Immunization

Pharmacists play an important role in educating patients about the importance of vaccinations and the health consequences of refusing them.

The FDA approved Jynneos (Bavarian Nordic) as the first live, nonreplicating vaccine to prevent smallpox and monkeypox.

A recent study suggests that vaccination rates in some Texas schools are low enough to allow for large measles outbreaks, but limiting vaccine exemptions could decrease this risk. Vaccine exemptions, which allow unvaccinated children to attend school, have increased by a factor of 28 since 2003 in Texas.

Our pharmacist team at Osterhaus Pharmacy has been providing immunizations to our patients for the past 2 decades. However, in the past 3 years we have become more proactive in our approach to discussing immunizations.

Life-saving vaccines have had a profound impact in this country and worldwide. According to the CDC, from 2006 to 2017, almost 3.5 billion doses of vaccines were distributed in the United States.

The goal of the Healthy People initiative is to “provide science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans.”

Ironically, it is often during times when vaccine-preventable disease rates are lowest that public opposition to them is most pervasive, and this certainly seems to be the case with contemporary antivaccination movements in the United States.

Research shows that vaccines prevent disease and save lives. If that is the case, why have specific vaccines been singled out as different from others, creating discord?

The immunization status of pregnant and lactating women should be routinely assessed, and indicated vaccines should be recommended.

August is National Immunization Awareness Month and a great time to talk to parents about vaccinations for their children before school.

According to the World Health Organization, 240 vaccines were in development for 25 infectious diseases.5 Topping the list for most candidate vac- cines are HIV/AIDS, malaria, pneumococcal infec- tions, tuberculosis, and Ebola.

https://pharmacytimes.com/peer-exchange/the-progression-of-immunization-At its meeting in June, the ACIP made some very interesting suggestions, noting that all children and adolescents between ages 2 and 18 who have not previously received the hepatitis A vaccine should receive a catch-up vaccination and encouraging a change in the human papillomavirus vaccination guidelines to cover men up to age 26.

Officials with Valneva SE have announced initiation of a second phase 2 study for VLA15 to determine optimal dosage levels and vaccination schedule for phase 3 trials of the Lyme vaccine candidate.

Pharmacists for Healthier Lives aims to raise awareness around the full range of health care services that pharmacists provide to consumers and patients.

The AOA recommends that prescribers not argue with their patients who may be against vaccinations, but instead, provide information and resources on the benefits and remain as a resource for any potential questions.

The most common chronic conditions, and the biggest drivers in annual health care costs for US adults, include heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease.

Bruce Kneeland, community pharmacy consultant, discusses how community pharmacists can counsel and manage travel vaccinations at their pharmacies, in an interview with Pharmacy Times.

Travel health services involves a lot more than vaccinations, said Sheri Stensland, PharmD, in a session at McKesson ideaShare.

The advisory board voted unanimously on Wednesday to recommend HPV vaccines for people through age 26.

Rotavirus is a contagious viral infection causing gastroenteritis that generally affects infants and young children.

Academic detailing is an educational approach intended to create sustainable practice change and improve decision making. Through academic detailing visits, health care providers share tailored material with each other, with the goal of encouraging the use of evidence-based guidelines.

Although childhood vaccination programs have helped contribute significantly to the positive impact of vaccines on public health, there are no formalized vaccination delivery programs for adults. As a result, vaccination rates are low among this patient population, increasing their susceptibility to serious illness and complications.

Bruce Kneeland, community pharmacy consultant, discusses patient education surrounding vaccinations, in an interview with Pharmacy Times.

Pharmacists can put many safeguards into place to ensure patient safety when providing immunizations.

Actress Jessica Biel’s public comments place her on an ever-growing list of famous people whose opinions are contributing to a resurgence of preventable diseases.