Health Care Heroes Honored at Celebrate!Enterprise
On Wednesday, May 19, 2010, tribute was paid to the skills, dedication and professionalism of 12 stars of the Houston health care arena. The elite group was honored at the Houston Business Journal’s second Health Care Heroes awards luncheon, part of the newspaper’s four-day CelebrateEnterprise program of business events. Anna Dragsbaek, President/CEO, The Immunization Partnership was honored as the recipient of the Community Outreach award.
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Seattle Times: CDC: Kids May Need Multiple Flu Shots in Fall
Thursday, July 16, 2009 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says children who have never been vaccinated against the flu could receive two doses of the seasonal flu vaccine and two doses of a pandemic flu vaccine this fall. Of the 40 million to 160 million doses of flu vaccine expected by October, 20 percent will not have preservatives and will be earmarked for children and pregnant women. Dr. Tom Shimabukuro of the CDC's Immunization Services Division, says a vaccine to guard against H1N1 swine flu is being produced by five manufacturers.
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Medscape: Final Analysis Shows HPV Vaccine Is Effective and Safe
July 14, 2009 — The latest results, from a 3-year follow-up of women participating in the Papilloma Trial Against Cancer in Young Adults (PATRICIA), show the vaccine to be highly immunogenic, generally well tolerated, and effective against HPV-16 or HPV-18 infections and associated precancerous lesions, the researchers note.
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Reuters: US plans for autumn swine flu vaccination campaign
Thursday, July 9, 2009 — The United States is planning for a vaccination campaign against the new H1N1 flu that could move into schools and community centers, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on Thursday. Sebelius led off a "summit" of state and territorial officials to tell them what the federal government plans to do if the new swine flu virus continues its spread. It has killed at least 429 people globally and caused the first 21st century pandemic. U.S. officials say at least 1 million people in the United States have been infected, most with a mild to moderate case.
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Healthcare Association of New York State: Health Department Advises New York City Doctors to Be on the Lookout for Measles
July 6, 2009 — Eleven cases of measles have been identified in Brooklyn, N.Y., within the past two months, and almost all of the cases involve children who were not vaccinated, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. About 92 percent of children between the ages of 19 and 35 months in New York City have been vaccinated against measles. The first dose should be administered at 12 months of age, while the second dose should be given at four to six years of age.
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CNN Health: CDC: U.S. may need 600 million swine flu vaccine doses
Wednesday, July 1, 2009 — U.S. officials said that demand for a vaccine against the H1N1 "swine flu" virus could reach 600 million doses, two for each of the nearly 300 million people in the United States, on top of the 115 million doses of seasonal flu vaccines distributed each year. There has been no official decision on launching a national vaccine campaign, but Congress has passed a supplemental appropriation for $7.5 billion to cover the costs of preparing for the virus, including a vaccination effort. Small studies in ferrets suggest that the swine flu virus causes more severe disease than seasonal flu but is spread less easily, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers have not yet determined the appropriate dose size for an H1N1 vaccine, though vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur could have vaccines available for human clinical trials this summer.
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Oregonian: Portland Scientists Pursue West Nile Virus Vaccine
Monday, June 1, 2009 — The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease awarded a $7.3 million federal grant to the partnership of Oregon Health & Science University, Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., and Najit Technologies, Inc., to develop a human West Nile virus vaccine. In creating the viruses used in vaccines, Najit Technologies uses a chemical that leaves less damage, allowing viral proteins to be more easily recognized by the immune system. Sanofi-Aventis has nearly completed a Phase II human clinical trial of a chimeric vaccine, based on a product already licensed for yellow fever. Another vaccine possibility, developed by federal scientists, uses weakened dengue fever viruses to carry the West Nile virus genes, and human clinical trials are expected to begin in September.
