Infectious Disease

A new study finds that 73% of children who developed Clostridium difficile infection were prescribed antibiotics in the 12 weeks prior to diagnosis, and 71% of cases were community-associated.

Patients who received the antiviral medications within 2 days of symptom onset had particularly reduced rates of death compared with those who received them later or not at all, a meta-analysis finds.

Research from the United Kingdom suggests that getting the influenza vaccine, especially early in the flu season, significantly reduces one's risk of stroke.

Getting childhood vaccinations according to the recommended schedule appears to reduce the risk of hospitalization for infections, according to the results of a Danish study.

Up to half of antibiotics prescribed in the United States may be unnecessary, leading to avoidable adverse events and development of antibiotic resistance and attendant costs.

A Danish study finds that vaccination against the human papillomavirus is associated with reduced rates of precancerous cervical lesions in young women.

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.