Getting a Grip on Influenza: The Pursuit of a Universal Vaccine (Part 5)
Flu vaccines need to be readministered every year to keep pace with viral mutations. "Universal vaccines" could change this, providing us with a much broader immunity that remains effective even in the face of constant variation. How do they work? (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)
Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News - September 19, 2022 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: William A. Haseltine, Contributor Tags: Healthcare /healthcare Innovation /innovation business pharma & Source Type: news
Should You Get Your COVID-19 Booster and Flu Shot at the Same Time?
If you haven’t had or been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the last few months, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says you should get a new booster shot this fall. The latest shots, which were authorized in late August and are available now, were designed to target currently circulating Omicron variants.
The new boosters can be given at the same time as a seasonal flu shot, the CDC says. But should you get both jabs at once, or space them out? It’s a simple question with a surprisingly complex answer.
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Though the opinion isn’t universal, m...
Source: TIME: Health - September 16, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jamie Ducharme Tags: Uncategorized COVID Questions COVID-19 healthscienceclimate Source Type: news
CDC: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is hosting a virtual meeting on October 19-20, 2022. The agenda will include discussions on influenza vaccines, pneumococcal vaccine, meningococcal vaccines, respiratory syncytial virus vaccine, rotavirus vaccine, dengue vaccines, adult immunization schedule, child/adolescent immunization schedule, COVID-19 vaccines, and Chikungunya vaccine. Includes information on how to submit public comments or request permission to make a public comment during the meeting. Registration is not required, and the meeting is open to the...
Source: Federal Register updates via the Rural Assistance Center - September 16, 2022 Category: Rural Health Source Type: news
Why Infectious Disease Outbreaks Are Becoming So Common
SARS-CoV-2. Monkeypox. Polio. Marburg. These viruses are no longer familiar just to public-health experts, but household names around the world, thanks to their recent incursions into human populations. People have always confronted pathogens of all sorts, but the attacks are becoming more commonplace, and more intense, than they ever have before.
“We are going through an era of epidemics and pandemics, and they are going to be more complex and more frequent,” says Jeremy Farrar, director of Wellcome, a global health charitable foundation that addresses health challenges. “We tend to see each [outbreak] i...
Source: TIME: Health - September 15, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Alice Park Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Disease feature healthscienceclimate Source Type: news
Flu Season Is Coming. mRNA Flu Shots Aren ’ t Far Behind
After the remarkable success of the mRNA vaccines in protecting people against COVID-19, scientists are turning their attention next to another annual respiratory scourge: influenza. Both Moderna and Pfizer—makers of the first vaccines to earn U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval using the mRNA technology—are studying whether subbing in the influenza virus’ genetic material in that platform will prove equally fruitful.
On Sept. 14, Pfizer announced that the first volunteers had received doses of its mRNA flu shot; the Phase 3 study will involve more than 25,000 adults in the U.S. ages 18 and u...
Source: TIME: Health - September 14, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Alice Park Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Vaccines Source Type: news
Flu and COVID-19 Could Make for a Rough Fall and Winter
The last two flu seasons in the U.S. were mercifully mild—one of the few silver linings of the pandemic, as COVID-19 mitigation measures likely also prevented many cases of influenza.
But our luck may run out this year. Australia, which often serves as an (imperfect) predictor of what’s to come for the U.S., has had its worst flu season in half a decade this year, CNN reports. Flu season also started early in Australia this year, another possible harbinger of what’s to come in the Northern Hemisphere.
Dr. Alicia Fry, chief of the epidemiology and prevention branch within the U.S. Centers for Disease Contr...
Source: TIME: Health - September 9, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jamie Ducharme Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 healthscienceclimate Source Type: news
As New Covid Boosters Move Forward, Better Outreach is Needed to Save US Lives
By Lily MeyersohnNEW YORK, Sep 9 2022 (IPS) This week––nearly ten months after the emergence of the Omicron variant––the United States is rolling out Covid-19 booster vaccines that specifically target newer, now-dominant strains of the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that 209 million Americans over the age of 12, or 74 percent of that population, will be eligible for the shots.
