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Influenza Prophylaxis Blog

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Fewer Stillbirths Among Pregnant Women Vaccinated Against Flu

Posted 2 days 8 hours ago by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, May 25 – Pregnant women who received a flu shot to protect them against the H1N1 swine flu virus had a significantly reduced risk of stillbirth, preterm birth and of having a baby small for gestational age, according to a new study. The researchers examined data from nearly 56,000 single-child births that took place in Ontario, Canada, during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Compared to pregnant women who were not immunized, those who received the H1N1 vaccination were 34 percent less likely to have a stillbirth, 28 percent less likely to deliver before 32 weeks, and 19 percent less likely to have a baby that was small for gestational age. There was no increase in adverse outcomes for H1N1-vaccinated mothers and their babies during the weeks before and just after birth, according to the researchers at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, the CHEO Research Institute, and the ... Read more

Texting May Help More Kids Get Flu Shots

Posted 24 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, April 24 – Sending text message reminders to parents improves the rate of flu vaccination among low-income children and teens in cities, researchers have found. The new study, published in the April 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, included more than 7,500 children and teens aged 6 months to 18 years who were receiving care at four community-based clinics in the United States during the 2010-2011 flu season, and had not received a flu vaccination. The study participants were primarily from minority groups, 88 percent were publicly insured and 58 percent were from Spanish-speaking families. The children and their parents were randomly divided into usual care and intervention groups. Parents in both groups received automated telephone reminders and access to informational flyers posted at the study site. The parents in the intervention group also ... Read more

Related support groups: Influenza Prophylaxis

Certain Beliefs Motivate Health Care Workers to Get Flu Shots

Posted 8 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, March 8 – The belief that a seasonal flu shot is effective is far more likely to convince health care workers to get vaccinated than reminding them it will help safeguard patients, a new study suggests. In many developed countries, it's difficult to persuade frontline health care workers to get seasonal flu vaccinations in order to protect patients from the flu, the researchers noted. To examine the issue more closely, the investigators reviewed 13 studies that included a total of nearly 85,000 health care workers in North America, Europe and Australia. Overall, doctors were more willing than nurses to get a flu vaccination, according to the study published March 7 in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The researchers identified a number of factors that had the strongest influence on health care workers' decision to get vaccinated. All of these factors were ... Read more

Flu Shots for Pregnant Moms May Protect Babies

Posted 21 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Feb. 21 – Giving flu shots to pregnant women seems to reduce their risk of having a baby that is small for its gestational age, a new study has found. Babies who are small for their gestational age have an increased risk of health problems and other issues throughout their lives. The study included 340 pregnant women in Bangladesh who were divided into two groups – 170 who received the flu vaccine and 170 who received a different vaccine that does not protect against the flu. All of the women were in their third trimester. When the seasonal influenza virus was circulating in the population, the flu vaccine group had fewer babies who were small for their gestational age than the other group – about 26 percent versus 45 percent. The percentage of small-for-gestational-age births was similar in both groups when the influenza virus was dormant, according to the study published ... Read more

Flu Season Off to Slow Start, So Far

Posted 18 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 – Could this be the flu season that wasn't? After the H1N1-linked drama of prior years, the low number of cases of influenza currently circulating in the United States is reassuring, experts said. But that doesn't mean the virus couldn't still become the wily foe it so often is, they added. "If you look at the nation as a whole, we are seeing low activity across the country," said Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. He stressed, however, that flu season generally peaks in the first couple of months of the year. "As we move to February, we expect that activity will increase," Skinner added. Health-care providers across the country echoed those findings. On the East Coast, all has been relatively quiet. "The activity is pretty low here," said Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist with Lenox Hill Hospital in ... Read more

Related support groups: Influenza, Swine Influenza, Influenza Prophylaxis

Health Tip: Avoid the Flu During Travel

Posted 16 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

-- Plane or bus travel is a prime way to pick up or spread the flu. But there are steps you can take to help avoid getting others sick or getting sick yourself. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers these suggestions: Get a flu shot before you travel. Pack a kit of hand sanitizer, soap, tissues and pain relievers. Don't travel if you don't feel well or suspect you might have the flu. Cover your mouth and nose if you cough or sneeze. Use a tissue, rather than your hands. Wash your hands frequently with water and soap. Stay away from people who are sick. Try not to touch your mouth, eyes or nose. Read more

Related support groups: Influenza, Influenza Prophylaxis

Internet Flu Searches May Warn of Outbreaks

Posted 11 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 11 – Keeping an eye on Internet search traffic about the flu can provide hospital emergency departments with an early warning system about potential surges in seasonal flu cases, a new study suggests. This approach may be more effective than waiting for outdated government flu case reports, the Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers said. They tracked and reviewed Google Flu Trends data for Baltimore and matched that with data on people seeking care for flu at the Johns Hopkins Hospital between January 2009 and October 2010. The 21-month study found a strong connection between a rise in Internet searches for flu information and a subsequent increase in the number of people with flu-like symptoms coming to the hospital emergency room. The findings show promise for eventually developing a standard regional or national flu early warning system for emergency department managers ... Read more

Related support groups: Influenza, Influenza Prophylaxis

Flu Prevention Critical for Those With Neurologic Conditions, CDC Says

Posted 5 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Jan. 5 – Children and young adults with neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions are at high risk for complications from the flu and should receive flu vaccinations, say health officials who investigated a flu outbreak in Ohio in February 2011. Of the 130 people living at a residential facility for children and young adults with neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions, 76 (58 percent) developed respiratory illness. Thirteen became severely ill and seven died. All 13 residents who became severely ill had multiple neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions, which may have hindered early diagnosis and treatment of the flu and contributed to the severity of their illness, said the research team from the Ohio Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The investigators said doctors need to watch for signs of flu among ... Read more

