News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – Coverage rates for vaccines recommended for adults remain stubbornly low, except for modest gains in two, the diphtheria with acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in women, according to new federal estimates today.

(CIDRAP News) – A federal panel today recommended that all pregnant women receive the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine during each pregnancy and that infants at increased risk receive four doses of a newly approved meningococcal combination vaccine.

(CIDRAP News) – With the United States heading toward the highest pertussis case count in decades, health officials have found an unusual illness spike in 13- and 14-year-olds in Washington state's epidemic that suggests waning vaccine immunity may be a contributing factor, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today.

(CIDRAP News) – Federal vaccine advisors today simplified their pertussis immunization recommendation for adults by advising that all those over age 19—including seniors 65 and older—should receive one dose of tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine if they haven't received it already.