Immunization

A decade after the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was introduced, it led to approximately 168,000 fewer annual hospitalizations for pneumonia.

The "penny in a cup" test offers general information about a freezer's temperature, but it lacks the necessary sensitivity to determine whether frozen medications are kept in the desired temperature range.

Just a third of teenage girls have received the recommended 3-dose course of the HPV vaccine, but a new study finds that infections have dropped by more than half since the vaccine was introduced.

A comprehensive review of otitis media in North America addresses how shifts in the organisms that most commonly cause the condition affect preferred treatments.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians have updated their acute otitis media treatment guidelines for the first time in almost a decade.

Case studies involving azithromycin and arrhythmias and the pertussis vaccine during pregnancy.

Researchers have found no link between the amount of vaccine antigens received by the age of 2 years and the likelihood of developing autism.

Biopharmaceutical companies have 907 biologic medicines and vaccines in development, according to a recent report from The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

Vaccination is crucial for older adults and patients with chronic disease.

Compliance with most adult vaccine recommendations is still low due to financial and informational barriers.

Pharmacists have rapidly become among the most common deliverers of the flu vaccine, but their full potential as immunizers has not been tapped, the NACDS argued in a statement.

Pharmacists can play an important role in informing adult patients of the vaccines they should receive to help protect against a range of infectious diseases.

Preventive measures and herd immunity are having a major impact on disease prevalence.

Regular injections of monophosphoryl lipid A, a vaccine adjuvant, reduced cerebral amyloid beta in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease by up to 80%.

The new vaccine, Flublok, is made using cultured insect cells and can be produced much more rapidly than conventional flu vaccines, which are grown in chicken eggs.

Flu shots are in short supply as the 2012-2013 season ramps up a month earlier than usual, but there are signs that this year's outbreak may peak early as well.

Marty Feltner, PharmD, works to expand patient coverage with vaccines and implemented Nebraska's first international travel vaccine clinic in 2006.

Since 2010, the CDC has recommended that all Americans older than 6 months receive the annual influenza vaccine, but coverage rates have so far fallen short of goals.

The United States is on track to have the most cases of whooping cough in 5 decades--and waning vaccine effectiveness may be to blame.

The pneumococcal vaccine is among the most commonly delayed, putting children and others at risk of deadly disease.

Influenza and pneumococcal vaccination both appear to reduce the mortality rate of patients with end-stage renal disease, according to results of a recent study.

Immunocompromised adults should receive the Prevnar 13 vaccine in addition to the Pneumovax 23 vaccine, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended.