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1) "Vaccines: They're Not Just for Kids (But Too Few U.S. Adults Are Getting Immunized)" TIME (February 3, 2012) - "Shots are never fun no matter what your age, but according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults may dread them (almost) as much as children. Each year, 45,000 Americans die from vaccine-preventable diseases. Despite that, U.S. adults are not getting the immunizations they need. According to the report published in the Feb. 3 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, three vaccines - tetanus, diphtheria and acellus pertussis, or Tdap; human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and a vaccine for shingles - showed small increases among adults in 2010. The rate of coverage climbed from 1.6% to 8.2%."
2) "U.S. adult vaccination levels low" United Press International (February 2, 2012) - "Approximately 45,000 adults die annually from vaccine-preventable diseases, while adult vaccination coverage remains low, U.S. researchers said. A report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report said apart from influenza vaccination -- recommended for all adults -- adult vaccines target different populations based on age, certain medical conditions, behavioral risk factors such as injection drug use, occupation, travel and other indications... 'Substantial increases are needed to reduce the occurrence of vaccine-preventable diseases among adults,' CDC officials said."
3) "Too Few American Adults Getting Needed Vaccinations: CDC" HealthDay News (February 2, 2012) - "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... 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 includes protection against pertussis, also known as whooping cough. Among whites aged 60 and older, use of a vaccine that protects against shingles rose more than 5 percent to 16.6 percent."
4) "Officials Recommend the HPV Vaccine for All Boys" The New York Times (February 2, 2012) - "Federal health officials recommended on Thursday that all boys be routinely vaccinated against infection with human papillomavirus, or HPV. Since 2006, the vaccine has been recommended for girls and young women, largely because HPV infection can cause cervical cancer. But the vaccine also protects against genital warts in men and women, and lowers the risk of developing head, neck and anal cancers. In a new immunization schedule published in The Annals of Internal Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended vaccinations for boys aged 11 to 12 and catch-up vaccinations for those aged 13 to 21."
6) "OPINION: Vaccines are effective, save many lives" Idaho Mountain Express (February 3, 2012) - "Whether or not to vaccinate your child has become an emotional topic over the past several years. Media reports that vaccinations are dangerous are widespread, and it's difficult to sort through the vast amount of information out there and figure out what's truth and what's fiction. Furthermore, it can be daunting when you arrive at the doctor's office and find out that your baby needs five shots for her routine checkup... Vaccines are clearly effective. They have saved the lives of millions of children around the world. Because of vaccinations, we rarely see polio, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), measles, mumps and even chicken pox in children anymore. Rates of hospitalization in children have dropped dramatically in the past 20 years because of the use of vaccines." - Dr. Julie Lyons
7) "Protecting infants: 'Cocoon' vaccinations urged" The Poughkeepsie Journal (NY) (February 3, 2012) - "A new report urges broader vaccinations to include caregivers and family members to better protect infants and children from diseases. The report from the American Academy of Pediatrics - and authored by a local doctor - is in favor of a preventative strategy aimed at vaccinating family members and others who are in close contact with infants. Known as the 'cocoon strategy,' its focus is to protect infants, whose immune systems are not yet fully developed, and others with compromised immune systems from vaccine-preventable diseases... The report asserts: Vaccinations can be safely offered to adults by pediatricians in pediatric office settings as an alternate method of vaccination; Pediatricians can help educate parents and caregivers on the importance of immunization and encourage them to get vaccinated."
8) "Immunization Exemption Bill Unlikely To Go To Vote" Associated Press (February 2, 2012) - "A bill that would expand the number of exemptions allowed for parents who don't want their children to be immunized apparently will not go to a vote this year. State Rep. Brenda Landwehr of Wichita said Wednesday that she doesn't intend to have the House Health and Human Services Committee work on the bill. She told The Wichita Eagle that she sees little support on the committee for allowing more exemptions from mandatory immunizations. The bill drew a large crowd for a public hearing two weeks ago. Dozens of parents said they wanted to be allowed to reject the immunizations for reasons of personal conscience."
