immunization news stories on Newser

Vaccine Delay Aggravates Swine Flu Fears

M. Morris — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:15:17 CDT

Production delays that are slowing the distribution of the H1N1 flu vaccine could hardly have come at a worse time, with the death toll in young people mounting and antivaccine activists seizing on any chance to make their position heard. Experts point out that the H1N1 version uses the same...

Swine Flu Parties Unsafe: Doc

Nick McMaster — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:24:19 CDT

Parents who are throwing “swine flu parties” to get kids together in hopes of exposing them to the virus now, while it is in a weaker form, are on the wrong track, says a prominent pediatrician. Responding to a question from a US News and World Report reader, Thomas Sandora...

Flu Shots Decrease Use of Antibiotics

Nick McMaster — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:32:09 CDT

Providing flu shots to the public decreases the prescription of antibiotics, say Canadian researchers. The results of a 10-year study in Ontario will be good news to public health officials who worry that over-prescription of antibiotics is creating more resistant bacteria, reports Miller-McCune. Researchers found that doctors prescribed 64% fewer...

Schools Are Ground Zero in Swine Flu Fight

Mat Probasco — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:24:42 CDT

Groups of kids or young adults in close proximity, often with lax sanitary standards, make typical school conditions hot spots for a swine flu resurgence, reports the Washington Post . To make matters worse, people 6 months to 24 years old appear to be especially susceptible to the H1N1 virus. But...

US Scratches Out Scourge of Chickenpox

Michael Foreman — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:20:05 CDT

Thirteen years after the introduction of a vaccine, chickenpox has virtually disappeared among American children. The virus that causes the itchy disease is now so rare that parents and physicians alike have difficulty recognizing it, the Chicago Tribune reports. New research reveals a 75% drop in pox-related hospitalizations over the...

Fewer Kids Get Needed Shots

Sam Gale Rosen — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:40:28 CDT

Fewer kids in the US are getting needed vaccinations, a study by the Centers for Disease Control finds. More than one in four have skipped or received mistimed doses of important immunizations, ABC News reports. "It's really important that parents understand how important it is to get their kids vaccinated...

All Schoolkids Should Get Flu Shot, Feds Say

Zach Samalin — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:17:00 CST

All schoolchildren in the US should get flu shots, a CDC panel advises. Current guidelines call for shots for those ages 6 months to 5 years, but the new recommendation raises the age to 18, an expansion of 30 million youngsters, the AP reports. The CDC is expected to adopt...

On YouTube Anti-Vaccine Vids Trump Science

Zach Samalin — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:21:24 CST

A new JAMA study reports that when it comes to at least one important public health subject on YouTube, theories rejected in the medical community have trumped official information in viewership. Controversial anti-vaccination videos are getting more hits and higher ratings than those touting the accepted science. The findings appear...

Flu Shots May Not Save Lives Among Elderly

Colleen Barry — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 04:16:59 CDT

The effectiveness of flu shots in the elderly has been highly exaggerated and the vaccination appears to have little impact on death rates among people over 70, according to a study published in the Lancet . The shots do help people under age 65, researchers concluded. The vaccinations are less effective...