American Lung Association of Arizona, Phoenix Fire and Maricopa County Public Health Urge Residents to Get Vaccinated Against the Flu.
Fire Chief Bob Khan and County Health Director, Dr. Bob England Encourage all Families to Get Immunized During Free Influenza Immunization Clinic at Madison Number One Middle School PHOENIX, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of today's announcement that Arizona has its first lab-confirmed case of...

Another vaccine success story.
In 2002, the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children adopted a goal to reduce deaths due to measles by half by the end of 2005, compared with 1999 estimates. The authors of this paper in The Lancet describe efforts and progress made towards this goal. Before...

Meningococcal shot urged by ACIP.
ATLANTA -- All adolescents and college freshman living in dormitories should be routinely vaccinated with quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine, according to a meningococcal work group of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The proposals were made in anticipation of U.S. licensure...

BOTTOMLINE.
Hepatitis A Vaccine A new economic analysis indicates that routine hepatitis A vaccination of all children and adolescents in the 10 states with the highest annual disease rates would be quite cost effective, at $12,383 per year of life saved. In contrast, vaccinating infants against...

Using Varicella Vaccine After Exposure.
ASPEN, COLO. -- Varicella vaccine appears to be effective for postexposure prophylaxis when given within 3 days after exposure, Dr. Mary P. Glade said at a conference on pediatric infectious diseases sponsored by Children's Hospital, Denver. "I think in a healthy exposed child, it's a very reasonable...

The smallpox vaccination of health care workers: professional obligations and defense against bioterrorism.
In early December 2002, President Bush announced plans for the immediate vaccination of approximately 500,000 health care professionals against smallpox on a voluntary basis (as well as up to 500,000 military personnel on a mandatory basis). These health care professionals would act as smallpox response teams in the event...

Doctors, legislators differ on HPV vaccine mandates.
Legislation mandating that all middle school girls be vaccinated with the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine has been greeted with concern by leaders of some medical organizations. At press time, such legislation had been introduced or was under discussion in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky,...

High-risk children not routinely getting flu shots.
TORONTO -- The majority of pediatricians queried in one survey aren't systematically identifying children at high risk for influenza-related complications to ensure they receive yearly flu shots, Maureen Kolasa, R.N., reported in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. This was true...

The Food and Drug Administration approves the HPV vaccine.
In June, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine for protection against cervical cancer and genital warts. This HPV vaccine is a very important contribution to the fight against cervical cancer. The research that Merck, manufacturer of the vaccine, has conducted to date...

First-year HPV vaccination rates 'very good'.
A survey providing the first estimates for human papillomavirus vaccination found that 25% of girls aged 13-17 had received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to a briefing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "This was very good for a first-year measurement for...