Three more Guillain-Barre cases associated with menactra.
Three additional cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome related to the Menactra MCV4 meningococcal conjugate vaccine have been reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta. Even with these additional cases, the incidence of this adverse effect does not exceed the incidence that might be expected...

Michigan to propose HPV vaccine mandate.
In September, Michigan state Sen. Beverly Hammerstrom introduced the nation's first legislation that would require all girls entering sixth grade to receive a vaccine against the virus linked to cervical cancer. Federal officials recently approved the vaccine for girls and women ages 9-26, and the federal Advisory...

Demographics affect immunization.
Single motherhood is a significant predictor in delaying the completion of the 4:3:1:3 immunization series, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health. Only about 17% of children whose mothers had never been married had up-to-date immunizations, compared to about 75% of children whose mothers...

Wide variation seen in hepatitis A vaccination.
Immunization rates for hepatitis A in children aged 24-35 months vary widely across areas and populations in the United States. the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. In 1999, the CDC recommended routine immunization against hepatitis A for children residing in 11 states in which the...

Vaccinate yourself, your staff for flu! New Initiative.
ATLANTA -- A new initiative aimed at improving the "dismal" 36% rate of influenza vaccination among health care workers is being led by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, Dr. Kristin Nichol announced at a meeting of the Centers for Disease. Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices....

Subspecialists must recommend adult vaccinations. (Current Rates Called 'Pathetic').
DENVER -- The time has come for a national adult vaccination initiative along the lines of the highly successful, decades-old childhood initiative, Dr. Gregory A. Poland said at the National Immunization Conference sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This fall, the CDC will take...

Merck stops lobbying for state-level HPV vaccine mandates.
Merck & Co. announced that it will cease its lobbying efforts toward mandatory vaccination against the human papillomavirus for adolescent girls. Merck, which markets Gardasil, the first vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent infection with some strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), has drawn...

Merck halts lobbying on HPV vaccine mandate.
Merck & Co. announced that it will cease its lobbying efforts toward mandatory vaccination against the human papillomavirus for adolescent girls. Merck, which markets Gardasil, the first vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent infection with some strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), has drawn...

Global Goal to Reduce Measles Deaths in Children Surpassed.
Measles Deaths Fall by 60 Per Cent NEW YORK and GENEVA, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Measles deaths have fallen by 60 per cent worldwide since 1999 -- a major public health success. This exceeds the United Nations goal to halve measles deaths between 1999 and 2005 and...

Rotavirus vaccine intussusception cases fall within expected range, says CDC.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a statement March 15 reporting that new safety data on a recently licensed rotavirus vaccine given to infants that indicate the vaccine does not pose an elevated risk for intussusception, the most common cause of bowel obstruction in infants. ...