Infectious Disease

Data from California indicate that there have been more severe flu cases this season than in any season since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, and two-thirds of severe cases have occurred in those aged 41 to 64.

Non-influenza vaccine coverage for adults increased somewhat in 2012, but continued to lag behind goals, particularly for racial and ethnic minorities.

Early antibiotic prescription and use of combination therapy for severe cases of pneumonia have increased and have helped to save lives in the intensive care unit, according to a recent European study.

Promoting vaccination against Streptococcus pneumoniae can prevent meningitis and related complications.

Perceptions of the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease after receiving the first dose of the HPV vaccine were not associated with rates of risky sexual activity among adolescent girls, a study finds.

Clinicians whose offices displayed a letter in which they committed to prescribing antibiotics appropriately reduced their rate of inappropriate prescribing, a study finds.

A new study provides evidence that diabetes patients should receive the influenza vaccine, though its results are not as strong as those produced by previous studies.

One in 3 individuals is at risk for developing shingles.

One in 3 individuals is at risk for developing shingles.

A CDC report finds that vaccination had a particularly profound effect on high-risk populations, but that higher rates of coverage would have prevented millions more cases of flu.

Children hospitalized with severe cases of flu were more likely to survive if they received antivirals within 48 hours of symptom onset than if they received the medications later, a new study finds.

A new report from the CDC finds that almost 50% of asthma patients received a flu shot in the 2010-2011 season, compared with 36% of asthma patients in the 2005-2006 season.

A study comparing rates of contagious disease before and after the introduction of vaccines finds that vaccines have prevented more than 100 million disease cases in the United States over the past 90 years.

A reduction in pediatric health care visits related to otitis media between 2001 and 2011 appears to be due to uptake of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, according to the results of a new study.

More than 1 in 5 pediatrician visits result in an antibiotic prescription, and a new report urges prescribers to carefully consider whether these prescriptions are warranted.

Stephan Foster, PharmD, FAPha, discusses which vaccines pharmacists should be providing in addition to the seasonal influenza vaccine.

A review of data on vaccine coverage from 2008 to 2010 finds that HPV vaccine uptake among young women was significantly lower in the South than in other parts of the country.

Hospitalization rates of infants due to whooping cough were generally significantly lower after recommendations were expanded to advise all adolescents to receive the Tdap vaccine.

Stephan Foster, PharmD, FAPha, explains why pharmacists are providing an increasing portion of vaccinations.

The 2012-2013 flu season in the United States was among the most severe in more than a decade, with 2 to 3 times the impact of a normal flu season in terms of missed work, school, and vacations, according to a Walgreens report.

Patients overwhelmed by the options in these product categories will appreciate a pharmacist's guidance.

A study of influenza-related pediatric deaths from 2004 through 2012 finds that almost half of children who died had no known high-risk medical complications.

Performance of statin therapy in reducing the death rate of pneumonia patients in intensive care units was so poor that a study was stopped for futility.

Stephan Foster, PharmD, FAPha, discusses the history of preventive medicine in the the pharmacy.

A meta-analysis of previous studies suggests that getting vaccinated against the flu reduces one's risk of adverse cardiovascular events, with the greatest benefit in those with a recent acute coronary syndrome.

Health care workers who were required to get a flu vaccine took far fewer sick days for flu-related symptoms than did health care workers who were not required to get vaccinated, a new study finds.

A new study finds that, since 2000, approximately 6 in 10 adults with sore throat have been prescribed antibiotics, in most cases unnecessarily.

Those who received the flu vaccine were 59% less likely to be hospitalized for pneumonia, a new study finds.

A new study finds that decreased rates of infection with serotypes of pneumococcal disease the PCV7 vaccine protects against outweigh increased rates of infection with serotypes it does not protect against.

The hospitalization rate for the most serious cardiovascular infection declined despite a recommendation from the American Heart Association to limit use of preventive antibiotics.