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Vaccinations Aren't Just for Kids

Posted 16 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Sept. 16 – Public health experts often focus immunization awareness efforts toward protecting children, and with good reason: Facing a potentially bewildering schedule of vaccinations for their young ones, parents usually need all the help they can get. But vaccinations aren't just kid stuff. Medical science is creating an increasing number of immunizations targeted at adults, to help them avoid life-threatening diseases in middle-age and opportunistic infections when they're older. "Immunization is a life-long issue that we need to pay a lot of attention to," said Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. Some adult vaccinations are very well-known, like the annual shot that aims to prevent the spread of influenza. "You need an influenza shot every year," Benjamin said. "Part of that is because the virus changes every year, ... Read more

Vaccines Don't Appear to Increase Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk

Posted 6 Jul 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, July 6 – Routine adult vaccinations for flu and other conditions don't appear to increase the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a new study has found. The finding challenges a common belief that such vaccinations can cause the immune system to attack the body and trigger long-term inflammatory conditions such as RA. Swedish researchers examined the vaccination histories of 2,000 people, aged 18 to 70, with RA and more than 2,000 people without the condition. Vaccinations included in the study were for flu, tetanus, diphtheria, tick-borne encephalitis, polio, pneumococcus and hepatitis A, B and C. The results showed that the type or number of vaccinations a person receives has no impact on the likelihood of developing RA. The study was released online in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. "This result does not ... Read more

Pneumonia Shot Won't Help Lower Men's Heart Risks

Posted 4 May 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, May 4 – Being vaccinated against pneumonia doesn't reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke in men older than 45, a new study finds. The research included more than 84,000 men, ages 45 to 69, who enrolled in the California Men's Health Study between January 2002 and December 2003 and were followed until Dec. 31, 2007. During the follow-up, there were 1,211 first heart attacks among men who'd received pneumococcal vaccine (rate of 10.7 per 1,000 person-years) and 1,494 first heart attacks among men who hadn't received the vaccine (6.07 per 1,000 person-years). There were 651 strokes among vaccinated men (5.3 per 1,000 person-years) and 483 strokes among unvaccinated men (1.9 per 1,000 person-years). The data suggests no association between pneumococcal vaccination and reduced risk of heart attack or stroke, concluded the researchers. "In addition, association was not observed ... Read more

Parents Still Worried About Vaccine Safety

Posted 1 Mar 2010 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, March 1 – Although most American parents vaccinate their children, many are concerned about the safety of vaccines and some choose not to have their children protected from potentially deadly diseases, a new study found. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that while 90 percent of parents say vaccines are a good way to protect their kids, and 88 percent follow their doctor's vaccination recommendations, 54 percent are worried about serious side effects. "Parents' hesitation about vaccines has, in some cases, led them to postpone vaccinations for their children," said lead researcher Dr. Gary L. Freed, director of the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit at the University of Michigan Health System. "The study found that 12 percent of parents have refused at least one vaccine that their children's doctor recommended." "When parents refuse vaccines, they place ... Read more

Too Few Adults Get Recommended Vaccinations

Posted 4 Feb 2010 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Feb. 4 – Most parents make sure their children get all their vaccinations, but when it comes to adults these protective shots often fall by the wayside, a new report shows. In fact, 40,000 to 50,000 American adults die each year from diseases that vaccines could have prevented, according to the report, Adult Immunization: Shots to Save Lives. The report was released jointly Thursday by the Trust for America's Health, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "This country does not have an effective strategy for immunizing adults against infectious diseases," Jeffrey Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health, said during a morning teleconference. "Thousands of lives could be saved each year if we could increase the number of adults who receive routine and recommended vaccinations. We need a national strategy to make ... Read more

Health Tip: Minor Reaction to Childhood Immunizations

Posted 13 Mar 2009 by Drugs.com

-- When children have a severe reaction to an immunization – with symptoms such as high fever, breathing problems, continuous crying for several hours, weakness, or red streaks near the injection site – it requires immediate medical attention. The Lucile Packard Children's Hospital offers these suggestions for much milder post-injection discomfort: For soreness at or near the injection site, apply a cool, damp cloth or an ice pack. Administer an over-the-counter pain medicine, such as acetaminophen. Do not give the child aspirin. For minor cases of hives, apply hydrocortisone cream. Any fever that develops should not last more than three days. Administer acetaminophen and lots of fluids. If the fever lasts more than three days, seek medical attention at once. Your child may be cranky or fussy after the immunization, and may sleep a lot. If these symptoms don't improve after three ... Read more