Adult Vaccinations

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Novavax touts flu-COVID combo vaccine as FDA decision looms    FierceBiotech

Show Caption Hide Caption WH COVID coordinator: US is at an 'inflection point' White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha appeared for the first time in his new role at the White House briefing, saying the pandemic has reached "an inflection point" in the U.S. as hospitalizations and deaths continue to fall. (April 26) AP Moderna has submitted a request for emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months through 5 years old, the company announced Thursday morning. In the company's study of 6,700 kids in the 6-month to under 6-year age group, researchers found after receiving two 25 - microgram doses of the vaccine they developed levels of virus-fighting antibodies comparable to young adults who received two doses of the full-strength 100 microgram shot....

Flu vaccine generated with a novel platform, using animal cell culture rather than egg, appeared to have good protection for children, a clinical trial showed. Among kids ages 2 and up, the IIV4c vaccine had 54.6% efficacy (95% CI 45.7-62.1) in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza compared with a non-influenza vaccine as a stand-in for placebo (incidence 7.8% vs 16.2%). Adverse events were similar between groups, and efficacy was similar across age groups and prior influenza vaccination status, reported Alexandre C. Fortanier, PhD, of Seqirus Clinical Development in Amsterdam, and colleagues in the New England Journal of Medicine . These findings extended the evidence for efficacy seen in a prior trial with the cell-culture-derived trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine in adults, they noted. The cell-based IIV4c vaccine gained expanded FDA approval on October 15 for use down to age 6 months under the same Flucelvax Quadrivalent name as the conventional version using st...

New research suggests rifaximin could be an effective treatment option for patients with clostridium difficile infections (CDI) who do not respond to metronidazole. A team, led by Muhammad Wagas, evaluated the efficacy of rifaximin in metronidazole non-responsive patients with C difficile infections. Rifaximin is an antibiotic that has only shown marginal resistance against C difficile bacteria. However, metronidazole is also ineffective in many cases because of resistant strains. "The exact cause of failure is unknown but the possibilities include the emerging resistance of bacteria, increasing disease severity, and poor immune-mediated response in patients," the authors wrote. The Study In the cross-sectional study, the investigators examined 200 cases of C difficile in patients at the Lahore General Hospital in Pakistan. The mean age of the patient population in the treatment group was 45.41 ± 8.54 years. The majority were aged between 35-50 years. Included in the...

Some studies suggest that certain probiotics may help treat stomach viruses. However, the results of these studies are inconsistent. There is still much that experts do not know about how probiotics work. Probiotics are live microbes that are beneficial to human health. They are present in certain foods, such as kefir and live yogurt, and probiotic supplements. There are also a large number of microbes that live in the digestive tract. Some are beneficial, while others are not. Collectively, these organisms are known as the microbiome. The human microbiome is very complex and unique to each individual. That is why people can have different responses to different strains of probiotic, if they have any response at all. In this article, we discuss the use of probiotics for a stomach virus, including whether they can help treat viruses, protect the microbiome, or prevent future viruses from causing infection. We also examine the possible side effects of probiotics and when to consult a doc...

Nearly 200 cases of severe, unexplained hepatitis have been reported in children worldwide over the last few months, including at least nine cases in the U.S., according to news reports . Here's what we know about the mysterious outbreak: What is hepatitis? Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. It can be caused by viruses, drugs such as alcohol, prescription medications, toxins or certain medical conditions, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . Most often, hepatitis is caused by a viral infection — specifically, the hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D and E. In the U.S., hepatitis A, B and C are the most common causes of viral hepatitis, according to the CDC. Hepatitis can cause swelling and damage to the liver, which can affect how well this vital organ functions, according to the National Institutes of Health . Why are the cases unusual? Cases of severe hepatitis, like the ones in the current outbreak, are unusual in children. In addition...

