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Study: More Pre-Teens Get Vaccines When Middle Schools Require Them

Posted 7 May 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, May 7 – Pre-teens living in states that require vaccinations for incoming middle school students are more likely to be immunized than those in states without such requirements, a new study finds. Current vaccine guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that boys and girls aged 11 to 12 receive three immunizations or boosters: tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis (TdaP); meningococcal conjugate; and three doses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. In 2008-2009, 32 states required TdaP and three required meningococcal conjugate. One state, Virginia, required HPV vaccination for girls during those years. About 80 percent of kids aged 13 to 17 received the recommended TdaP vaccine in states that required vaccination for middle school entry compared to 70 percent of kids in states that didn't require it. For meningococcal vaccine, those rates were ... Read more

Measles Deaths Falling Worldwide

Posted 23 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, April 23 – Deaths from measles fell 74 percent worldwide between 2000 and 2010, but progress is still short of the World Health Organization's target, health officials reported Monday. "This is one of the most remarkable victories in the history of public health," said Anthony Lake, executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), during a morning press briefing, while calling for increased vaccination efforts. The WHO, which aimed to cut measles deaths by 90 percent between 2000 and 2010, said India – with the world's highest rate of measles deaths – and Africa have offset the considerable gains made elsewhere. In the United States, which since 2008 has had no reported measles deaths, 222 cases of measles were reported in 2011 – the most in 15 years. Nearly all stemmed from foreign travel, and a majority of those who developed the disease had not been ... Read more

From a Failed Vaccine, New Insights Into Fighting HIV

Posted 4 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, April 4 – A new study offers insight into why an HIV vaccine failed to protect most people who received it, but it also points to promising new targets for future vaccine efforts. Scientists believe an HIV vaccine, designed to prevent infection with the virus that causes AIDS, is still several years away. Tests of experimental vaccines have largely been failures so far. Nevertheless, the prospect of a vaccine remains tantalizing because it could make a major dent in the spread of HIV and AIDS around the world. The new research "gives us a handle on how the immune system deals with the virus and is affected by a vaccine," said study lead author Dr. Barton Haynes, director at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute at Duke University in Durham, N.C. "It gives us clues and a firm direction to look into." The study is based on work by more than 100 scientists from 25 institutions, and ... Read more

Related support groups: HIV Infection, Vaccination and Prophlaxis

Too Few American Adults Getting Needed Vaccinations: CDC

Posted 2 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Feb. 2 – Each year, some 45,000 Americans die from diseases that could have been prevented by vaccines, health officials said Thursday. Despite this, the number of American adults who get needed vaccines remains low, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "There were some modest increases in coverage, but for very few vaccines," said Dr. Carolyn B. Bridges, associate director of adult immunization at the CDC and co-author of the report. "Coverage is much lower than we would like to see it." The data was published in the Feb. 3 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. According to the report, 2010 (the latest year covered by the report) saw only a small increase in the rate of uptake for just three vaccines. The rate of the tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccination increased 1.6 percent, to 8.2 percent. Tdap ... Read more

How Did Generation X Respond to the H1N1 'Swine' Flu Epidemic?

Posted 24 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Jan. 24 – Only about one in five American adults aged 36 to 39 got a flu shot during the H1N1 swine flu epidemic of 2009-2010, even though about 65 percent were at least moderately concerned about the disease and nearly 60 percent claimed to follow the issue moderately or very closely. That's the finding of a University of Michigan report detailing how this age group monitored the epidemic and what they did to protect themselves and their families. The analysis of data collected from almost 3,000 young adults during the outbreak also showed that those with young children at home were most concerned and most likely to follow the news about the epidemic. Overall, young adults were most likely to get information about the epidemic from friends, co-workers and family members. But their most-trusted sources of information were doctors, followed by the U.S. National Institutes of ... Read more