9) "Doctors Urge Vaccinations After Swine Flu Found in Mexico" CBS News - St. Louis (MO) (February 2, 2012) - "A swine flu outbreak in Mexico prompts infectious diseases experts in St. Louis to take notice. About 1,500 swine flu or H1N1 cases have been reported in Mexico since January more than in all of 2011... Hinrichs says the current vaccine has three strains in it; the H1N1 swine flu strain, as well as the H3N2, and a Type B strain. Both of which are more prominent in this area right now. St. Louis County Health officials report 27 new flu cases this past week up from 15 the week before."
10) "Adults need vaccinations, too" The Washington Post - The Checkup Blog (February 2, 2012) - "Did you know that adults should get a tetanus and diphtheria booster every 10 years? Or that people 60 and over should get a zoster vaccination to protect against shingles? It's relatively easy to keep track of kids' vaccination schedules; most schools require students to be up to date on their shots before they walk in the door, and families who have relationships with a pediatrician or family doctor can usually rely on those physicians' offices to maintain vaccination history records and issue reminders when new shots come due. But once we graduate from high school and outgrow our pediatricians, many of us are on our own when it comes to organizing our inoculations."
11) "New Vaccine Recommendations for Boys and Diabetics" The New York Times - Well Blog (February 2, 2012) - "Federal health experts are now recommending that all boys be routinely vaccinated against human papillomavirus, or HPV. The vaccine already has been recommended for girls and young women since 2006 largely to prevent cervical cancer. But health authorities never expressly encouraged the vaccine for young boys, saying only that they 'could' receive it to protect against genital warts and certain cancers and to help prevent the spread of HPV... The move came about because health authorities were swayed by new data in the past two years showing that the vaccine is 'very effective' in preventing genital warts in men and women and some cancers, said Eileen Dunne, a C.D.C. scientist. HPV infection can increase the risk of several cancers, including cervical, anal and oropharyngeal cancers affecting the back of the tongue and the throat."
12) "Taking Another Shot At The Flu Vaccine" Kaiser Health News - Capsules Blog (February 2, 2012) - "Despite nearly 20 years of recommendations that health workers get flu shots, the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that less than 64 percent of them do. Consumer and business groups met in Washington Thursday to show their support for a recommendation from the National Business Group on Health (NBGH) that hospitals require all health care workers to be vaccinated annually against the flu... But flu vaccinations have been a point of contention among health care workers and labor groups for years. Organizations such as the National Vaccine Information Center, a charitable non-profit, say all consumers - including health care workers -should have the choice about whether to get vaccinated... Even within the government, there are conflicting views. In a letter to the National Vaccine Program Office last month, Jordan Barab, deputy assistant secretary for the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said his organization supports the goal of the HHS' Healthy People 2020 initiative to get 90 percent of health care personnel vaccinated. But 'we are troubled that some have tried to convert the goal into a mandate,' he wrote."
13) "What's New With the 2012 Immunization Schedule" Shot of Prevention (February 2, 2012) - "It's important for doctors, nurses, health care professionals and parents to keep informed about changes to the recommended immunization schedule. Today's report from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) details the changes to the 2012 schedule as suggested by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)... It also should be noted that the ACIP recommends that children 6 months to 8 years of age receive two doses of influenza vaccine during the current season if they did not receive at least one dose of the vaccine during the 2010-11 season. It also clarifies the guidance for clarifies the guidance for giving the flu shot to kids with egg allergies."
14) "Sad Story, Happy Ending" Parents Who Protect (February 2, 2012) - "This week I've been at the Hanger Prosthetics Annual Convention, as a speaker and exhibitor, to raise awareness about meningitis and to talk about the difficulties that meningitis survivors who needed amputations endure. I've talked to many prosthetists and amputees... This little girl, who is now 12 and very mobile on her prosthetics, has been vaccinated for meningitis. While I was reeling from the story her adoptive mother told me, I was gladdened to her that this mother was giving this girl all the love and care she needs. We have the opportunity to protect our children, and that is why we must all be Parents Who Protect." |
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