The nation’s childhood immunization rates remain at or near record levels for routinely recommended vaccines, according to 2006 estimates released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This continues the trend of more children being protected against vaccine-preventable diseases each year.
As summer comes to a close, many parents are preparing their children to return to school. Any back to school plan will probably include a trip to the doctor or the neighborhood pharmacist to receive vaccinations. While children are commonly vaccinated to protect against chicken pox, measles and polio , one health threat often overlooked is pertussis. The spread of pertussis, also known as the ?whooping cough?, declined after widespread use of the vaccine began during the 1940s. However, since 1990 the illness, characterized by severe coughing, has been on the rise, particularly among older adolescents and adults who may have developed immunity to early vaccinations. Many adults do not realize that they are carriers of the disease. The illness spreads quickly when a sick patient sneezes, coughs or even talks and can have serious consequences for infants and toddlers who are exposed. Until recently, there was no pertussis containing vaccine approved in the United States for adolescents and adults.
The Indian Government proposes to include Hepatitis B in the schedule under the National Immunization Programme.
More than at any previous time in history, global public health security depends on international cooperation and the willingness of all countries to act effectively in tackling new and emerging threats.
With new diseases emerging at an unprecedented rate in an increasingly interconnected world, often with the ability to cross borders rapidly, global public health security depends on international cooperation and surveillance more than at any previous time in history, the United Nations health agency warned in its annual report today.
Novartis announced today the availability in the US of the first shipments of Fluvirin influenza virus vaccine for the 2007/08 season.
Most flu immunization plans in the United States do not address how to vaccinate hard-to-reach populations — undocumented immigrants, substance users, the homeless, homebound elderly, and minorities — and this potentially dangerous omission can lead masses of people to become ill during an outbreak of pandemic flu or other contagious disease, according to a new study by the New York Academy of Medicine in the current issue of the Journal of Urban Health.
On July_10, 2006, Health Canada approved GARDASIL(R), (Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus (Types 6, 11, 16, 18) Recombinant Vaccine), the first and only vaccine uniquely designed for the prevention of cervical, vulvar and vaginal cancers, as well as precancerous lesions at these sites and genital warts caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. Since becoming available in pharmacies across the country, over 100,000 doses of the vaccine have been distributed.
A national survey of state immunization program managers reveals gaps in coverage for the current vaccine financing system, suggesting that many underinsured children may not receive recommended vaccinations, such as for pneumonia and meningitis, according to a report in the August 8 issue of JAMA.
Due to limited federal and state funding for vaccines, underinsured children in the United States are increasingly at risk for not getting needed vaccines, according to a new study published August 8 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.