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The Morning Call: 3 Bucks [County Pennsylvania] Children Have Measles
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 — In Bucks County, Pa., health officials say three children confirmed to have measles are not a risk to others because they were not in school during the infectious period, which spans four days before and after the appearance of the rash. County Health Director Dr. David Damsker says the children, all of whom were unvaccinated, mark the first measles cases in the county in a decade. The origin of the cases is unknown.
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PLoS Biology: A Broken Trust: Lessons from the Vaccine-Autism Wars
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 — Struck by how the idea of a vaccine–autism link continued to gain cultural currency even as science dismissed it, [Sharon] Kaufman took a 26- month hiatus from her life’s work on aging and longevity to investigate the forces fueling this growing divide between scientists and citizens. She wanted to understand how parents thought about risk and experts, how these attitudes shaped parents’ decisions about vaccination, and what the vaccine wars might teach us about the long-term erosion of public trust in science.
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U.S. News: U.S. to Spend $1 Billion on H1N1 Flu Vaccine Production
Sunday, May 24, 2009 — U.S. health officials have announced the government will dedicate $1 billion towards the development of a H1N1 influenza vaccine. According to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the appropriation will underwrite new and existing contracts with Sanofi Aventis SA, GlaxoSmithKline and other influenza vaccine manufacturers. Though decisions about whether to begin broad production of a swine flu vaccine have yet to be made, Sebelius said the government felt it necessary to begin developing candidate vaccines now. In addition to covering the cost of bulk ingredients that would be placed in a federal stockpile, the $1 billion allotment will pay for pilot vaccine for H1N1 that would eventually be used for clinical tests.
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Science Daily: TB Vaccine Gets Its Groove Back
Sunday, May 24, 2009 — New research in the journal PLoS One suggests how the tuberculosis (TB) vaccine acquired traits that caused it to lose its effectiveness since the 1920s. The current TB vaccine is still effective against "disseminated TB," though not the deadly bacterial lung disease. The vaccine had been developed over the decades to produce more antioxidants, making it better at suppressing immune responses. When the researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center targeted these antioxidants, the TB vaccine created a stronger immune response in mice. The vaccine has been recreated to make it more like the version from the 1920s, when it was 80 percent effective against pulmonary TB.
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NY Times: U.S. Says Older People Appear Safer From New Flu Strain
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined through blood tests that many people born before 1957 have some immunity to the H1N1 swine flu that has hospitalized 247 people in the United States so far. This might help explain why people over the age of 50 account for just 13 percent of swine flu hospitalizations, versus 90 percent of hospitalizations for the seasonal flu. Older people forced to seek hospital treatment for the swine flu generally have an underlying medical condition, according to CDC chief flu epidemiologist Dr. Daniel Jernigan. The current H1N1 strain is a descendant of the 1918 Spanish flu, which circulated from 1918 to 1957 as the seasonal flu and was replaced in 1957 by the H2N2 Asian flu. The H1N1 Russian flu that emerged in 1977, a B strain, and the H3N2 Hong Kong flu that replaced the H2N2 strain in 1968 continue to circulate today and are targeted by the seasonal flu vaccine.
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NY Times: A Long Search for a Universal Flu Vaccine
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 — Scientists and vaccine manufacturers are working on a universal flu vaccine, with a goal of providing at least several years of protection against seasonal and pandemic flu strains. A universal vaccine would eliminate the need for scientists to guess which strains will be dominant during the upcoming flu season, and it would make vaccination more affordable for countries with limited funds for immunization campaigns. However, some experts believe a universal flu vaccine would be a supplement to the seasonal flu vaccine, rather than a replacement. Proteins on the outside of the flu virus that come in contact with antibodies do not vary as much as those on the inside, but researchers working on a universal flu vaccine are targeting the M2 protein that sticks out of the virus. According to VaxInnate President Alan Shaw, "The trick is you've got to have a system that will raise a robust immune presence against this puny little protein that's not present in any abundance." Some experts believe an effective approach involves targeting the M2 protein and a nucleoprotein inside the virus that does not change.
