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Influenza Prophylaxis News
Related terms: Flu Prevention
Making the Most of Childhood Wellness Visits
Posted 2 days 5 hours ago by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, July 21, 2017 – Babies born today will have about a dozen wellness visits by the time they reach age 3. At that point, these checkups typically drop to just once a year, often before kids head back to school. So it's important to make the most of each visit, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. These visits include a physical exam as well as developmental, behavioral and learning assessments. They're also your opportunity to ask questions. With limited time in the exam room, make your list of questions in advance and prioritize them in order of importance. Also, ask any caregivers who spend lots of time with your child if they have questions or concerns that you should bring up. Talk about school safety with the pediatrician, including on the playground and in the cafeteria, especially if your child has allergies. And ask about any precautions to take if your ... Read more
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Parents, Get Your Teens Their Vaccines!
Posted 6 days ago by Drugs.com
MONDAY, July 17, 2017 – Many American teens may not get recommended vaccinations, and their parents might bear some of the blame, a new study suggests. The national poll of 614 parents with at least one teenager found that more than one-third didn't know when their teen's next vaccine was due. And half incorrectly thought that their doctor would contact them for an appointment at the appropriate time. "When kids are little, their pediatricians usually schedule visits to coincide with the timing of recommended vaccinations," said Sarah Clark. She is co-director of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at the University of Michigan. "As children get older, well-child appointments occur less often and health providers may not address vaccines during brief visits for sickness or injury. Many teens may be missing out on important vaccines simply because ... Read more
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Bye-Bye Flu Shot, Hello Patch?
Posted 28 Jun 2017 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, June 27, 2017 – An experimental flu vaccine patch with dissolving microneedles appears safe and effective, a preliminary study shows. The patch has 100 solid, water-soluble and painless microneedles that are just long enough to penetrate the skin. Researchers say it could offer a pain-free and more convenient alternative to flu shots. "This bandage-strip sized patch of painless and dissolvable needles can transform how we get vaccinated," said Dr. Roderic Pettigrew, director of the U.S. National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, which funded the study. "A particularly attractive feature is that this vaccination patch could be delivered in the mail and self-administered. In addition, this technology holds promise for delivering other vaccines in the future," he said in an institute news release. The study of 100 adults found that the patch triggered a strong ... Read more
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Flu Shot Falls Short More Often for Obese People: Study
Posted 13 Jun 2017 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, June 13, 2017 – A flu shot is the best way to avoid getting sick, but new research reveals the vaccine doesn't work as well for people who are obese. Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found obese people who got a flu shot were twice as likely as their normal-weight peers to still get sick. Obesity is tied to an increased risk for several chronic health issues, the study authors explained. People who are obese are also more likely to die from the flu, they added. For the study, the researchers compared effectiveness of the flu vaccine among 1,022 adults. Participants received the seasonal trivalent inactivated flu vaccine during the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 flu seasons. The researchers evaluated their symptoms and used lab tests to measure their immune system's response to the shot. The study, published recently in the International Journal of ... Read more
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Most U.S. Kids Who Die From Flu Are Unvaccinated
Posted 3 Apr 2017 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, April 3, 2017 – The yearly flu shot could prevent most flu-related deaths among children and teenagers, a new U.S. government study estimates. Researchers found that about three-quarters of U.S. kids who died of flu complications between 2010 and 2014 were unvaccinated before they fell ill. If all children got their yearly flu shot, 65 percent of those deaths could be prevented, the researchers estimated. Experts said the findings, published online April 3 in Pediatrics, bolster what health officials already recommend: Adults and children age 6 months and up should be vaccinated ahead of every flu season. "This shows you, once again, that kids should get their flu shot," said Dr. Paul Offit, chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. It also highlights a fact that many parents may not know: "Healthy children can, and do, die of the flu," said Offit, ... Read more
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Black Americans More Likely to Skip Flu Shot
