredo et al. perform a global exploratory study to estimate COVID-19 vaccination acceptance and its determinants based on a survey across 32 countries. With some exceptions, they find that factors associated with increased vaccine acceptance are male sex, age over 65, being highly educated, and a belief that their government is handling the pandemic well.

Jin et al. explore the role of religion in perception of COVID-19 vaccination across Africa and Asia Pacific regions. They highlight important similarities and differences that may help inform future public health interventions around preventative medicine.

Hou, Lai et al. estimate the impact of reports regarding a childhood vaccine with compromised efficacy on subsequent vaccination behaviors. The administration of the reported vaccine was delayed, while there was minimal effect on other vaccinations.

Current clinical practice is organized according to tissue or organ of origin of tumors. Now, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network has started to identify genomic and other molecular commonalities among a dozen different types of cancer. Emerging similarities and contrasts will form the basis for targeted therapies of the future and for repurposing existing therapies by molecular rather than histological similarities of the diseases.

The Covid pandemic has yielded new insights into psychological vaccine acceptance factors. This knowledge serves as a basis for behavioral and communication interventions that can increase vaccination readiness for other diseases.