Content about Virology

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Supermarket chain Bi-Lo has launched an annual campaign to promote flu vaccinations.

The chain offers three vaccination options, including the standard vaccination, a high-dose vaccination for elderly patients and an intradermal vaccination delivered with a microneedle that is 90% smaller than traditional needles.

MINNEAPOLIS — Nobody likes getting a shot, but a new survey indicates that fear of needles also may prompt people to avoid getting flu vaccinations.

Target announced results of a new online survey conducted on its behalf by Harris Interactive showing that 60% of American adults would skip flu vaccinations, with 23% of those avoiding vaccinations because they don't like needles. The survey polled 2,160 adults between July 10 and July 12; no margin of error could be calculated as the survey was not based on a probability sample.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — After it was first identified as the cause of AIDS in 1983, being diagnosed with an HIV infection was a literal death sentence, and it remains that way for many people in poor countries who lack access to the life-saving medications that have transformed HIV from a sure ticket to death into a chronic illness.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is expanding the range of vaccines that customers can get at its stores in West Virginia following rules recently enacted by state regulators, the retail pharmacy chain said Tuesday.

Under the new regulations adopted by the state pharmacy, medicine and osteopathy boards, pharmacists now can vaccinate adult patients against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, shingles, flu and pneumonia.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Since the development of the first smallpox vaccine in 1796, vaccines have saved countless lives around the world and helped to make such deadly scourges as smallpox and polio things of the past.

(THE NEWS: PhRMA report lists almost 300 vaccines under development. For the full story, click here.)

“You vs. Flu … you win with a flu shot!” Of course, patients aren’t the only winners now that pharmacies are actively touting their flu shot and other vaccination services. It’s quick. It’s easy. And it’s driving the number of flu shots delivered each season. 


CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is responding to a flu vaccination campaign by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by lowering prices on flu vaccinations, the retail pharmacy chain said Monday.

To mark National Influenza Vaccination Week, the retailer is offering flu shots for $19.99 through Dec. 17.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Pharmacists Association and PrescribeWellness have launched a partnership designed to boost flu vaccination rates, the CPhA said Wednesday.

The "One Million More" flu shot campaign aims to increase the year-over-year influenza vaccination rate by 1 million immunizations by donating communication materials to flu shot administrators so that they can educate patients about the importance and ease of getting a flu shot.

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Friday issued guidance regarding the use of injector devices to administer flu vaccines to patients.

The FDA said that healthcare professionals should not use such clinical devices to administer flu vaccines, adding that all vaccines, including influenza, "be administered in accordance with their labeling."

ANN ARBOR, Mich. and WASHINGTON — In the latest poll conducted by Thomson Reuters and NPR, it seems that some Americans are concerned with the safety of vaccine use.

CINCINNATI — Kroger has announced that it is offering early flu vaccinations for patients within its 1,900 pharmacy locations nationwide and at the 79 Little Clinic locations in select stores.

The flu shots are administered by Kroger pharmacists or Little Clinic nurse practitioners or physician assistants.

NEW YORK — Several states are cutting funding to programs that provide HIV medications to people who can’t afford them in an effort to reduce spending, according to a published report.

The Washington Post reported that more than 8,300 people are on waiting lists to obtain antiretrovirals and other drugs that treat HIV, AIDS and related conditions. The Post article highlighted particularly large program cuts in Illinois and Georgia, as well as one proposed for Florida.