News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – Walgreens announced yesterday that it has started offering the flu vaccine at stores, and other pharmacy chains also expect to launch their programs for the 2011-12 flu season in the coming weeks.

The company said the flu vaccine is available in all of its 7,700 stores, which include Duane Reade pharmacies in New York and more than 350 Take Care Clinics, according to a company press release.

(CIDRAP News) – With shipments of influenza vaccine for the upcoming season arriving at healthcare providers' offices, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today released its advisory group's latest recommendations, which have a few changes that apply mainly to younger children and people who have egg allergies.

(CIDRAP News) – A national group that represents infection control experts said today that a recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) documenting low flu vaccination rates among healthcare workers raises patient safety concerns.

(CIDRAP News) – An Australian study that compared levels of adverse reactions in adults who received two different flu vaccines in 2010 has found a higher level of injection site reactions in those who received Fluvax, the CSL Biotherapies vaccine that was linked to febrile seizures in young children.

(CIDRAP News) – An Institute of Medicine (IOM) analysis found few health problems that were clearly linked to eight common vaccines, according to a report released today.