Posted 15 Mar 2017 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, March 15, 2017 – More than half of American adults don't get an annual flu shot, and black Americans are even less likely to do so because of concerns about side effects, researchers report. Campaigns advocating annual free flu shots should not only focus on the dangers of the seasonal flu but also address fears about the vaccine by explaining how it works, the study authors advised. "Most people have very limited understanding of the way vaccine recommendations are determined and how vaccines are made and distributed," explained study author Vicki Freimuth, a professor of health and risk communication at the University of Georgia. "Perhaps increasing knowledge about the process and its many contributing organizations may decrease perception of risk from the vaccine," Freimuth added in a news release from the Society for Risk Analysis. Only 41 percent of black adults in the ... Read more
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Congressional Group Gives Bipartisan Support to Vaccine Safety
Posted 21 Feb 2017 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Feb. 21, 2017 – A group of six high-ranking U.S. Senators and House members from both sides of the aisle issued a statement Tuesday supporting the safety and effectiveness of FDA-approved vaccines. The statement comes after reports that President Donald Trump has shown some support for the widely discredited "anti-vaxxer" movement. In early January, Robert Kennedy Jr., a vocal opponent of routine childhood vaccinations, said that Trump had asked him to head a new commission on vaccine safety. Various medical organizations expressed alarm at the time. However, the six Congressional leaders who penned the statement Tuesday said the debate over the safety of vaccines has long been over. They include Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Ranking ... Read more
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Flu Vaccine a Pretty Good Match for Viruses This Year: CDC
Posted 17 Feb 2017 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Feb. 16, 2017 – It's not perfect, but this year's flu vaccine is a fairly good match for the circulating viruses, U.S. health officials reported Thursday. Overall, the vaccine is 48 percent effective. For the predominant circulating influenza A type H3N2 flu strain, its effectiveness comes in at 43 percent. But it's 73 percent effective against influenza B viruses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The effectiveness is a little bit lower than we would like to see, but it's similar to what we have seen for H3 viruses when the vaccine is a good match for what's circulating," said Brendan Flannery, a CDC epidemiologist. Indications are that infections are still rising in certain regions of the country, like the Midwest, but declining in others, like the Northwest. This is shaping up as a moderately severe flu season, he added. In similar seasons, ... Read more
Related support groups: Influenza, Avian Influenza, Influenza A, FluLaval, Afluria, Fluzone, FluMist, Influenza Prophylaxis, Flucelvax, Vaccination and Prophlaxis, Influenza Virus Vaccine, Inactivated, Flublok, Flublok Quadrivalent, Fluzone Quadrivalent, Flublok 2015-2016, Flucelvax 2016-2017, Fluzone 2015-2016, Fluzone Preservative-Free, FluLaval Quadrivalent, Fluad 2016-2017
Eczema May Leave Some Flu Shots Less Effective, Study Finds
Posted 13 Feb 2017 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Feb. 13, 2017 – It's still flu season, and not too late to get your flu shot. But a new study suggests that people with eczema should request the vaccine be given into the muscle, rather than just under the skin. That's because the effectiveness of flu shots in people with eczema appears to vary, depending on how it's given, researchers report. The problem seems to lie with the fact that the cracked, dry skin of eczema patients is often colonized by Staphylococcus bacteria. And that seems to dampen the immune response from the flu vaccine – if the shot is given into the skin, the researchers said. "Staphylococcus infections are a widespread problem among [eczema] patients, with up to 90 percent of patients with severe disease colonized by the bacteria," lead researcher Dr. Donald Leung, of National Jewish Health in Denver, said in a hospital news release. He's head of ... Read more
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Flu Cases Spiking Across the United States: CDC
Posted 10 Feb 2017 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Feb. 10, 2017 – Flu activity spiked sharply across the United States this week, federal health officials reported Friday. Deaths from flu-related conditions continued at high levels, and hospitalizations among people over 65 and under the age of 4 are up. So far, 20 children have died from flu, said Lynnette Brammer, an epidemiologist for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "More children have died this year than at the same time last year," said Brammer. "This may end up being a bad year for kids, but we just don't know yet. Deaths look high for this year because last year was light. A lot of this is timing." Overall last year, 128 children died from flu-related complications, according to the CDC. Hospitalizations among people in their 50s and 60s are also increasing, and may actually be outpacing those for children, the CDC reported. Health officials noted ... Read more