It is available via prescription to people over the age of 60 for $65. It comes as health officials are warning of a potentially severe and unpredictable virus season this winter. "I'm particularly concerned that this year will be severe," Professor Paul Van Buynder from Griffith University said. There is likely to be a resurgence of the flu after pandemic lockdowns kept infections at bay, resulting in low herd immunity. Australia is also still battling rising COVID-19 cases.

Show Caption Hide Caption Candida Auris emerges as a serious global health threat The New York City area and New Jersey have reported more than 400 cases over the last few years of an emerging fungus infection. Lindy Washburn and Paul Wood Jr, NorthJersey.com DETROIT – A 36-bed specialty recovery hospital that operates on the seventh floor of DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit is no longer admitting new patients because of an outbreak of a drug-resistant, highly contagious and often deadly fungal infection called Candida auris.  Select Specialty Hospital - Northwest Detroit is voluntarily pausing admission of new patients as it works with the state health department and the city of Detroit's health department to address the outbreak. Fifteen cases of Candida auris have been detected in Michigan since 2021 – seven of w...

IDSA is encouraged that the president's budget request for FY 2023 includes significant new investment in key infectious diseases priorities to keep our nation healthy. Notably, the budget includes significant increased funding to revitalize and sustain antimicrobial research and development. The budget also includes increased funding for CDC's Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative, which invests in national infrastructure to prevent antimicrobial resistance, improve surveillance and promote stewardship, though IDSA recommends a larger investment in this critical program.   In addition, IDSA supports increased investment in several other ID-related health priorities including increasing immunization activities; preventing HIV, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis; and addressing the infectious diseases impacts of the opioid crisis. IDSA is pleased to see the president's budget request includes $88.2 billion in new mandatory funding for pandemic...

(SACRAMENTO) James Marcin, director of the UC Davis Center for Health and Technology, vice chair for pediatric clinical research and professor of pediatrics, has been selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for 2022-2023. The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program offers more than 400 awards in more than 130 countries for U.S. citizens to teach, conduct research and carry out professional projects around the world. College and university faculty, as well as artists and professionals from a wide range of fields, can join over 400,000 Fulbright U.S. Scholars who have come away with enhanced skills, new connections and greater mutual understanding. Marcin will work with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and Children's Health Ireland (CHI) to advance pediatric health care in Ireland as a new children's hospital integrates novel telehealth and digital health technologies. Marcin plans to collaborate in the design, implementation and research of telehealth services provided to...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Cholera    The Lancet

Bethany Weathersby remembers when she stopped feeling her daughter Lucy inside her in 2013. At about 18 weeks' gestation, she had an intrauterine blood transfusion to try to save her baby. She never felt Lucy after that, and days later Lucy had died. Lucy had a hemolytic disease of the fetus called Kell alloimmunization. It's a mismatch of blood types between the mother and the baby. Clinical trials on a medication that shows promise to treat this mismatch are being done at Dell Children's Medical Center and being led by Dr. Kenneth Moise Jr., a maternal fetal medicine specialist and co-director of the Dell Children's Comprehensive Fetal Care Center. The fetal care center, which officially began in May 2021, has attracted patients from throughout the country and from Europe, who are now coming to Austin for care.  The center brought in Moise and co-director Dr. Michael Bebbington, as well as support...

Skin conditions are common among people of all ages. Some skin diseases such as keratosis pilaris or psoriasis affect millions of Americans each year. Typically, skin disorders are easy to treat or are so mild that they require no treatment at all. There are, however, some skin conditions that are so rare and severe that they require specialized medical treatment. The following 10 skin diseases are so rare that you may have never heard of them at all. Денис Безобразов / Getty Images 1. Argyria Argyria is a rare skin disorder that causes the skin to change color into a blue or grayish hue. The cause can be attributed to overexposure to silver. If a person ingests a large dose of silver or is exposed to small amounts of silver for a prolonged period, silver particles can deposit in the skin and stain the skin and mucous membranes bluish-gray or slate-gray. The disease is not life-threatening, but the discoloration of the skin can pose challenges i...