Blog
Expecting the Unexpected: When Flu Strikes Healthy Teens and Young Adults
Flu easily spreads among students, including those in college. Students are constantly exposed to other students (and their germs/infections) in class. When students get the flu, it is nothing to take lightly. On average, college students with the flu experience 8 days or more of illness — potentially impacting days in the classroom and academic performance.
We’ve Come A Long Way: Trends in Flu Vaccination
The first recorded worldwide influenza epidemic happened in 1580, more than 430 years ago. The outlook for preventing influenza remained bleak for 350 years until the first influenza virus strain was isolated in a laboratory in 1933, and the work began to create an effective vaccine…
RSV: The Annual Epidemic You May Not Know About (But Should)
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is estimated to cause 177,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths in adults 65 and older in the US every year, and yet it goes largely unrecognized. With new RSV-specific antivirals and vaccines in the research pipeline, we need to begin raising awareness of the burden of RSV among older adults…
Pneumococcal Disease: Are You Protected?
There’s a disease that kills up to 18,000 US adults age 65 years and older each year. It can cause pneumonia, bloodstream infections (sepsis), meningitis, and ear and sinus infections. As many as 900,000 US adults contract it each year — 400,000 of whom require hospitalization. Pneumococcal disease is a serious concern for anyone over the age of 65, but there are safe and effective vaccines to help prevent it.
Improving Lagging Flu Vaccination Rates Among the 65+ Population
Patients should be vaccinated with any available approved influenza vaccine, even if their first choice of vaccine type is not available. CDC states (and I wholeheartedly agree) that it is far better to vaccinate at the first opportunity with whichever vaccine is available than to delay. A vaccine deferred is often a vaccine never received.
ABC News, CDC, & NFID Chat About Flu on Twitter
In partnership with NFID and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Richard Besser, MD chief health and medical editor at ABC News, recently hosted a live tweet chat on influenza (flu) prevention. Participating medical experts encouraged everyone six months and older to #GetVaccinated annually to help #FightFlu.
October Updates from Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
For a more detailed discussion, join NFID on 11/16/16 at 12PM ET for a free webinar offering CME/CNE credit. Online registration is available at: http://bit.ly/acip-1016-webinar
Help Break the Chain of Infection
International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) aims to raise awareness about the role that infection prevention plays in improving patient safety. The 2016 theme is “Break the Chain of Infection.”
Flu Season Has Arrived: Get Vaccinated to #FightFlu
Make sure you #FightFlu all season long by practicing the CDC Take 3 Actions to Fight the Flu: 1) Get a flu vaccine, 2) Take everyday preventative actions to stop the spread of germs, and 3) Take flu antiviral drugs if your doctor prescribes them.
ID News Round-Up
Recent items of interest from the world of infectious diseases including the latest influenza vaccine recommendations, new policies from AAP to boost childhood immunization rates, new guidelines for the treatment of common sexually transmitted diseases, Zika in the US, and the FDA ban on some common antibacterial ingredients in soaps and body washes.