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U.S. Vaccine Guidelines for Flu, HPV Updated
Posted 7 Feb 2017 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Feb. 7, 2017 – Roll up your sleeves, America. A national advisory panel of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released its 2017 advisory for recommended shots affecting adults. This year's advisory revises guidance on seasonal flu shots by eliminating nasal flu vaccines and modifying flu-shot advice for people with egg allergy. It also tweaks recommendations for vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B and meningococcal disease. Doctors use the annually updated vaccine schedule to ensure that patients receive the right vaccines for their age, medical condition and other risk factors. The entire list includes 13 vaccinations. "All adults need immunizations to help them prevent getting and spreading serious disease that could result in poor health, missed work, medical bills, and not being able to care for family," said the report's lead ... Read more
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U.S. Teens Lag on Recommended Vaccinations
Posted 6 Feb 2017 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Feb. 6, 2017 – Teens are less likely than younger children to get all their recommended vaccinations, perhaps putting their long-term health at risk, according to a leading group of U.S. pediatricians. Teens' rates of vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) and the flu are well below the target of 80 percent or higher, according to two reports from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). "We often find that teenagers don't visit their doctors as regularly as they did when they were younger, and they may be late or even miss important immunizations recommended to keep them healthy," Dr. Joseph Bocchini Jr. said in an academy news release. Bocchini is co-author of the reports and former chair of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases. The immunization rates vary considerably by vaccine and by state, the pediatricians' group found. In 2014, only 40 percent of girls and ... Read more
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Flu Shot May Curb Respiratory Infections in People With Heart Failure
Posted 2 Feb 2017 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Feb. 2, 2017 – Flu and pneumonia vaccines may reduce heart failure patients' risk of dangerous respiratory infections, a new review suggests. More than 5 million Americans have heart failure, when the heart is too weak to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Respiratory infections are the leading cause of hospitalization for people with heart failure. These infections are associated with high death rates in a hospital, the review authors said. The researchers reviewed studies published from January 1990 to July 2016. These studies suggested that flu and pneumonia vaccines seem to help protect people with heart failure from life-threatening respiratory infections. People older than 65 with heart failure may benefit more from high-dose vaccination, the researchers said. "Vaccination represents a low-cost intervention that may be able to prevent the significant disease, ... Read more
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Flu Hospitalizations, Deaths Increasing: CDC
Posted 27 Jan 2017 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Jan. 27, 2017 – Although this year's flu season appears to be an average one so far, more hospitalizations are being reported and deaths are increasing, federal health officials reported Friday. And it will be several weeks before the season peaks, said Lynnette Brammer, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We are starting to see cases of severe disease and we are seeing excess deaths, most likely due to influenza," she said. Even though deaths and hospitalizations are increasing, Brammer didn't describe this year's flu season as particularly severe. "It's looking like an average influenza season," she said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it's still not too late to get a flu shot. That's particularly important for the most vulnerable – the very young, the elderly, the chronically ill and pregnant women, ... Read more
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Best Ways to Steer Clear of the Flu
Posted 22 Jan 2017 by Drugs.com
SATURDAY, Jan. 21, 2017 – The best way for people to protect themselves from the flu is to get vaccinated – and it's not too late to get a shot, an infectious diseases expert says. The flu vaccine also protects those who aren't able to get it, including infants younger than 6 months and people with certain allergies and medical conditions, said Dr. Jeffrey Kahn. He is chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Those who think it's too late to get vaccinated should reconsider since flu season lasts until spring, Kahn said in a medical center news release. UT Southwestern outlines other ways people can reduce their risk of getting the flu: Keep your hands clean. Be sure to wash your hands well and often. If soap and water aren't readily available, opt for an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. It's also important to be aware of what you touch, ... Read more
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