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Washington Post: New Virus Appears to Be a Factor in Extended Flu Season
Saturday, May 16, 2009 — More than half of the states are reporting higher levels of flu-like illness when the respiratory disease should be disappearing, and about half of the people with flu are testing positive for the new swine flu virus. As a precaution in the event of a widespread outbreak, Britain, France, Belgium and Finland have collectively placed orders for 127 million doses of a vaccine that GlaxoSmithKline will develop. The vaccine will include an adjuvant that boosts the body's immune response, and the ingredient is not licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA can authorize the use of such a product in an emergency, however.
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Financial Times (UK): Race for pandemic vaccine
Tuesday, May 12, 2009 — The World Health Organization (WHO) says requests for "wild type virus" samples of the A (H1N1) virus to prepare a pandemic vaccine have been received from major vaccine manufacturers Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, and Sanofi-Aventis, with samples also being sent to MedImmune, Baxter, CSL, Solvay, Microgen, Nobilon International, Omnivest Vaccines, and Vivaldi. The WHO plans to make a recommendation in the coming weeks on whether a pandemic vaccine is needed and how to go about producing one. First, health officials must determine whether this flu strain is as severe as the seasonal flu, which results in 500,000 deaths annually.
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Wall Street Journal: Decision on Flu Vaccine Looms
Thursday, May 7, 2009 — The Obama Administration, which recently asked for an emergency appropriation of $1.5 billion to handle the swine flu, soon will make a decision on whether a swine-flu vaccine will be manufactured. There have been 642 confirmed cases, 850 probable cases, and two deaths from the H1N1 virus in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. Experts say health officials need to determine whether such a vaccine would be safe and effective and whether a mass vaccination campaign for a virus that as of yet is not widespread or lethal makes financial sense. It remains to be seen when the manufacturing process could begin, as health officials have not completed the seed stock involving patient laboratory samples that are necessary to commence vaccine production. Once the seed stock is available, officials must determine whether it makes sense to halt manufacturing of the seasonal-flu vaccine to make the swine-flu vaccine. Additionally, they must consider vaccine testing and the probability that the swine flu could reappear as a more virulent strain later in the year.
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Philadelphia Enquirer: Vaccine Holdouts a Danger, Study Says
Thursday May 7, 2009 — A growing number of parents are opting out of having their children receive all the recommended vaccines, leading to growing clusters of unvaccinated children that contribute to outbreaks of measles and pertussis, researchers write in the New England Journal of Medicine. All states require children to be vaccinated against about 15 diseases, but 21 of those states allow exemptions for personal reasons. Routine coverage is at its highest level, but the local clusters of unvaccinated children are growing. "Infectious diseases are transmitted at the local level," notes Saad Omer, an epidemiologist at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, and the study's lead author. "We have shown that vaccine refusals cluster geographically and that there's an association between those clusters and outbreaks of pertussis."
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WebMD: Easy Way to Ease Infant Immunization Pain
Monday, May 4, 2009 — Researchers led by Moshe Ipp of The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto report that changing the order of infant vaccines can reduce pain. The combination vaccine for diphtheria, polio, tetanus, pertussis, and Haemophilus influenzae type B was given first to 60 infants between the ages of two and six months, while another 60 infants received the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine first. Using videotapes to analyze facial expressions, body movements, and crying, in conjunction with pain ratings made by parents, the researchers determined that infants who received the combination vaccine first experienced less pain than those who received the conjugate vaccine first. "Because some vaccines cause more pain than others, the order in which they are given may affect the overall pain experience," says Ipp in the recent issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Wall Street Journal: Officials Face a Tough Decision Over Ordering Vaccine
April 30, 2009 — Global health officials trying to gauge the severity of the swine-flu outbreak face a tough call on how quickly to move on creating a vaccine for the new virus. As confirmed cases of the new A/H1N1 flu virus mount and spread around the world, health officials must balance the desire to stop the spread quickly with some serious risks of moving too fast. Even with a full push, it would take months to get a vaccine ready, and the effort could force drug companies to cut corners or reduce production of regular flu vaccine needed for the winter. But waiting too long could allow the swine-flu virus to have a much more deadly impact.
