Adult Vaccinations

By Michael Le Page A TB vaccine is good moos for cattle Stef Bennett/Alamy Stock Photo A modified version of the BCG vaccine against tuberculosis could allow cattle around the world to be vaccinated against the disease for the first time. At present, the disease is controlled by slaughtering infected cattle and other animals thought to spread it, such as badgers, which has been a source of controversy. The modified vaccine has been tested only in guinea pigs so far, but the team is confident it will work in cattle too. “We would expect it to work in cows,” says team leader Johnjoe McFadden at the University of Surrey, UK. Testing in large animals like cattle is expensive, he says, and the team hasn’t yet got the funding. Vaccinating cattle with the standard BCG vaccine used in people – which contains a live bacterium – is banned in most countries. The reason is that the vaccine protects only about 70 per cent of cattle and a standard test can’t distinguish between cattle tha...

BOSTON (WWLP) – The community immunity act’ aims to mandate and regulate the vaccination process, but some parents are saying they don’t need the state to tell them what’s best for their child. The bill, filed by Senator Becca Rausch attempts to standardize the immunization and exemption processes for all K-12 schools, summer camps, colleges and universities in Massachusetts. Under the plan, parents who want their children exempt from vaccinations for things like the chickenpox, Measles, and Polio would have to file their exemption request through the Department of Public Health. This is something that some parents say is infringing on their right to choose what’s best for their children. “We are normal, everyday people just like you and me who have children, who love our children, who know our children, and want what’s best for our children and for some of us that means they can’t have vaccinations or certain vaccinations,” Shandy Raposa said. Senator Rausch said she sponsored t...

Samoa's measles outbreak rages on, with the ministry of health reporting 32 deaths as of Tuesday, almost all of which have been among children aged 4 and younger. The island nation of fewer than 200,000 has tallied 2,427 measles cases in the outbreak thus far, with more than 10% of those recently reported over a single 24-hour period, according to the ministry of health. In an effort to stem the infectious disease's transmission, the government declared a state of emergency on Nov. 15 and initiated a mandatory vaccination program for priority groups, including children and women of childbearing age who aren't pregnant. The best protection against measles is getting the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . It typically takes about 10 to 14 days for the vaccine to become effective. Since Samoa's mass vaccination campaign started on Nov. 20, at least 24,000 people have been immunized against measles. ...

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization says cases of measles are continuing to spike globally, with multiple large outbreaks being reported across Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. In an update on Wednesday, the U.N. health agency said Congo has reported more than 250,000 suspected cases this year, including 5,110 deaths. In Europe, there have been more than 56,000 cases in Ukraine. Sizeable outbreaks have also been reported in Brazil, Bangladesh and elsewhere. https://ift.tt/2OQZeVt

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated pneumococcal vaccine recommendations, based on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP’s) evaluation of their 2014 recommendation for Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV13) use among adults aged ≥65 years. The update was published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) . The committee found that PCV13 use among children has indirectly helped reduce incidence of PCV13-type disease to historic lows among adults. As a result, they have removed the recommendation for routine PCV13 vaccination among adults aged ≥65 years. ACIP now recommends PCV13 administration in the aged ≥65 years population based on shared clinical decision-making which incorporates risk for exposure to PCV13 serotypes. The committee continues to recommend PCV13 in series with Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPSV23) for adults ≥19 years of age who have an immunocompromising condition, cochlear implant...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Chickenpox vaccine reactivates in two boys, causing rare meningitis more commonly seen in unvaccinated kids    CNN https://ift.tt/34qFTkE

Scientific groups and global health authorities who continue to monitor the vaccine assert that it is safe and does not cause chronic pain, heart arrhythmias, autoimmune diseases, life-threatening allergic reactions, stroke, neurological disorders, premature ovarian failure, miscarriages, or other health problems. https://ift.tt/37Rlvvc

WASHINGTON , Nov. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the newly-released letter to Congress that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection ignored recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to vaccinate detained migrants again the flu, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) released the following statement: "ACEP strongly supports the vaccination of anyone detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or ICE contracted facilities. Insufficient sanitation, close confinement and poor nutrition could lead to a severe outbreak of the flu, which is potentially life-threatening, especially for children and elderly individuals." www.emergencyphysicians.org @emergencydocs The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is the national medical society representing emergency medicine. Through continuing education, research, public education and advocacy, ACEP advances emergency care on behalf of its 40,000 emergency physician members, ...

