Infectious Disease

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.

Areas with a high rate of nonmedical vaccine exemption were significantly more likely to overlap with clusters of pertussis cases during a 2010 outbreak in California, according to the results of a new study.

Providing vaccinations to patients and offering delivery services are excellent ways for pharmacies to grow their business.

Influenza vaccination rates increased during the 2012-2013 season, but still have a long way to go to reach national coverage targets, health officials reported.

Vaccination rates for children aged 19 to 35 months remained high in 2012, though they fell short for some vaccines and varied from state to state and based on family income.

Infections with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus associated with hospitalization have dropped dramatically in recent years, while infections picked up in the community have barely declined at all.

Lower doses of vancomycin encouraged by antimicrobial stewardship programs were just as effective as higher doses in treating Clostridium difficile infection, a study found.

A recent study finds that hyponatremia may increase pneumonia severity in hospitalized children.

A new study finds that the portion of adults aged 60 and older who were vaccinated against shingles increased from 6.7% in 2008 to 15.8% in 2011.

A team of researchers has recommended that all cases of acute otitis media in children aged 6 months to 2 years be treated with antibiotics, disagreeing with guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of life-threatening illness globally.

A substantial portion of children treated with antibiotics for urinary tract infections are not given a urine test first, according to the results of a new study.

Children who often drink from water bottles with push and pull caps may be more likely to experience recurring ear infections, according to a recent study.

Antimicrobial stewardship programs may reduce the amount of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions given to children with acute respiratory infections in primary care practices.

A model of vancomycin-resistant enterococci infection patterns found that an increase in infection prevalence in a single hospital could have significant effects on other hospitals in the same county.