Archive for the ‘Immunization’ Category

Abby James
Abby
James

Pushing the needle: The CDC’s routine immunization recommendations

Friday, February 1st, 2013

Google’s flu trend map painted the whole country red this week, and the CDC’s flu map reported widespread outbreaks in almost every state. With seasonal influenza in full swing, many people have taken note and gotten the recommended flu shot; however, the CDC recently released a report explaining that “adult vaccination coverage remains low for most routinely recommended vaccines.” All sorts of excuses keep us from getting vaccinated, but staying current with immunizations is worth the pain.

Aside from sending physicians door-to-door, how can the CDC encourage people to get recommended immunizations? (more…)

Posted in CDC, Immunization, Infectious Disease
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MitchellSteinberg
Mitchell
Steinberg

Imagine That – Smart Phone Diagnosis

Friday, April 29th, 2011

Here’s a cool idea – a team of University of Central Florida students is working on a smart phone application that will help healthcare workers in remote locations diagnose malaria quickly and easily. Using a smart-phone equipped with Windows 7 and a microscopic camera lens, the app will take pictures of a blood sample, identify and point out malaria parasites, and tell the user how much malaria is in the blood. Because it doesn’t use the internet, the application could be especially useful for a healthcare worker in a remote location without Internet access, such as an African village. The data can be uploaded later, however, to help identify disease trends.

(more…)

Posted in Awards, Disease Awareness, Health 2.0, Immunization, Infectious Disease, Medical Devices
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Spectrum Public Affairs
Spectrum

Week-Long Immunization Campaign Reaches Millions

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

FACT: An estimated 10 million cases and 164,000 deaths from measles occur each year.

FACT: Measles is a leading cause of vaccine-preventable deaths among young children.

FACT: For every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die.

When I came across these chilling statics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), I was surprised by the incidence rate and the severity of a disease that we in the U.S. rarely see. In developing countries, measles is a killer, so I was interested to learn about a program underway in Zimbabwe.

Image Courtesy of WHO

Image Courtesy of WHO

Last week, Dr. Henry Madzorera, Zimbabwe’s Honorable Minister of Health and Child Welfare, launched a week-long nationwide measles immunization campaign. The “Child Health Days” campaign targeted approximately 5 million children aged 6 months to 14 years with the measles vaccination, as well as vitamin A supplementation and all the other recommended antigens for children less than five years of age. This mass immunization campaign came in response to the current measles outbreak that has affected 55 out of 62 districts in Zimbabwe, killing approximately 384 children. (more…)

Posted in Immunization, Infectious Disease
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MaggieSchmerin
Maggie
Schmerin

Britain Bans Doctor Who First Linked MMR Vaccine to Autism

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Earlier this week, Great Britain banned Andrew Wakefield, the doctor who first linked the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism, from practicing medicine in the U.K.Britain’s General Medical Council said Dr. Wakefield and two other doctors acted unethically and showed a “callous disregard” for the children in their study on autism and vaccines that was first published in The Lancet in 1998. The medical body said Dr. Wakefield took blood samples from children at his son’s birthday party, paying them 5 pounds (roughly $7.20 today) each and later joked about the incident. The General Medical Council said Wakefield abused his position as a doctor and “brought the medical profession into disrepute.”

Dr. Wakefield’s claims of a relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism prompted parents around the globe to not only question vaccinating their children, but also caused millions to forgo vaccinating their young ones all together. Immunization rates in the U.K. and other developed countries have noticeably decreased since Dr. Wakefield’s article was first published over a decade ago. Outbreaks of the measles have continued in Europe, and there are still intermittent outbreaks in the U.S.  (more…)

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