Americans Encouraged to Get Flu Vaccine

Posted 9 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Dec. 9 – Flu vaccination is easy to get and one of the best ways to protect your health during the flu season, but too few Americans take advantage of it, experts say. "People often shrug off concerns about the flu, yet every year it strikes up to 20 percent of Americans, sending more than 200,000 to the hospital and killing thousands," Dr. Thomas Slama, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and a clinical professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, said in an IDSA news release. There are several different ways to receive the flu vaccine and it's available in doctor's offices, health clinics, pharmacies and retail stores, but only 42 percent of people in the United States were vaccinated last flu season, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC's National Influenza Vaccination Week, Dec. 4-10, is ... Read more

How to Stay Flu-Free for the Holidays

Posted 1 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Dec. 1 – The overlap of the cold and flu season with the holiday season can make it a challenge to stay healthy as you go to parties and get together with family and friends. Getting a flu shot is important, but other precautions can also reduce your risk of getting sick or of spreading illness to others, according to a Ryerson University news release. Here are some tips for a healthy holiday: When you have to cough or sneeze, do it in your sleeve or the inside of your sweater or jacket. That will prevent the spread of viruses to those nearby. Wash your hands regularly and always after using the restroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose. Use the air kiss or fake peck on the cheek instead of a kiss on the lips when greeting family and friends. Always use serving spoons or forks – never your fingers – to put food on your plate. If you're hosting a party, be sure ... Read more

Related support groups: Influenza, Influenza Prophylaxis

Flu Hits 90 Million Children Under 5 Each Year

Posted 11 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Nov. 11 – Although it can be prevented with a vaccine, roughly 90 million children worlwide who are younger than 5 get the flu each year, resulting in about 1 million hospital admissions, a new study indicates. Published in the Nov. 11 online edition of The Lancet, the research also revealed that flu-related pneumonia claimed the lives of up to 111,500 children in 2008. According to the report, 99 percent of these deaths occurred in developing countries. The study authors based their research on 43 previous studies, which included information on roughly 8 million children. They also found that 20 million young children are also diagnosed with flu-related pneumonia. Of these cases, the researchers added, 7 percent are considered severe. Harish Nair, of the Center for Population Health Sciences, Medical School at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and colleagues suggested ... Read more

Flu Vaccine Isn't Foolproof

Posted 25 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Oct. 25 – The most widely used flu vaccine in the United States is only about 60 percent effective in healthy adults, new research indicates. That vaccine is the trivalent inactivated vaccine (TIV), which accounts for about 90 percent of flu shots in this country, according to a report in the Oct. 25 issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The less common live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) is 83 percent protective in children aged 7 and younger, but it's not recommended for everyone in this age group. The findings are in line with other recent reviews and don't mean that people shouldn't get their annual flu shot, said Dr. Joseph Bresee, chief of the epidemiology and prevention branch in the influenza division of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The findings are not that unexpected, but flu vaccines do work. They don't work as well as we'd like them ... Read more

Obesity May Hinder Flu Shot's Effectiveness

Posted 25 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Oct. 25 – The various health risks associated with being overweight or obese are well known, but a new study now suggests that this extra weight may also make your annual flu shot less effective. What's more, obese and overweight people may be at higher risk for more severe illness if they do catch the flu, according to the findings published online Oct. 25 in the International Journal of Obesity. Flu vaccines work by causing protective antibodies to develop in the body. In the study, obese, overweight and healthy weight individuals all developed antibodies to flu viruses within the first month after vaccination, but the antibody levels in the blood waned more rapidly among obese and overweight individuals. Specifically, there was a fourfold decrease in antibody levels 11 months after vaccination in half of the obese patients, compared to one month post-vaccination. By ... Read more

Flu Shots for Pregnant Women Also Protect Newborns

Posted 20 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Oct. 20 – Getting a seasonal flu vaccination while pregnant protects newborns from the flu for months after birth and won't cause a miscarriage. So say studies scheduled to be presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), in Boston. "Pregnant women are understandably concerned about protecting their unborn babies, which makes it all the more important for them to understand that getting a flu shot during pregnancy is an important way to protect the baby, as well as themselves," Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, a member of IDSA's Pandemic Influenza Task Force and a clinical professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle, said in a society news release. "These new data on the safety and effectiveness of these vaccines is reassuring, and the increasing number of pregnant women receiving the vaccine affirms that ... Read more

Get Your Flu Shot Now, CDC Urges

Posted 14 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Oct. 14 – Flu activity levels in the United States are currently low, making it the ideal time to get a flu shot, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday. In its first "FluView" report for the 2011-2012 flu season, the federal agency also said there should be plenty of vaccine available this season because the U.S. supply is projected to be at an all-time high. "It takes about two weeks after vaccination for the body's immune response to fully kick in," Dr. Joe Bresee, chief of the Influenza Epidemiology and Prevention Branch, said in a CDC news release. "It's best to get vaccinated before activity begins so that you'll be protected once flu season starts in your community." The CDC monitors flu activity in the United States year-round and publishes the FluView report every Friday from October through mid-May. "We know from our first report for this ... Read more

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