The measles outbreak was declared Oct. 16 and is spreading rapidly throughout the island with unprecedented severity, CDC officials said. Children under 5 account for nearly half of cases. In late November, the Pacific nation closed schools nationwide and indefinitely banned children younger than 17 from public gatherings. The number of measles cases represents more than 1 percent of the population of nearly 200,000. Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known . It can cause serious health complications, such as pneumonia or encephalitis, and death. Two doses of the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella are 97 percent effective in preventing measles. The high number of recent infections indicates that the Samoan crisis is far from over: The Health Ministry said 243 cases were reported in the previous 24 hours. “It does not appear, from the numbers we’ve been seeing, that it has peaked yet,” Helen Petousis-Harris , a vaccine safety expert at the University of Auc...

Families will get reminders by text from their GP to get their children vaccinated in an attempt to reverse a decline in some immunisations, the Conservatives have announced. A fall in the number of children getting their second dose of the MMR jab has resulted in a series of measles outbreaks that prompted the World Health Organization to strip the UK of its measles-free status. If the Tories win a majority at the general election, they pledge that every family will receive a reminder from their doctor, most likely via text, when it is time for their child’s next vaccination. The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said: “The science is clear: vaccines save lives, and ensuring that children are properly immunised is one of the most important things any parent can do for their children. “So we will introduce a national vaccination reminder system, to make sure as many children as possible are vaccinated.” Uptake exceeds 90% for most childhood immunisations, according to the governm...

Vaccination-wary groups are calling for the World Health Organization to halt the use of an oral polio vaccine following reports of 11 new cases of polio attributed to the vaccine in five countries. “In impoverished communities with substandard sanitation and living conditions, vaccine strain poliovirus can contaminate water sources used for bathing and drinking, which can lead to more cases of vaccine strain polio paralysis,” said Barbara Fisher, co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center . “Until polio eradication campaigns stop using live oral polio vaccine, the vaccine strain polio virus will continue to cripple children and adults.” She said parents of U.S. children injured by vaccines in the mid-1990s called for an end to the government’s recommendation of giving children five doses of the oral live poliovirus vaccine because of paralysis caused by the vaccine’s strain of the disease. In rare instances, the strains of an oral polio vaccine (OPV) that c...

Please enable Javascript to watch this video OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - It's a debate that has been reignited thanks to recent measles outbreaks nationwide. To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? On Tuesday, results of a new poll on Oklahomans were released. Medical professionals say diseases like measles, mumps and whooping cough are on the rise nationwide. They say it's because of falling vaccination rates across the U.S. Officials say Oklahoma has one of the lowest rates in the county, but a doctor-backed poll shows Oklahomans are in favor of getting their shots "We wanted to know what the people of Oklahoma really think," said Dr. Larry Bookman of the Oklahoma State Medical Association. A telephone poll was conducted in October by WPA Intelligence with more than 1,000 Oklahomans weighing in. "Residents across the state, regardless of political views, support strong immunization requirements," said Jacqueline McDaniel of the Oklahoma Alliance for ...

Baghdad, 26 November 2019 – Health authorities in Iraq, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, have launched a campaign to reach more than 3.1 million children under-5 years of age with lifesaving polio vaccine. The 5-day campaign aims to target children in 65 districts in the governorates of Baghdad, Babylon, Diwaniya, Diyala, Muthanna, Thi-Qar, Missan and Basra. “Over the years, WHO, the Ministry of Health and UNICEF have worked hard to improve immunization coverage in the country. Therefore, it is important that we keep building on our work by making sure that children are vaccinated against childhood preventable diseases like polio and we keep Iraq polio free,” said Dr Adham Ismail, WHO Representative for Iraq. “During this second phase of the campaign, we want to reach all the children under 5 regardless of their previous vaccination status with oral polio vaccine leaving no one out no matter where they are,” added Dr Adham. WHO supported the devel...

An 8-year-old Guatemalan boy died of the flu while being detained near El Paso in December, a month before CDC’s vaccination recommendation. In the months after CBP rejected the recommendation, at least two children — one in El Paso and one in Weslaco, Tex. — died after being diagnosed with the flu in Border Patrol custody, autopsy reports showed. Influenza outbreaks in Border Patrol detention facilities continued through May, sickening hundreds of people, including agents and detainees. DeLauro said CBP’s continuing refusal to provide flu vaccines to detained migrants is “unconscionable,” especially given Trump administration policies and migrant influxes that at times have caused U.S. facilities to be significantly overcrowded. “CDC’s recommendations are clear: flu vaccines should be administered to people as soon as possible to prevent the spread of this deadly disease,” she said. “Worse still, administration policies that kept families locked in cages for extended periods o...

