Blog
The Oscars of Infectious Diseases
Last week, the stars came out to celebrate and honor three outstanding leaders at the “Oscars of Infectious Diseases” also known as the 2015 NFID Awards Dinner. Samuel L. Katz, MD was presented with the 2015 Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement, F. Marc LaForce, MD with the 2015 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian Award, and Richard J. Duma, MD, PhD with the 2015 John P. Utz Leadership Award.
2015 Annual Conference on Vaccine Research: News Round-Up
Top news coverage from the NFID 18th Annual Conference on Vaccine Research, held on April 13-15, 2015 in Bethesda, MD: 3 key lessons industry leaders have…
Meningitis B Vaccine: Part of the Routine Vaccine Schedule?
Adding a vaccine to the recommended schedule is not without controversy. All vaccines cost money—the meningococcal B vaccine costs around $130 a dose and currently the two vaccines available are part of a 2- or 3-dose series. However, the benefits of vaccination far out weigh the cost of vaccination.
Do You Know Which Vaccines are Recommended Before, During, and After Pregnancy?
Vaccines are recommended for women before, during and after pregnancy. Some vaccines, such as the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, should be given a month or more before pregnancy. Other vaccines, like Tdap (to protect against whooping cough) and influenza, are given during pregnancy.
Presidential Order Pushes Mandatory Antimicrobial Stewardship: Is Your Hospital Prepared?
If everyone — healthcare providers, hospital administrators, policy makers, and patients — works together to employ effective Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs, we can improve patient care, more effectively combat antibiotic resistance, and ultimately save lives.
Addressing Parental Requests to Spread Out Vaccines
Special thanks to Allison Kempe, MD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics at University of Colorado School of Medicine and Director of the Children’s Outcomes Research (COR) Program at Children’s Hospital Colorado for summarizing results from a recent study, Physician Response to Parental Requests to Spread Out the Recommended Vaccine Schedule. The study found that virtually all healthcare providers encounter requests to spread out vaccines and, despite concerns, most agree to do so.
Tools at Your Fingertips: Immunization Apps
Immunization apps can be a valuable tool to ensure you are referencing the most up-to-date immunization recommendations to patients.
2014-15 Influenza Season: A Year to Remember
Like most children’s hospitals, Children’s of MN received a high number of infectious diseases cases this flu season and sadly, four children died in our hospital of influenza this year, also a new record…They were toddlers to teens, healthy and with chronic conditions, and mostly unvaccinated.
New ACIP Recommendations for Meningococcal, Influenza, and HPV Vaccines
At the February 2015 ACIP meeting held last month, recommendations were made for meningococcal, influenza, and HPV vaccines. The updated recommendations for meningococcal and HPV vaccines…
Protect Family and Friends: Get Vaccinated!
You may know Kristen Bell from her role as Veronica Mars, or more recently, her role as the voice of Anna in Frozen. But, Kristen is also becoming well-known as she is the latest celebrity to publicly announce her pro-vaccine stance.