| BREAKING NEWS & COMMENTARY |
| AAP
revises breast-feeding recommendations |
March 2005: The changes in recommendations
reflect new research highlighting the importance of breast-feeding. |
| Amoxicillin use linked to tooth
defect |
November 2005 |
| Avian influenza afflicting
Vietnamese children |
February 2005: Since last January, 35 human
cases have been detected in Vietnam, of which 27 were fatal; experts are
concerned about a potential pandemic. |
| Black box recommended for atopic
dermatitis creams |
March 2005: FDA advisory committee recommends
warning about possible malignancies associated with use of pimecrolimus and
tacrolimus. |
| Black box warning recommended
for asthma drug |
August 2005: Class of drugs may be the problem,
FDA panel says. |
| FDA
approves first pertussis booster |
June 2005: GlaxoSmithKline’s Boostrix will
be used in children and adolescents between the ages 10 and 18. |
| FDA
approves MMR-V combination vaccine |
October 2005: ACIP members will probably add
second dose of varicella now that MMR-V is available. |
| FDA approves quadrivalent
conjugate meningococcal vaccine |
February 2005: Menactra is approved for those 11
to 55 years of age and is the first quadrivalent conjugate licensed here. |
| Five
monthly doses of prophylaxis are needed to prevent RSV |
January 2005: At-risk children should be dosed
once a month from November until March. |
| H5N1
influenza strain raises concern about a pandemic |
October 2005: If the virus mutates and can
efficiently transmit from person-to-person, it could cause a deadly
pandemic. |
| HPV
vaccine shows good prevention against cervical pre-cancers |
November 2005: Merck officials hope to put
Gardasil on the market by the end of the year. |
| Maurice R. Hilleman
remembered |
May 2005: Hilleman was a pioneer of more than 40
vaccines. |
| Meningococcal combo vaccine not
successful in U.K. infants |
May 2005: Pnc9-MenC did not provide adequate
immunity against serogroup C meningococcal disease. |
| Most
labs have destroyed the H2N2 influenza that was shipped worldwide |
May 2005: The risk for laboratory workers and
the public is “low,” but CDC and WHO offices are continuing to
monitor the situation. |
| National immunization coverage
with 4:3:1:3:3 hits 81% |
September 2005: Rates increase every year,
moving the country closer to its Healthy People 2010 goal: 90% coverage with
each vaccine. |
| New
look, same mission for Infectious Diseases in
Children |
March 2005: Our mission is to help you stay
abreast of the latest information in child health. |
| New research shows folic acid
in grains has reduced birth defects |
October 2005: March of Dimes calls on FDA to
increase fortification levels to save more babies. |
| Number of births up 1% over
2003 |
December 2005 |
| Optimism remains in the face of
setbacks to polio and measles elimination |
August 2005: Samuel L. Katz, MD, says the
diseases will be eliminated. Preventing donor and volunteer fatigue, however,
will be key to success. |
| Recap of 2005: new threats, old
enemies and more ways to fight the good fight |
December 2005 |
| Rubella eliminated from the
United States, CDC says |
April 2005: Worldwide elimination of the disease
is a priority for many countries, experts said. |
| Schools face suspected
bacterial meningitis cases |
January 2005: Three cases of bacterial infection
surfaced in a N.J. high school, and one Pa. teacher was hospitalized with
similar symptoms. |
| U.S. budget proposal cuts health
programs |
April 2005: Congress urged to reject
president’s 2006 budget proposal. Groups call for increased funding for
federal infectious disease programs. |
| VACCINE-PREVENTABLE DISEASES |
| ACIP:
No to routine second dose of varicella vaccine |
August 2005: However, ACIP approved a second
dose for outbreak situations and broadened school entry requirements to include
upper grades and college. |
| ACIP
recommends IGIV as the best alternative for VZIG |
December 2005: The only U.S. manufacturer of
VZIG stopped its production. VZIG is used for post-exposure prophylaxis of
patients at high risk for severe varicella. |
| At
the start of the season, CDC recommends influenza vaccine for high-risk
people |
October 2005: Also, remember that vaccine-naive
children younger than 9 need two doses. |
| CDC
officials warn to stay alert for pertussis in the hospital after three