Related support groups: Swine Influenza, Vaccination and Prophlaxis

Infant Vaccines May Work Better If Given in Afternoon

Posted 30 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30 – As many parents can attest, a rough night may follow when their baby has been to the doctor for their first shots, due to increased fussiness or fever from the immunizations. But a new study suggests that the time of day that the shots are given may make a difference in both sleep and immune response. Research has shown that immunizations "take hold" more strongly when an infant has a long, deep sleep afterward, which is why some parents give acetaminophen (Tylenol) proactively. According to the new study, published online Nov. 28 and in the December print issue of Pediatrics, infants may sleep more soundly when their shots are given after 1:30 p.m., regardless of whether they have been given any medication. In the study of 70 infants who were getting their first series of vaccines at around 2 months of age, mothers either were told to give their infants a ... Read more

Doctors in a Bind When Parents Want to Delay, Skip Vaccines

Posted 28 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Nov. 28 – Mistrust of childhood vaccines is causing some parents to request "alternative" schedules from doctors, either delaying or skipping some shots. And a new study suggests that most pediatricians are willing to go along with these requests – up to a point. "Parents seem to be regularly requesting alternative childhood immunization schedules," noted co-author Dr. Douglas John Opel, an acting assistant professor in the University of Washington's department of pediatrics. However, he added, "there needs to be more research into the effectiveness and safety of these schedules." The report is published in the Nov. 28 online edition of Pediatrics. The issue of parents ignoring standard guidelines on childhood vaccination schedules is worrying to many experts. One study, published in the November issue of Pediatrics, found that more than one in 10 parents in the United States ... Read more

Breast-Feeding, Vaccinations Lower SIDS Risk, Experts Say

Posted 24 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Oct. 18 – Experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics say breast-feeding and proper immunizations can both lower baby's risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Those are two new recommendations issued Tuesday as part of the AAP's updated SIDS guidelines. Since 1992, when the AAP recommended that all babies should be placed on their backs to sleep, SIDS has declined sharply in the United States, according to an AAP news release. But sleep-related deaths from other causes such as suffocation, entrapment and accidental strangulation have increased. The updated guidelines, slated for Oct. 18 release at the AAP's national meeting in Boston, are published online and in the November print issue of the journal Pediatrics. They offer additional advice for parents to create a safe sleeping environment for their babies and include three important new recommendations: ... Read more

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Some U.S. Parents Ignoring Vaccination Guidelines

Posted 3 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Oct. 3 – More than one in 10 parents don't follow recommended vaccination guidelines for their children, opting instead for an "alternative" schedule that could involve skipping doses or delaying shots. And parents who do follow official recommendations show some inclination to move toward an alternative schedule, according to new research. The findings alarm the authors of the study, published in the November issue of Pediatrics. "This really highlights to me that there's probably going to be a continuing increase in the number of parents who choose to follow alternative schedules," said study author Dr. Amanda Dempsey. "We really need to start allocating government and educational resources to stem the growing tide of discontent about vaccines among parents." This isn't the first time investigators have noticed the shift. "There's been a trend over the past couple of decades ... Read more

Most U.S. Kids Get Recommended Vaccines: CDC

Posted 9 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, June 9 – Although nearly all American children get the recommended vaccinations to prevent serious diseases, many parents express concerns about the shots, and a small number refuse to have their kids inoculated, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 95 percent of parents said their kids had received all the vaccinations or would get them all, which was a record high, a 2010 survey found. But about 5 percent of parents said they would decline some vaccines, and 2 percent said their little ones would receive no vaccines, the researchers said. "We are reassured that, overall, parents are vaccinating their kids according to the recommended schedule," said lead researcher Allison Kennedy, an epidemiologist in CDC's Immunization Services Division. "But we did find that most parents do have questions or concerns about vaccines," she said. Better ... Read more

