Content about Vaccine

At the beginning of the year, a major global controversy was settled when it turned out that a study published in The Lancet in 1998 linking the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine to autism in children turned out to be a whopper of a fraud.


But despite the exposure of the study’s author — and outbreaks of preventable diseases among children in the United States and Europe, thanks to parents who opted to have their kids vaccinated — it appears that sowing fear of childhood vaccines still appears to have some currency.


ANN ARBOR, Mich. — According to new research conducted by the University of Michigan, more than 1-out-of-10 parents of young children use an alternative vaccination schedule, a practice that may put children's health at risk.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Sanofi Pasteur on Wednesday launched an awareness campaign to inform Florida residents ages 65 years and older about the importance of influenza protection and the key role vaccination plays in helping to improve the body's immune response against the virus.

Adults 65 years of age and older typically are the hardest hit by influenza. This new program, called Influenza Immunization for You, urges older adults to talk to their healthcare provider about vaccine options. Florida Hospital Medical Group is spearheading the initiative in the region.

ATLANTA — Childhood vaccination rates are on the rise, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC's 2010 National Immunization Survey of more than 17,000 households found that among children born between January 2007 and July 2009, immunizations for measles, mumps, rubella, rotavirus, hepatitis A, pneumococcal disease and haemophilus influenza type B were at 90% or more. In addition, vaccinations against polio, chickenpox and hepatitis B were remained at or above 90%.

ATLANTA — Increases in vaccination rates for the human papillomavirus are trailing increases in rates for two other vaccines recommended for teens and preteens, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Thursday.

Coverage rates for the other two vaccines — Tdap, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis; and MenACWY, which protects against meningococcal meningitis — are continuing to increase, but vaccination rates for HPV vaccine remain low, the study found.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — In line with National Immunization Awareness Month, a new report has highlighted the role pharmacists play in administering flu vaccinations.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a vaccine for preventing tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough in elderly patients.

The FDA announced the approval of GlaxoSmithKline’s Boostrix, a single-dose booster shot described as the first vaccine approved for preventing all three diseases in patients ages 65 years and older.

The Midwest is known for flat landscapes and fertile farm fields stretching to the horizon, but it also is home to one of the country’s oldest and most successful mass merchandise chains — one with a long history of strong emphasis on pharmacy programs.


Where a growing number of chains have adopted generic discount programs, Meijer has taken to giving many drugs away for free. The list of medications that customers can obtain at no charge now includes metformin for Type 2 diabetes, prenatal vitamins and most antibiotics.


WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — Merck and Sanofi Pasteur have started a late-stage clinical trial of a combination vaccine for six childhood diseases, the companies said Thursday.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT — If an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, then that means 200 sq. ft. of retail pharmacy is the equivalent to acres of doctors' offices and medical clinics. If inhibitive cost, lack of awareness and prohibitive access represent the reasons behind why more people don’t get vaccinated, then pharmacy provides the all-in-one solution — because pharmacy can help eclipse each one of those vaccine barriers.

MINNEAPOLIS — Supervalu on Wednesday announced the supermarket chain had plenty of shingles vaccinations on hand, despite current reports about a shortage of the vaccinations.

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — Merck’s vaccine for human papillomavirus is 89% effective in preventing genital warts in teenage boys and young men, according to a new study.

The phase-3 study of Gardasil (human papillomavirus quadrivalent [types 6, 11, 16 and 18] vaccine, recombinant) in boys and men ages 16 to 26 years was published in the Feb. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Human papillomavirus is the cause of genital and anal warts, and infection can increase the risk of developing cancer later in life.