By Miriam Fauzia BU News Service BOSTON — In 2000, the CDC declared the United States measles free, but in recent years there have been major outbreaks. There have been three confirmed cases of measles in Massachusetts since October 2019, one of those involving a Boston resident. It was the first reported case for the city since 2013.  The resurgence of this previously absent disease has been associated with the emergence of an anti-vaccination movement in the United States in recent years. But one expert says this tension between science, personal beliefs and public policy has been going on for much longer. In a recent lecture at the Old North Church, David Jones, a professor of the culture of medicine at Harvard University, explored the deep roots of this debate by examining Massachusetts’ history with smallpox. The first documented smallpox outbreak took place during the winter of 1633. Several more outbreaks would occur over the years as the New England colony expanded an...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A judge has ruled that it isn't unconstitutional for Missouri health officials to encourage families to vaccinate their children in a form they must complete to get a religious exemption. KCUR reports that Senior U.S. District Judge Howard Sachs wrote in Friday's ruling that the state's freedom to advocate vaccination as governmental policy is "well settled." The lawsuit was filed by Linus Baker, who is the grandfather of a student at Crossroads Academy in Kansas City. He also is representing families from Bates, Christian and Miller counties. Baker says he disagrees with the ruling. Sachs deferred the ruling until Dec. 16 to give the Bakers a chance to secure an exemption. Baker also has sued in Kansas to keep from having to vaccinate his son. That case is pending. ___ Information from: KCUR-FM, http://www.kcur.org https://ift.tt/34jKzsD

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Health officials: It’s not too late. Get the flu vaccine    Charlotte Observer https://ift.tt/2KSpf5I

Ashfaq Yusufzai PESHAWAR: Facing tremendous pressure over the outbreak of polio in Bannu district and adjacent Lakki Marwat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is making preparations for the effective vaccination of over 95 per cent of targeted children during the upcoming campaign slated to begin on Dec 16. The officials say measures are under way to scale up the children’s immunity in the infected districts and protect from the virus during the National Immunisation Day. The province has recorded more than two-thirds (66) of the nationwide 91 polio cases of this year with 50 coming from Bannu division. Dr Mohammad Salim, director of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, told Dawn that the communication and social mobilisation plan, especially in high-risk UCs of the endemic districts, had been revised with a focus on the creation of demand for oral polio vaccine among people through community-based approach. Official says good vaccinators being rewarded, others facing action He sai...

LONDON — Four African countries have reported new cases of polio linked to the oral vaccine, as global health numbers show there are now more children being paralyzed by viruses originating in vaccines than in the wild. In a report late last week, the World Health Organization and partners noted nine new polio cases caused by the vaccine in Nigeria, Congo, Central African Republic and Angola. Seven countries elsewhere in Africa have similar outbreaks and cases have been reported in Asia, including the two countries where polio remains endemic, Afghanistan and Pakistan. In rare cases, the live virus in oral polio vaccine can mutate into a form capable of sparking new outbreaks. All the current vaccine-derived polio cases have been sparked by a Type 2 virus contained in the vaccine. Type 2 wild virus was eliminated years ago. Polio is a highly infectious disease that spreads in contaminated water or food and usually strikes children under 5. About one in 200 infections results in p...

All University of Arkansas students are being required to have up-to-date vaccinations in order to attend classes following a mumps outbreak on campus. By The Associated Press November 24, 2019, 9:47 PM 1 min read All University of Arkansas students are being required to have up-to-date vaccinations in order to attend classes following a mumps outbreak on campus. The state Department of Health on Friday issued a notice telling students they need to be immunized with at least two doses of the mumps vaccine or sit out of class for 26 days. The agency says nine cases of the viral disease have been diagnosed at the Fayetteville school this fall and other possible cases are being investigated. University spokesman Zac Brown says the school has vaccination records for its roughly 27,000 students and has already contacted the 407 who don’t have current vaccinations. Brown says the university anticipates many of those students will come to a health center to be ino...