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NIH News: Risk of Autism Tied to Genes that Influence Brain Cell Connections
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 — In three studies, including the most comprehensive study of autism genetics to date, investigators funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have identified common and rare genetic factors that affect the risk of autism spectrum disorders. The results point to the importance of genes that are involved in forming and maintaining the connections between brain cells. "These findings establish that genetic factors play a strong role in autism spectrum disorder," says Acting NIH Director Raynard Kington, M.D., Ph.D. "Detailed analysis of the genes and how they affect brain development is likely to yield better strategies for diagnosing and treating children with autism."
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Brisbane Times: No needles in a nano universe
Thursday, April 23, 2009 — Australian scientists are developing a vaccine "nanopatch" that delivers immunization against diseases without the use of needles. These patches could be sent to remote areas that do not have refrigeration or disposable syringes used in traditional vaccines. The patches consist of a centimeter-square silicon device, with thousands of very sharp, microscopic spikes. These spikes are coated with dried vaccine and penetrate the skin less than a hair's thickness below the surface, causing no pain and delivering the vaccine close to the immune cells, called dendritic cells. "Eliminating or controlling diseases that have haunted humans for millenia requies a quantum leap in vaccine technology," notes Prof. Peter Gray, director of the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at the University of Queensland.
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Washington Business Journal: Sanaria to begin human trials of malaria vaccine
Thursday, April 23, 2009 — A Rockville company plans to begin the first human clinical trials of a malaria vaccine that uses a weakened version of the entire malaria parasite, instead of just pieces of it, to help shield victims from the disease. Sanaria Inc. is working with the Path Malaria Vaccine Initiative, a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded program at a global health nonprofit based in Seattle, to test an experimental vaccine for malaria on 104 healthy volunteers. The groups have already begun recruiting those volunteers after winning Food and Drug Administration approval for the trial and expect to inject the first patient in mid-May.
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Medscape Today: ACOG Issues Recommendations on Routine Pelvic Exam, Cervical Cytology Screening
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 — The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has issued a committee opinion on routine pelvic examination and cervical cytology screening that will be published in the May issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
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Pediatric SuperSite: New advocacy group focuses on non-vaccine-related autism research
Monday, April 20, 2009 — The Autism Science Foundation, a new not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting and funding autism research, has launched it’s operations, debuting its website and kicking off its “First 100 Days” fundraising drive. The organization is co-founded by Alison Singer, former executive vice president of Autism Speaks, and Karen London, co-founder of the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR). Both Singer and London are parents of children with autism. Singer will serve as president of the new organization. Singer resigned from Autism Speaks in January of this year, citing disagreement with the group’s decision to continue to fund more vaccine research despite multiple scientific studies exonerating vaccines as a cause of autism.
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Medscape: Is Gardasil® Recommended for Young Women Already Exposed to HPV?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009 — Should Gardasil® (human papillomavirus [HPV] quadrivalent [types 6, 11, 16, and 18] vaccine) be administered to young women who test positive for oncogenic-risk HPV strains, or to those who have abnormal Papanicolaou ("Pap") smear results?
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Medscape: Vaccine Safety Communication
Monday, March 30, 2009 — To learn more about how to communicate vaccine-safety principles to children, families, and adolescents, all of whom present unique challenges, Medscape Medical News interviewed presenter Patricia Stinchfield, RN, MS, CPNP. Ms. Stinchfield is director and nurse practitioner of pediatric infectious disease & immunology, Infection Control, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, in St. Paul.