outbreaks |
March 2005: Azithromycin prophylaxis and droplet
precautions used in outbreaks. |
| Combination vaccine proves as safe
and immunogenic as its individual components |
July 2005 |
| Communication, the key to
vaccine safety perceptions |
December 2005: Vaccines were readily acceptable
when the infectious diseases they prevented were prevalent. |
| FDA
grants new indication for hepatitis A vaccine for 12-month-olds |
September 2005 |
| Flu
season starts out mild; high-risk groups not all covered |
January 2005: The ACIP also broadened
recommendations for vaccination to ensure vaccine supply is not wasted. |
| Four new CPT codes and changes
you need to know |
February 2005: Finally, you will get paid for
face-to-face counseling about vaccinations. |
| Group B strep vaccine research
steps forward |
September 2005: Researchers find a way to
possibly protect people against all major circulating strains of the
bacteria. |
| GSK
hepatitis A vaccine receives expanded indication |
November 2005 |
| Hepatitis A rate at new low in
vaccination era |
September 2005: Further monitoring is needed to
better quantify the role of the vaccine in reductions. |
| Hepatitis B vaccine recommendations
stress the birth dose, screening of immigrants |
August 2005: Recommendations for use of the
vaccine have not been updated in more than 10 years. |
| Jump
in mumps cases reported in the UK |
June 2005: More than 8,000 confirmed cases were
reported in 2004, highlighting the need for both doses of MMR. |
| Meningococcal conjugate vaccine
has been added to the adolescent schedule |
March 2005: ACIP recommends vaccine for three
main cohorts, including college freshmen living in dormitories. |
| Meningococcal conjugate
vaccine likely to cause a stir among parents |
January 2005: Expert advises pediatricians to
brace for the requests if MCV4 is approved this month. The vaccine is an
emotionally charged topic for parents. |
| MMR-V comparable with individual
vaccine components in studies |
November 2005: Adverse events and immune
responses resulting from the combination vaccine were comparable with the MMR
and varicella vaccine. |
| Mortality due to varicella
declines dramatically with universal vaccination |
April 2005: Implementation of varicella
vaccination in the United States has driven mortality rates down to the lowest
level ever reported. |
| New rotavirus vaccine might
only be a year away |
April 2005: ACIP is preparing aggressive
timeline to make recommendations for reassortant vaccine from Merck. |
| The next generation of
rotavirus vaccine |
December 2005: Preliminary recommendations
discussed by the ACIP suggest three doses at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. |
| Pertussis hitting U.S.
adolescents hard |
January 2005: The country is seeing the most
cases in nearly 40 years, with almost 40% occurring among adolescents. |
| The road to eliminate rubella
transmission in U.S. ends in success |
May 2005: Now, experts ask, what should be done
to wipe out transmission globally? |
| Second disease may be stopped this
year: polio heads for the history books |
February 2005: Even after cases rose last year
in West Africa, officials are optimistic that through immunization campaigns,
they can eradicate polio by the end of 2005. |
| Strengthening adolescent vaccine
delivery will be a big task |
July 2005: With new vaccines targeted at the
adolescent population coming down the pipeline, experts will attempt to build
an infrastructure for delivery. |
| Tiered priority groups pitched by
ACIP for times of influenza vaccine shortage |
March 2005: Also, flu strains for 2005-2006
season vaccine are set. |
| Two advisory bodies recommend
priority groups for pandemic flu vaccines, antivirals |
August 2005: One committee also recommended that
the federal government be the sole purchaser of vaccines during a
pandemic. |
| Two Tdap vaccines get nod from
FDA advisory committee |
April 2005: Sanofi Pasteur and
GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccines would provide pertussis boosters for
adolescents and adults. |
| Vaccine News |
July 2005 |
| Varicella vaccine success
varies throughout the U.S. |
June 2005: Coverage highest in Connecticut,
lowest in Washington as this spring marks the 10th year for the vaccine. |
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