Unfortunately, the last year and a half are a stark reminder that it takes much more than even the miracle of “lightning speed” science to ensure widespread vaccination in this country.
In lat...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - September 9, 2022 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Lily Meyersohn Tags: COVID-19 Featured Global Headlines Health Humanitarian Emergencies Inequity TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau Source Type: news
Flu Vaccine Offers Moderate Protection From Stroke
After full adjustment, association between influenza vaccination and ischemic stroke yielded adjusted odds ratio of 0.88 (Source: Pulmonary Medicine News - Doctors Lounge)
Source: Pulmonary Medicine News - Doctors Lounge - September 8, 2022 Category: Respiratory Medicine Tags: Cardiology, Gynecology, Infections, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Pharmacy, Pulmonology, Geriatrics, Journal, Source Type: news
Influenza Vaccine May Offer Much More Than Flu Prevention Influenza Vaccine May Offer Much More Than Flu Prevention
A robust link between the influenza vaccine and reduced stroke risk, even outside of flu season, suggests the jab has more to offer than just protection from the virus.Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Emergency Medicine Headlines)
Source: Medscape Emergency Medicine Headlines - September 8, 2022 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Neurology & Neurosurgery News Source Type: news
Flu Vaccine Offers Moderate Protection From Stroke
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 7, 2022 -- Influenza vaccination seems to have a moderate protective effect on ischemic stroke, according to a study published online Sept. 7 in Neurology.
Sara Rodríguez-Martín, Pharm.D., Ph.D., from the University... (Source: Drugs.com - Pharma News)
Source: Drugs.com - Pharma News - September 7, 2022 Category: Pharmaceuticals Source Type: news
Researchers Are Now Tracking Monkeypox in Wastewater
If the past two years have taught us anything, it’s that testing for viral diseases is complicated. Sometimes, the tests are difficult to get, like in the early days of COVID-19. And even if people have access to testing, they might not feel they need it. People with COVID-19 often don’t have symptoms and may not always know to get tested. And now, with the availability of at-home self-tests, most people test themselves and don’t report the results. With other diseases—such as monkeypox—stigma surrounding the disease and the group most affected can deter access to testing.
These limitations hi...
Source: TIME: Health - September 7, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Alice Park Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 healthscienceclimate monkeypox Source Type: news
Getting a Grip on Influenza: The Pursuit of a Universal Vaccine (Part 4)
Mucosal vaccines have been a source of a lot of excitement in recent years. How are they different from your usual flu vaccine, and are they more effective? (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)
Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News - September 7, 2022 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: William A. Haseltine, Contributor Tags: Healthcare /healthcare Innovation /innovation business pharma & Source Type: news
Flu Shots Tied to Lower Stroke Risk
(MedPage Today) -- Annual flu shots were tied to lower ischemic stroke risk, a case-control study in Spain showed.
Older adults who received an influenza vaccine were 12% less likely to have an ischemic stroke versus people who weren't vaccinated... (Source: MedPage Today Cardiovascular)
Source: MedPage Today Cardiovascular - September 7, 2022 Category: Cardiology Source Type: news
Annual flu programme
Seasonal influenza (flu) is an unpredictable but recurring pressure that the NHS faces every winter. Vaccination offers the best protection. (Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH))
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - September 7, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
U.S. Health Agencies Recommend First Omicron Booster Shot
In two votes, each 13-1, the immunization committee of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that Americans receive an Omicron-specific booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Following a day-long discussion of the available data on Sept. 1, the panel recommended boosters from two manufacturers—Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, both of whom make mRNA-based vaccines; the new booster made by Pfizer-BioNTech is for people 12 years and older, and the Moderna shot is for adults 18 years and older. The group also advised that people wait until at least two months after their previous dose before ge...
Source: TIME: Health - September 2, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Alice Park Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 healthscienceclimate Source Type: news