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Celebrity Baby Blog: One Pack = One Vaccine
Monday, March 30, 2009 — “One Pack = One Vaccine” is a global initiative to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus, a preventable disease that claims the lives of approximately 128,000 infants and 30,000 mothers in less industrialized nations each year. By purchasing specially-marked packs of Pampers diapers and wipes from February 5, 2009 through May 1, 2009, consumers in the United States and Canada automatically trigger a vaccination to a pregnant woman or woman of child-bearing age in a developing nation.
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LA Times: Immunization laws and attitudes vary
Sunday, March 29, 2009 — A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. in 2006 found that states that made it easiest to opt out of mandated vaccinations were nearly twice as likely to have cases of whooping cough as states with more difficult procedures.
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Examiner: Recent ebola scare sheds light on experimental vaccine
Friday, March 27, 2009 — On average, about 85% of Ebola cases are fatal. It is spread via contact with bodily fluids and mucous membranes. The virus is so powerful, however, that individuals often die before they spread it to anyone else. Research has afforded a several effective vaccines, and Feldmann’s new treatment could contribute to the collection.
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Medscape Online: Current Status of Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine in the United States for Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza
Thursday, March 12, 2009 — A live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) is currently approved in the United States for the prevention of influenza in individuals 2–49 years of age. This article summarizes the available data describing the safety and efficacy of LAIV for the prevention of influenza in both children and adults. LAIV is administered as an intranasal spray and has been shown to provide high levels of efficacy against influenza illness caused by both matched and mismatched strains in children and adults. In studies comparing LAIV and inactivated influenza vaccine in children, LAIV recipients experienced 35–53% fewer cases of culture-confirmed influenza illness caused by antigenically matched strains. Protection through a second influenza season against antigenically matched strains has also been seen in children. In adults, definitive comparative studies of LAIV and inactivated vaccine have not been conducted and no statistically significant differences in efficacy have been demonstrated. The most common adverse reactions with LAIV include runny nose/nasal congestion in all age groups, fever > 100ºF in children, and sore throat in adults. Formulations of LAIV against pandemic influenza strains, including H5N1, H9N2, and H7N3, are currently being tested in preclinical and phase I clinical studies.
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Medscape Online: HPV Vaccine Offers Cross-Protection for HPV Types Not Covered By Vaccine
Thursday, March 12, 2009 — The quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, marketed under the name Gardasil (Merck), is a recombinant vaccine that is effective against HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18. The vaccine received approval for the prevention of cervical, vulvar, and vaginal intraepithelial lesions and genital warts associated with the vaccine HPV types, but 2 new studies indicate that the vaccine might offer protection from other types of HPV.
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Stanford Medicine: Hot Shots — Vaccines under the gun
Spring 2009 — The journal Stanford Medicine has devoted the lion share of its spring 2009 issue to a special report on vaccines and immunization. Titled "Hot Shots: Vaccines under the gun," the report comprises articles that examine vaccines and vaccination from many angles.
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Marin Independent Journal: Dr. Dustin Ballard: Don't blame autism on shots
Sunday March 15, 2009 — Did you know that the more ice cream you eat, the thinner you are? It's surprising, but true. If you track the average person's weight over the course of a year, you'll find that they are lighter when they eat more ice cream and heavier when they eat less.
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Medscape Today: Polio Poses Threat in Undervaccinated Communities
Tuesday March 3, 2009 — An investigation prompted by the discovery of vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) infection in a hospitalized immunodeficient infant from an Amish community in Minnesota uncovered other such cases, researchers report in the February 1st issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases. "Undervaccinated communities such as the Amish, even in societies that have high rates of immunization, are susceptible to infections with and outbreaks from polioviruses, whether wild or vaccine-derived," lead investigator Dr. James P. Alexander told Reuters Health.
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Houston Chronicle: Kenya sees 1st polio infection in 20 years
Friday, February 27, 2009 — Global efforts to eradicate polio have decreased cases by 99 percent since 1988. Last year, it was only endemic in four countries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. But those countries have the potential to re-infect anywhere in the world.
