ACIP Backs RSV Shot for 50-59-Year-Olds, Meningitis Vaccine

At its first meeting under the new administration, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted on recommendations for several vaccines but did not vote on the influenza vaccine, as had previously been scheduled. ACIP was due to meet in February, as it does annually, but the … Read more

Bird Flu’s Unprecedented Global Spread Sparks Alarm

Rapid spread of the H5N1 avian influenza virus has reached an “unprecedented” scale this season, wiping out hundreds of millions of birds worldwide and increasingly infecting mammals, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations warned on March 16. The spread of the virus poses significant risks from food and public health perspectives. … Read more

Vasculitis Patients Need Multiple COVID Vaccine Boosters

People with vasculitis may need at least three or four vaccinations for COVID-19 before they start to show an immune response against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, new research has suggested. In a longitudinal retrospective study, serum antibody neutralization against the Omicron variant of the virus and its descendants was found to … Read more

Influenza Vaccination Cuts Deaths by Up to Four Times

Flu Vaccines: Battling H3N2 and Protecting Public Health The annual race against the ever-changing influenza virus is a critical one for public health. A recent meta-analysis published in the European Respiratory Review sheds light on the effectiveness of flu vaccines against different influenza subtypes, particularly the notoriously evasive H3N2 strain. This strain poses a unique … Read more

Influenza Vaccination Cuts Deaths by Up to Four Times

Influenza vaccination significantly reduces flu-related morbidity and mortality across all age groups, according to a large-scale Spanish study analyzing data from more than 38 countries and 6.5 million patients. Published in the European Respiratory Review, the meta-analysis was conducted by the Virology and Innate Immunity Research Group at CEU San Pablo University, Madrid, Spain, and … Read more

19-month-old boy in critical condition with flu at Hong Kong hospital

A 19-month-old unvaccinated toddler is in a critical condition after contracting the flu, becoming the ninth serious case of influenza in children recorded since January, Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection has said. The centre said on Saturday the boy was still being treated in a paediatric intensive care unit in hospital and urged residents … Read more

Relationship between influenza-related experience and current vaccination outcome | BMC Public Health

Data Data in this study came from the ten panels (panel 11 to panel 20 from 2006 to 2016) of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). The U.S. Public Health Service conducts MEPS through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and CDC. On average, there are close to 20,000 observations in each panel. … Read more

Flu Shot Shields Kids Across Severity Levels

TOPLINE: Influenza vaccination demonstrates consistent effectiveness of approximately 50% across all severity levels in children, with higher protection observed in younger children (age, 6 months to 8 years) than in older ones (age, 9-17 years). METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a test-negative case-control study to evaluate the vaccine effectiveness (VE) against severe influenza in children across eight … Read more