Latest Vaccine News
Inhalable measles vaccine could make syringes obsolete.
Scientists from the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA, have developed an inhalable measles vaccine contained in a small, cylindrical plastic sack with an opening like the neck of a plastic water bottle. Human trials of the treatment are scheduled to begin within weeks and could lead to an end to treatment by syringe for children, scientists say. Widespread vaccination has virtually eliminated deaths from measles in Britain but more than 164,000 children die from the disease every year worldwide (source - WHO).
More - CBS News. May 10th, 2010
Department of Health recommends football fans travelling to South Africa for the World Cup should have the swine flu vaccination.
With the southern hemisphere due to begin its flu season the rules on receiving the Swine Flu vaccination have been changed so that those travelling to the southern hemisphere can now get the injection from their GP. Experts have predicted that there could be a “third wave” of the pandemic in Britain this winter and have emphasied that the last pandemic, in the late 1960s, was more serious during the second year of the outbreak than the first. Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer for England, said: “The next ‘flu season in the southern Hemisphere will be starting soon and the pandemic ‘flu virus is expected to return. Travellers should protect themselves by getting the vaccine well before they travel. Those attending the World Cup in South Africa in June should also take advantage of the protection the vaccine can offer.”
31st March, 2010
Brazil begins Swine Flu vaccination
Brazil's health ministry says it has started a nationwide swine flu vaccination campaign expected to inoculate 90 million people by late May. The ministry says Monday that the campaign will first inoculate 1.9 million health workers and 566,000 Indians in remote regions. The 1.3 billion real ($730 million) campaign will use vaccines produced in England, France and Switzerland. It is expected end May 21. According to the Health Ministry, 39,600 Brazilians were infected with the swine flu virus in 2009. Of that total, 1,705 died.
Associated Press 8th March, 2010
Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) short statement on Herpes zoster (shingles) vaccine
JCVI reviewed medical, epidemiological, and economic evidence as well as vaccine safety and efficacy data relevant to a herpes zoster (shingles) vaccination programme. Based on the evidence, the committee recommended that a universal herpes zoster vaccination programme for adults aged 70 up to and including 79 years should be introduced provided that a licensed vaccine is available at a cost effective price. The age range was influenced by data on the burden of disease and the cost-effectiveness of, and the duration of protection conferred by, vaccination. JCVI will issue a full statement in due course. As with all JCVI recommendations, this recommendation will be kept under review.
31 January, 2010
10 Years of the Meningitis C Vaccine
The Group C meningococcal vaccine was introduced into the UK childhood immunisation programme in November 2009 and has proved to be one of the most effective health protection measures of recent years, saving hundreds of lives according to Health Protection Agency (HPA) immunisation expert Dr Mary Ramsay.
Prior to the vaccine's introduction there were around 1000 recorded cases of Group C meningitis and septicaemia in England and Wales every year, resulting in over 100 deaths per year.
Director of Immunisation at the Department of Health Professor David Salisbury said, "In 1999, 79 children lost their lives to a disease that is now, thanks to the Department's successful immunisation programme, all but eradicated in the UK. HPA figures show there were only 13 cases of Meningitis C in 2008/09 compared to 955 in 1998/99 - a decline of 99% largely due to the use of meningococcal C vaccine.
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