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Mescape Today: U.S. Panel Widens Recommendations on Hepatitis A Vaccination
Wednesday, February 25, 2009 —U.S. citizens who expect to have close contact with an adopted child from countries with high rates of hepatitis A should be immunized if they have not been already, U.S. immunization advisers said on Wednesday.
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Newsweek: Anatomy of a Scare
Saturday, February 21, 2009 — When one study linked childhood vaccines to autism, it set off a panic. The research didn't hold up, but some wounded families can't move on.
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Boston.com: Researchers report finding Achilles' heel of flu virus
Sunday, February 2, 2009 — Scientists, led by a team from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, have discovered what they describe as the Achilles' heel of the influenza virus, a finding that suggests it might be possible to end the ritual of the annual flu shot. Yearly vaccination is currently needed because different strains of the virus circulate around the world regularly, owing to the germs' rapidly changing genetic makeup. But the researchers reported today that they had found one pocket of the virus that appears to remain static in multiple flu strains, making it an attractive target for a vaccine, as well as drugs.
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Michigan Online: Detroit Piston game will debut Vaccines for Teens PSA
Sunday, February 2, 2009 — Vaccines for Teens, a national multimedia campaign designed to educate teens and their parents about the importance of vaccination against serious, potentially life-threatening diseases, tips off Monday at an event at Cordova Primary School in Phoenix, Arizona with Grant Hill, a seven-time NBA All-Star and member of the Phoenix Suns, who will serve as a spokesperson for the campaign. Hill, who will appear in the nationally broadcast public service announcement (PSA), was on hand for a special screening of the initiative's first PSA. The PSA will debut nationally during the Friday, February 27 broadcast of the Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic game on ESPN at 7:00 pm EST.
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Court: Vaccines not to blame for children's autism
Friday, February 13, 2009 — The evidence “is weak, contradictory and unpersuasive,” concluded Special Master Denise Vowell. “Sadly, the petitioners in this litigation have been the victims of bad science conducted to support litigation rather than to advance medical and scientific understanding” of autism. Science years ago reached the conclusion that there’s no connection, but Thursday’s rulings in a trio of cases still have far-reaching implications — offering reassurance to parents scared about vaccinating their babies because of a small but vocal anti-vaccine movement. Some vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, are on the rise, and last fall a Minnesota baby who hadn’t been vaccinated against meningitis died of that disease.
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EmaxHealth: No Risk of Guillain-Barre Syndrome from HPV Vaccine
Monday, February 16, 2009 — Researchers analyzed data from the CDC, extracting reports of Guillain-Barré Syndrome among young women who received HPV vaccine between 2006 and 2008 in the United States, using the CDC's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System... The researchers concluded the incidence of Guillain-Barré Syndrome following HPV vaccine is no greater than in the general population, though they recommend continued close monitoring.
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USA Today: Hib infection in children makes a deadly return
Saturday, February 15, 2009 — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports national immunization rates are still high, and in most areas there are enough vaccinated children to create a "herd immunity," a wall of immunized people that prevents spread of disease, so children who are vulnerable — those too young to be vaccinated or who can't be because of immune disorders or other medical problems — are protected. But health officials are concerned that herd immunity is not holding in the face of a rise in the number of parents who, believing that vaccines are unsafe, unnatural or unnecessary, are not allowing their babies to be vaccinated.
