News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – For many years, public health personnel have cited the estimate of 70% to 90% when talking about the level of protection afforded by seasonal influenza vaccines. But last week's meta-analysis of flu vaccine studies in The Lancet Infectious Diseases—along with several other studies in recent years—has raised the question of whether it's time to change the message about flu vaccines.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today that people who were immunized against flu with jet injectors, an off-label practice some pharmacies and health departments have recently used, don't need to be revaccinated with a standard needle and syringe.

(CIDRAP News) – In an effort to protect males against certain cancers and to indirectly protect women, the federal government's vaccine advisory group today approved a recommendation for routine vaccination of boys ages 11 or 12 with the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

(CIDRAP News) – If someone tried to kill Americans with Bacillus anthracis spores today, the nation would have a better medical tool chest for treating the sick and those potentially exposed than it had 10 years ago, when the anthrax letter attacks killed five people, but anthrax defenses are still a work in progress.

(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) – The federal government's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) yesterday approved a statement that says injected influenza vaccines are safe for people who have a mild egg allergy, provided they are observed afterward for any reactions, but the statement is not yet official policy.