Items of interest from the world of vaccine-preventable diseases this week:
1. A new study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in teenage girls have decreased by more than 50% since the introduction of the HPV vaccine in 2006.
2. Vaccine advocate and 2013 recipient of NFID’s Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement, Dr. Paul Offit, has published a new book, “Do You Believe in Magic: The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine, in which he takes on the vitamin and herbal supplements industry, alternative medicine of all kinds, Congress, and celebrity doctors who peddle their own products.
3. A Forbes.com article asks the question: “How Will We End Preventable Child Deaths by 2035?” and talks with Dr. Ariel Pablos-Méndez, the Assistant Administrator for Global Health at USAID, for some answers.
4. Examining worldwide disease trends can help guide travelers in determining which preventative measures, including vaccines, they may need when traveling abroad, according to a new study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
5. Those with egg allergies now have a flu vaccine option. During its recent meeting, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted in favor of recommending FluBlok during the 2013-14 season for vaccination of persons 18-49 years of age with an egg allergy of any severity. FluBlok was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2013. Unlike current production methods for other available seasonal influenza vaccines, FluBlok does not use the influenza virus or chicken eggs in its manufacturing process.
6. And, in case you missed it, Rotary International did its own flash mob in Vancouver in support of its “End Polio Now” campaign.
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