Protect yourself with a flu shotFlu season is reaching its peak. Hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients and are running out of spare beds.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is reporting widespread, epidemic-level flu activity in almost every state.
The bad news is that this year’s flu strain, H3N2, is especially severe, and the flu vaccine isn’t a great match 😕
But the good news is that if … read on
With the news of another massive hepatitis A outbreak in San Diego, I wanted to re-publish this post from Sept. 2016 about hepatitis A and encourage everyone to get vaccinated! FN
Hepatitis A outbreaksThis morning I read about a hepatitis A outbreak in Virginia. The source is apparently contaminated strawberries used to make smoothies. So far, 40 people have become sick.
Vaccinate your children against the fluIt’s still winter in the southern hemisphere, and Australia is experiencing one of the worst flu seasons it’s ever had.
Which is an early warning to us in the northern hemisphere: the 2017-18 flu season may be long and rough. Experts are suggesting we get our flu shots early this year, especially children as they head back to school.
One of the reasons Australia … read on
Need more info? Check out these vaccination resourcesIn 1998, the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine was FALSELY reported to be associated with autism.
The doctor who published that report has since been disgraced and the report itself debunked. In fact, research has shown again and again that there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism.
However, the fear persists. Worse, the fear extends to ALL vaccines, … read on
The HPV vaccine protects against the most common types of viruses that not only cause cervical cancer, but mouth and throat cancers, as well.
It’s most effective when given before a child becomes sexually active.
But what about all the 20-somethings out there who didn’t have access to this vaccine? After all, it’s only been available since 2006, and before 2011 it was only offered to … read on
Pediatricians recommend all children over the age of 6 months get a yearly flu shot.
In previous years, a nasal spray version of the flu vaccine, FluMist, has been available to parents who wanted to avoid subjecting their children to another needle jab.
But for the last 3 years FluMist has not been nearly as effective as the standard flu shot. So for the 2016-2017 flu … read on
Kids and vaccinesIt’s that time of year when the days shorten, stores advertise trendy back-to-school clothes, and parents scramble to make appointments with their kids’ pediatricians for sport physicals and immunizations.
At least, I hope they do.
I am a fervent believer in vaccinations, even though I live in the state (Washington) with–sadly–the highest “opt out” rate in the country.
In 1998 a medical journal published a paper … read on
Prevnar 13: As seen on TVI was watching TV the other evening and, as usual, was forced to sit through multiple back-to-back prescription drug commercials.
One that caught my attention was for Prevnar 13, which is one of the pneumonia vaccines. (13 because it protects against 13 strains of streptococcus pneumonia.)
The commercial stated Prevnar 13 was for adults aged 50 and older.
That statement’s true, but needs … read on
This week the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published a report that shows since the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine was introduced in 2006, HPV infections
have dropped by 64% among females aged 14 to 19 years and by 34% among those aged 20 to 24 years.
That’s great news. HPV is responsible for most forms of cervical cancer, as well as an increasing number of rectal and oral cancers.
Related … read on
The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have just released an updated vaccination schedule for adults.
I’ve included the schedule and accompanying information from the CDC’s website at the end of this post.
You can also print it out to take to your primary care provider.
Related post: Adults need vaccinations, too!
It’s color coded to make it easier to follow the recommendations, … read on