William Schaffner

Vaccines save lives; there is simply no question about it. Decades of evidence and scientific studies support this fact. So why are we facing a potential epidemic of vaccine-preventable diseases?

The end of the year is a great time to enjoy some downtime and catch up on must-read books, but what will you read? We asked members of the NFID Board of Directors for their holiday reading recommendations. View their picks…

Know anyone with heart disease? Did you know their risk of a heart attack increases by up to 10 times in the days and weeks following acute influenza (flu) infection? If you did not know, you are certainly not alone. A new national survey commissioned by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) found that less a quarter of US adults…

Did you know that in the US, two out of three people living with chronic hepatitis B do not know they are infected but can still spread the virus…

US Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams, MD, MPH joined medical/public health leaders at the annual NFID Influenza/Pneumococcal News Conference on September 27, 2018 to discuss the importance of preventing influenza (flu) and pneumococcal disease and to encourage all individuals age 6 months and older to get vaccinated against flu every year. Adams was joined by an expert panel, moderated by…

On September 28, 2017, NFID hosted the 2017 Annual Influenza/Pneumococcal News Conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Partner organizations joined NFID to highlight the importance of annual flu vaccination for all individuals age six months and older.

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver and is often caused by a virus. There are several types of hepatitis viruses but in the US, the most common types are Hepatitis A, B, and C. Millions are living with viral hepatitis but most do not know they are infected. People can live with chronic hepatitis for decades without having symptoms. Two vaccines are currently available to help prevent viral hepatitis in adolescents…

Thoughtful, evidence-based communication is important when talking to the public, the media, and other healthcare professionals, as there is an abundance of misinformation and myths about vaccines. Here are 5 tips for effectively communicating the benefits of timely vaccination…

Special thanks to Vaccinate Your Family for co-sponsoring the Flu Facebook Forum during National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW), as well as those who took time to ask flu-related questions and the NFID experts (William Schaffner, MD; Walter A. Orenstein, MD; Patricia A. Stinchfield, RN, MS, CPNP, CIC; Lisa S. Ipp, MD; and Kathleen M. Neuzil, MD, MPH) who provided detailed responses.

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…

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…

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.