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Medscape Today: Influenza Vaccination Benefits Both Mother and Infant
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 — The study authors noted that the death rate for children with influenza is highest for infants under 6 months of age, but this group is not recommended for vaccination under the current universal childhood influenza vaccine recommendations. This Bangladeshi study was a randomized, double-blind trial of maternal vaccination, with the goal of reducing influenza morbidity among infants born to vaccinated mothers. The comparison group of mothers received pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. The outcome of interest was whether infants < 24 weeks of age experienced an episode of laboratory-confirmed influenza infection. Secondary outcomes included rates of febrile respiratory infections, rates of clinic visits for respiratory illness, and rates of rapid antigen testing for influenza in the study infants... The rate of influenza was much higher in the control infants at 16 cases per 157 dyads (10.2%) vs 6 cases per 159 vaccinated dyads (3.8%), or 63% effectiveness. In a similar fashion, the rates of clinic visits (58.6% vs 33.9%) and the rates of any respiratory illness with fever were higher in the infants born to mothers who did not receive the influenza vaccine. In addition to the benefits for infants, mothers who received the influenza vaccine had lower rates of respiratory illness with fever.
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Times Online (London): MMR: Key dates in the crisis
Sunday, February 8, 2009 — (October 1988) MMR triple vaccine starts in UK after use in America since 1971 (February 1996) A solicitor, Richard Barr, hires Andrew Wakefield at £150 per hour to support a legal attack on MMR makers as some parents raise concerns over the vaccine (July 1996) First autistic child admitted to Royal Free hospital for research project. Of the 12 in the study, 11 will turn out to be litigants ... (February 2004) The Sunday Times reveals Wakefield’s legal funding and children’s litigant status. Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet, describes original paper as “fatally flawed” and apologises for publishing it (March 2004) 10 of the 1998 Lancet paper’s 13 authors, but not Wakefield, retract claim of possible MMR-autism link (March 2005) Japanese scientists say they have evidence MMR jab is not linked to rise in autism: instead they noted a rise in autism after withdrawal of the MMR jab in the country (April 2006) A 13-year-old boy becomes the first person in the UK in 14 years to die from measles (July 2007) GMC opens professional misconduct case against Wakefield and two other Royal Free colleagues concerning ethical issues over the treatment of children
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Texas DSHS Immunization Branch: Vaccine Advisory No. 10
Sunday, February 2, 2009 — Pentacel® is now available through the Texas Vaccines for Children (TVFC) Program and is approved for administration as a four-dose series at 2, 4, 6, and 15-18 months of age. However, the nation continues to be in a Haemophilus Influenzae type b vaccine (Hib) shortage and providers should continue to defer the fourth dose of Hib to all children whether that dose is in the form of Pentacel® or another monovalent vaccine. The quantity of Pentacel® is not sufficient to reinstate the fourth Hib dose. Until the Hib supply improves, Pentacel® should be used only for the first three doses of DTAP, IPV, and Hib vaccination series.
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Local IQ: How a duck in China can ruin your week
Sunday, February 1, 2009 — Each year, most influenza virus originates in southern China, where it lies quietly in wild aquatic birds. They are infected, but for the most part have no symptoms. Their strains infect domestic chickens and pigs, and these hosts support more mutations, or changes in the virus, that allow the virus to then infect humans. The enormous number of people that reside in and travel from southern China and Hong Kong disseminate flu across the globe. So, if you’ve ever really wondered about the source of the flu, it pretty much comes from ducks in China.
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Every Child by Two: Unvaccinated Minnesota Child Dies from Hib Meningitis
January 27, 2009 — "It is completely unacceptable that a child has died from a vaccine-preventable disease," said Amy Pisani, executive director of Every Child By Two. "How many children must die before parents realize that there are consequences to not immunizing their children? Misinformation about the safety of vaccines, particularly an alleged link to autism, has scared many parents into believing their children are at risk from vaccines. Children are left vulnerable to deadly diseases when not vaccinated on time."
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Medscape Today: Data Suggest Minnesota Hib Outbreak Related to Vaccine Shortage
January 27, 2009 — As many as 18% fewer 7-month-old infants were getting the third dose of Hib compared with the 2 other vaccines given at age 6 months, according to Kristen Ehresmann, MPH, immunizations program manager for MDH. "The decrease in the level of Hib immunization results in a drop in 'herd immunity,' where unimmunized and underimmunized children are vulnerable to Hib disease," Ms. Ehresmann said in an MDH press release.
