Posts Tagged ‘vaccine’

Everyone is on flu alert this season due to the H1N1 scare. Despite efforts in early vaccine deployment and increased production, public demand is still not being met, especially among patients who belong to small private clinics that have not been allocated shipments of the vaccine. As I found out this weekend, it is very difficult to find even one pharmacy or clinic that has the vaccine in stock. One tool I did find helpful is a Flu.gov widget that displays sites in your area which carry the vaccine and whether it is available. Although I found the information on availability to be very inaccurate, it does compile for you a comprehensive list of locations which should guide you in your search. Try it out here:

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Believe it or not, we’re still only in the middle of flu season. With the H1N1 flu hitting early, this may be a flu season that just seems to go on forever. Since arriving in the US in April the H1N1 flu has killed nearly 10,000 Americans, including 1,100 children and 7,500 younger adults, and infected one in six people (between April and November 14 there had been nearly 50 million cases). The good news is vaccine availability is on the rise. In fact, 12 million more doses will be available this week and a large part of that should be now available to the general public. Getting the H1N1 vaccine is the best way to protect oneself from H1N1 infection. Unlike the seasonal flu vaccine, which protects from what we think will be the most prevalent strains of the current season, we know exactly what we’re dealing with in regards to the H1N1 strain, so the vaccination is formulated to target it specifically. Getting the vaccination also protects those around you since it decreases the number of people who can catch H1N1 and go on to spread it, a concept called herd immunity. [via MedlinePlus]

Go to the Guide To H1N1 Flu.

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Last month researchers from the US Army and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases announced the successful trial of a new HIV vaccine. However, because the study was based on very few cases, skeptics argued whether the vaccine had any effect after all. Fast forward to this week’s AIDS Vaccine 2009 meeting in Paris where researchers reviewed more data from the trial and found the claims in which the vaccine reduced HIV infection rates by 31% were sound. Additionally, it appears that the vaccine actually was even more effective during the first year of immunization, reducing infection rates by as high as 60%. “It looked like there’s an early effect that wanes with time,” said Seth Berkley, chief executive of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. “It may be that the vaccine generates only weak antibodies against HIV, and these are only effective early on.” Although this vaccine isn’t ready for public use, the knowledge we gained from this research will certainly help in the production of new and improved HIV vaccines. [NEJM via New Scientist]

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The National Institute on Drug Abuse is announcing a scientific first – a vaccine for treating addiction. A study published in the current issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry shows that vaccination with an experimental anti-cocaine vaccine resulted in a 38% reduction in cocaine use among study patients with a history of drug abuse. Similar to vaccines against infectious diseases, the anti-cocaine vaccine stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies. However, unlike antibodies against infectious diseases which destroy or deactivate disease-causing agents, anti-cocaine antibodies bind to cocaine molecules in the blood, rendering them incapable of passing through the blood-brain barrier, thus inhibiting or blocking cocaine’s effects on the body. [via NIH News]

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According to the World Health Organization the number of reported cases of H1N1 influenza has increased by at least 24,000 in just the past two weeks. And with the new H1N1 vaccine just recently being distributed to the public the CDC is reaffirming the current vaccination guidelines. The groups most at risk, and therefore should be vaccinated are:

Please note that the  H1N1 vaccine is not intended to replace the seasonal flu vaccine. The seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines may be administered on the same day.  [via CDC]

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The New York Times is reporting that the first injectable H1N1 vaccines have shipped from vaccine maker Sanofi-Aventis. Previously, the first H1N1 vaccinations were to be the live virus type, in the form of a nasal spray. However, live virus vaccines are not recommended for certain groups including pregnant women, people with health problems, and adults over the age of 50 – some of the groups most at risk should they contract H1N1 infection. Sanofi-Aventis has a contract with the US government to provide 75 million doses of the vaccine, which will be provided free to physicians and health care workers. Health officials say there will eventually be enough vaccine for anyone who wants one, but priority will be given to high-risk groups first. The seasonal flu vaccine is currently distributed in sufficient quantity to the general public. Stay tuned to for up-to-date recommendations for the H1N1 vaccine as it becomes more widely available. [via Kaiser Health News]

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Historically, pregnant women have been one of the groups least likely to get the flu vaccine for a variety of reasons. Not surprisingly, their reluctance to take any medication during pregnancy is one of the reasons for the low vaccination rates. Additionally, the majority of obstetricians do not routinely vaccinate their patients due to costs involved and that it’s not part of routine obstetrician training. Therefore, the CDC and American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology are urging obstetricians to partner with hospitals or drugstores to guarantee their patients a place to get the flu shot. A vaccine is a two-for-one deal during pregnancy. It can protect both mom and baby because the flu-fighting antibodies made by mom will cross the placenta to the fetus and can help protect the baby during its first few months of life. This is why health officials are working on increasing the number of vaccinated pregnant women this year, especially since pregnant women make up 6% of H1N1-confirmed deaths even though they account for only 1% of the population. [via NBC News]

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This is going to be a busy flu season, especially considering that there will be two different flu vaccines available – one for the seasonal flu and the other for H1N1 (swine) flu. There are different recommendations for both vaccines, but only the seasonal flu vaccine is currently available. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends any adult who wants to reduce their risk of becoming ill with influenza to get the vaccine. However, if you are on the fence about the decision here is an up-to-date list from the CDC of high risk groups that should not think twice about getting the vaccine:

• persons aged 50 years and older;
• women who will be pregnant during the influenza season;
• persons who have chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, cognitive, neurologic/neuromuscular, hematological or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus);
• persons who have immunosuppression (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by human immunodeficiency virus;
• residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities;
• health-care personnel;
• household contacts and caregivers of children aged <5 years and adults aged 50 years and older, with particular emphasis on vaccinating contacts of children aged <6 months; and
• household contacts and caregivers of persons with medical conditions that put them at higher risk for severe complications from influenza.

*If you have concerns about thimerosal or other vaccine preservatives, this year’s flu vaccine only comes in two flavors – latex-containing and latex-free. Neither contains thimerosal.

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Since the introduction of their Gardasil vaccine (marketed for the prevention of cervical cancer in women), pharmaceutical giant Merck has been wanting to expand the vaccine’s use to include males. Currently, the vaccine is approved for use in girls and women between the ages of 9 and 26. If Merck has its way Gardasil will be used in boys and men ages 9 to 26 as well. In documents posted online, the FDA said the vaccine prevented genital warts in males 90 percent of the time. Based on this the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is supporting the use of Gardasil in males. However, it is unlikely that the use of the vaccine will prevent a significant amount of penile and anal cancers, compared with cervical cancer. Cancer of the penis and anus are extremely rare, with less than 2,000 cases reported annually. Gardasil was approved for women in 2006 and had sales over $1 billion last year. [via CBS News]

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Does the idea of a doctor’s office without vaccines sound almost absurd? Well, that may be the reality for some practices that can no longer afford to stock vaccinations due to their high costs. It’s a case of simple economics. For example, the chicken pox vaccine costs about $115, but insurers will only cover between $68 to $83 of that. Add to that the cost of staff to administer the vaccine and you’ve got a negative return. The cost of vaccines set by pharmaceutical companies is another issue. As much as physicians have an obligation to help others, at some point it just doesn’t make sense. It’s unclear exactly how widespread vaccine cutbacks are, but in a recent survey, as high as 5% of pediatricians and 11% of physicians indicated that they’re seriously considering no longer offering immunizations. [via CNN.com]

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