Vaccination

William Atkinson, MD, delivered a wide-ranging look at recent developments in immunization research and policy, reviewed new recommendations for 2012, and offered several predictions on likely developments in the near future.

Bullying is on everyone's mind these days. Over the past two weeks, the media has strongly focuses on the trial of Dharun Ravi, the Rutgers University student recently convicted of 15 counts, including a hate crime and anti-gay intimidation of Tyler Clementi, his former roommate who committed suicide in September 2010.

Dr. Judith Palfrey challenged everyone to imagine what a nation of health kids would be like in the opening session of the 2012 NAPNAP Conference. The issue is, she stated, "You can't get any place if you don't know where you are going; try it."

According to a report from the HHS, pediatric rheumatology is not represented among 30-40% of US medical schools and pediatric residency programs and, perhaps even more alarming, the report found that 13 states lack a single pediatric rheumatologist.

HCPLive is offering live coverage from the 33rd Annual Conference on Pediatric Health Care which is providing health care professionals with the latest updates in pediatric health care.

Vaccinating pregnant women against the influenza virus appears to have a significant positive effect on infant birth weight.

A recent measles outbreak described in the Jan. 20 edition of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report provides a stark reminder of the potential consequences of vaccine refusal and the vigilance required of health care providers to prevent such occurrences from growing out of hand.

The current flu season has been relatively quiet so far-especially when compared to the recent H1N1 riddled seasons-but the CDC still maintains that precautions against influenza must be taken.

Andrew Wakefield, the lead author of a discredited 1998 study in the Lancet linking the MMR vaccine to autism has sued a British journalist, the journal BMJ, and the journal's editor over articles, editorials, and public statements that he claims are false and defamatory and have caused him personal and financial damage.

A vaccine that significantly decreases tumors in a mouse model closely imitating 90% of human breast and pancreatic cancer cases-including ones that do not respond to traditional therapies-has been developed by Mayo Clinic researchers.

New guidelines from the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) advise all diabetes patients between the ages of 19 and 59 to receive the hepatitis B vaccination and urge those over the age of 60 to consult a physician prior to receiving the vaccine.

An experimental HIV vaccine using a killed whole virus and developed at the University of Western Ontario in Canada has received approval from the FDA to begin human clinical trials next month, the university has announced.

"Near real-time" data on whether people are having any side effects from vaccinations is now available, thanks to new technology and a study performed in Scotland. The researchers, who focused on recipients of the 2009/2010 swine flu vaccination in Scotland, reported that using this technology can aid future vaccination campaigns by increasing consumer and patient safety.

Researchers have reported that PANVAC, a potential breast and ovarian cancer vaccine, has shown promise in a small-scale study, as it elongated the overall survival time in some patients. In fact, researchers found that the progression of the cancer was halted in some breast cancer patients.

Clinicians have reported that influenza vaccination increases autoantibody production and/or disease activity in a significant proportion of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has voted to recommend routine vaccination against human papillomavirus for 11- and 12-year-old boys.

HPV vaccination is routinely recommended for females but not males, though that may soon change-and cost-effectiveness may be an important argument in favor.

At the end of his lecture on the successes and challenges of vaccination, Larry Pickering, MD, showed a video illustrating its benefits. Check it out here.

Larry Pickering, MD, described some of the challenges that the US vaccination program faces going forward.

Larry Pickering, MD, described immunization as a great public health triumph and talked of how the US maintains high vaccination rates.

Kevin Ault, MD, of Emory University discusses arguments for and against HPV vaccination in males, with an emphasis on cost-effectiveness.

Initial results of a Phase 3 trial of the experimental malaria vaccine RTS,S found that it cut the risk of contracting malaria approximately in half.

A press conference highlighted a study on doctors' beliefs on vaccine safety and efficacy and one on pediatricians' experience of parental vaccine resistance.

California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill last week that will allow girls as young as 12 to get the human papillomavirus vaccine without parental consent.

More than one in 10 parents of young children has departed from the official vaccination schedule recommended by the CDC, a nationwide survey finds.

In this video, Dr. Mark Sawyer discusses the safety of vaccines and the 2010 whooping cough outbreak in California.

For over 25 years, chemist Kim D. Janda has been working on vaccines that would prompt the immune system to neutralize narcotics. He may be close to success.

Stay tuned for live coverage from the conference starting October 15.

A 2006 change in US vaccination policy for preschoolers led to a significant decline in flu cases for children in all age groups, a study finds.

The ongoing fight between science and vaccine deniers is having an effect on public health.