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AAP: Hib Alert: 5 Cases, 1 Death
Friday, January 23, 2009 —The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced that five cases of Haemophilus influenzae, type b (Hib), invasive disease (meningitis, pneumonia and epiglottitis) were confirmed in 2008 in Minnesota. This is the highest number of cases of this vaccine-preventable disease in children under 5 years of age that Minnesota has seen since 1991. Three patients had received no vaccinations due to parent or guardian deferral or refusal of vaccinations. One of the unimmunized patients, a 7-month-old infant, died of Hib disease. Two of the remaining children received age-appropriate immunizations. One child, a 5-month-old, had received two Hib immunizations. The other child was 15 months old and was fully vaccinated for age but, subsequent to Hib infection, was diagnosed with an immune deficiency (hypogammaglobulinemia).
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USA Today: Whooping cough vaccine urged for new moms
Tuesday, January 20, 2009 —In 2004-2005, 66 babies under age 1 died from whooping cough, including 56 who were under 3 months old, Tan says. And while providing a "cocoon" of protection around newborns can be lifesaving, only about 2% of parents with babies in neonatal intensive care get the shot, according to a recent study from the State University of New York-Stony Brook.
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Medscape Today: Influenza Vaccination during Pregnancy: Clinical Efficacy in Mothers and Infants
Monday, January 5, 2009 — This study provides data indicating that maternal vaccination for influenza is safe and efficacious, reducing illness among both mothers and infants. Antenatal immunization should be considered as an important strategy for the prevention of influenza.
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Star Gazette (New York) : HPV not just a threat to women, research shows
Monday, January 5, 2009 — In men, HPV may cause genital warts and cancer. Although cervical cancer is more prevalent than the penile and anal cancers that arise in men due to HPV, men are nonetheless afflicted by these cancers. More common, however, are the cases of head and neck cancers in men that are linked to the virus. Although they were once solely attributed to drinking and smoking, head and neck cancers resulting from HPV are becoming increasingly prevalent among younger men. Moreover, the male role in spreading HPV to women cannot be overlooked. Not only will a vaccination for men prevent these diseases, but it will also inevitably decrease the prevalence of HPV in women and cervical cancer.
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NPR: Defending Vaccines: Actress Dispels Link To Autism
Tuesday, December 11, 2008 — A movie star and a prominent scientist have teamed up to reassure the public that childhood vaccines are safe and do not cause autism. Amanda Peet, who starred in films including The X-Files: I Want To Believe and Syriana, is working with Paul Offit, the chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Their goal is to counter the assault on vaccines led by celebrities including Jenny McCarthy, Jim Carrey and Holly Robinson Peete.
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Science Daily: Smallpox Vaccination Effective For Decades, Study Suggests
Tuesday, December 2, 2008 — Although naturally occurring smallpox was eradicated in 1977, there is concern that bioterrorists might obtain smallpox from a laboratory and release it into the population. Under such circumstances, the supply of smallpox vaccine may be insufficient for universal administration. In a study published in the December 2008 issue of The American Journal of Medicine, researchers found that lifetime protection is obtained from just one vaccination, even when that vaccination occurred as much as 88 years ago.
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McGill Daily (Canada): In the test tube: three decades of HIV vaccination
Monday, December 1, 2008 — Dr. Kenneth Mayer is a professor of Medicine and Community Health and the Director of Brown University AIDS Program. The Daily had a chance to sit down with him before his keynote address at McGill’s World AIDS Week last Friday.
MD: I hear you're working on a vaccine. What's the deal?
KM: The vaccine is the highest priority because vaccines are the only things that have really stopped epidemics in their tracks in the modern era. So, for example, smallpox now only exists in vials that the U.S. Government and the Russian Government have. The trouble with HIV is manifold in terms of trying to find the vaccine.
Full Interview