Related support groups: Vaccination and Prophlaxis

Most Parents Vaccinate Kids, Trust Docs' Advice on Shots

Posted 19 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, April 19 – About 93 percent of parents said their children either had or were going to get all of the recommended vaccinations, and more than three-fourths said they trusted their doctor's advice on immunizations, two new surveys find. Pediatricians and infectious disease experts say this is good news. After years of hype about a supposed autism/MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) link – a claim that has been roundly discredited – it seems parents are heeding the advice of medical experts and protecting their children from potentially devastating diseases. "It's reassuring that so many parents place a lot of trust in their child's physician, more so than any other source," said study author Dr. Gary Freed, director of the child health evaluation and research unit at University of Michigan. Yet, there is still cause for concern. About 24 percent of parents surveyed said they place ... Read more

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Doctors Most Trusted Source of Vaccine Information, Study Finds

Posted 10 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, April 7 – For American parents, doctors are the most trusted source of information about the safety of children's vaccines, a new study indicates. Researchers conducted a national survey of 1,552 parents of children aged 17 and younger, and found that 76 percent said they trusted their child's doctor "a lot" when it came to getting information about vaccine safety. Other sources trusted "a lot" by parents included other health care providers (26 percent) and government vaccine experts/officials (23 percent). Sources of information about vaccine safety that were trusted "some" included family and friends (67 percent) and parents who believe their child was harmed by a vaccine (65 percent). Celebrities were trusted " a lot" by only 2 percent of parents and "some" by 24 percent of parents, said the University of Michigan study, published online April 1 in the journal Pediatrics. ... Read more

Related support groups: Vaccination and Prophlaxis

Supreme Court Rejects Vaccine-Safety Lawsuit

Posted 22 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Feb. 22 – A U.S. law protects drug makers from lawsuits filed for serious side effects caused by childhood vaccines, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. In a 6-2 vote, the court decided against a Pennsylvania couple who said their 19-year-old daughter's developmental problems were caused by a diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine she got when she was 6 months old. The parents sued the vaccine maker, Wyeth, which was acquired by Pfizer Inc. in 2009, in Pennsylvania state court, according to published reports. Writing for the court, Justice Antonin Scalia said the nation's special vaccine court was established to handle such claims, so that compensation could be provided to injured children without driving drug makers from the vaccine market. The dissenting votes were cast by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, the Associated Press reported. The vaccine court has ... Read more

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Pediatricians Issue New Vaccination Recommendations

Posted 1 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Feb. 1 – Teenagers need a booster shot to protect them from meningococcal meningitis, a potentially deadly infection of the tissue around the brain, while all kids should have up-to-date whooping cough vaccines in light of recent outbreaks, according to new recommendations from pediatric experts. The American Academy of Pediatrics issues updated vaccination guidelines annually. Its new schedule, released Feb. 1 in the journal Pediatrics, is very similar to last year's recommendations. Yet even without major changes, pediatricians said the revised schedule is a good opportunity to remind parents to make sure their children's vaccines are up to date. "Immunizations have been the most effective medical preventive measure ever developed, but some people who live in the United States right now don't appreciate how tremendously protected they've been because of vaccines," said Dr. ... Read more

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Fear of Vaccines Has a Long, Persistent History

Posted 26 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 26 – As long as vaccinations against disease have been around, there have been die-hard opponents convinced that these shots do more harm than good. This type of "vaccine phobia" has perhaps never been expressed more vehemently than with the standard measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) childhood vaccine, which many insist is tied to autism. Even after the retraction last year by The Lancet of the controversial study that first proposed such a link, and subsequent charges of fraud against its lead author, 18 percent of Americans surveyed in a recent Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll said they believed the MMR shot could cause autism. Why are vaccines such lightning rods for suspicion and fear, despite scientific evidence that immunization campaigns have helped millions of people around the world live longer, healthier lives? One thing is for sure: the trend is not a new one. ... Read more

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Tetanus Prophylaxis, Pneumocystis Pneumonia Prophylaxis, Pneumococcal Disease Prophylaxis, Diphtheria Prophylaxis, Rabies Prophylaxis, Poliomyelitis Prophylaxis, Yellow Fever Prophylaxis, Rubella Prophylaxis, Smallpox Prophylaxis, Tick-Borne Encephalitis Vaccination, Botulism Prophylaxis