The COSHAR Foundation Urges Parents to Ensure Children Are Up-to-Date on Vaccinations.
National immunization program reaches more than 11,000 churches since its launch in April CHEVY CHASE, Md., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- In preparation for flu season, The COSHAR Foundation today urges parents to protect their children against vaccine-preventable illnesses -- including the flu. The Foundation's efforts are part...

Flu vaccination rates low for infants, toddlers.
Influenza vaccination of children aged 6-23 months remains low, with only 21% of children in this age group being fully vaccinated against influenza during the 2005-2006 season, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccination rate was similar for the 24-59 months...

New immunization policy recommendations issued: addressing challenges.
Newly issued recommendations and standards for immunization present pediatricians, with updated guidance and tools to meet the ongoing challenge of achieving universal vaccination, a goal that was set in 1977 but has yet to be reached. Among the cautionary statistics cited by an American Academy of Pediatrics...

Less than quarter of children under 2 years get flu vaccine.
Influenza vaccination of children aged 6-23 months remains low, with only 21% of children in this age group being fully vaccinated against influenza during the 2005-2006 season, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccination rate was similar for the 24-59 months...

Pertussis outbreaks underline need for vaccination: vaccines for teens and adults could be beneficial, as immunity from infant immunization wanes.
Three recent hospital pertussis outbreaks and one infant death from the disease strongly point to the need for improved recognition and protection against transmission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The cases, from four states, also illustrate the potential benefit of vaccination against Bordetella pertussis...

Access and autonomy boost level of NICU staff influenza immunization.
TORONTO -- A 24/7 program allowing health care workers to vaccinate each other against influenza can dramatically increase staff immunization rates, bolstering the "cocoon effect" in the neonatal intensive care unit, Dr. Shetal Shah said in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. ...

Children and elderly both benefit from pediatric influenza vaccine.
WARSAW -- The decision by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to recommend influenza vaccination for healthy children 6-23 months old is likely to have an impact far beyond this young age group, according to Frederick L. Ruben, M.D. "We know that children shed influenza virus longer...

Russia Chooses Inactivated Polio Vaccine from Sanofi Pasteur for Primary Immunization of all Infants.
Sanofi Pasteur and Chumakov Institute Russian Academy Medical Sciences Providers of Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) IMOVAX PolioTM for Russia National "Project Health" PARIS, November 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, announced today that Russia has chosen inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) from Sanofi...

Rotavirus vaccine not tied to intussusception.
After previously warning that the rotavirus vaccine led to an increased risk of an intestinal condition, federal officials concluded in March that the vaccine is not tied to such a risk. New safety data released March 15 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded the...

Needless barriers block child flu immunization.
Despite widespread recognition in the medical community of the importance of influenza vaccination, barriers still exist to ensuring the widespread immunization of all target groups, according to Dr. Timothy Murphy, chief of infectious diseases at the State University of New York at Buffalo. "During an influenza outbreak,...