News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – Over the next few months, the nation's healthcare providers will shift from giving the pandemic H1N1 vaccine to a seasonal flu vaccine that contains the new virus, which has federal officials grappling with how to transition from a massive vaccine monitoring effort to a likely more routine system for the seasonal version.

(CIDRAP News) – As of mid February, about 86 million Americans had received the pandemic H1N1 vaccine, and so far no worrisome signals have emerged from extensive safety monitoring, officials from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today at a conference call with heathcare practitioners.

(CIDRAP News) – While the pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccine seems to be just as safe as seasonal flu vaccines, the federal government has been getting some letters from people saying they plan to seek compensation for injuries caused by the injection, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

(CIDRAP News) – Nearly 5 months after its launch, the pandemic H1N1 vaccine still appears to have a safety profile similar to that of seasonal flu vaccines, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an update yesterday.

(CIDRAP News) – A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) official estimated today that more than 75 million Americans, or close to 25% of the population, have been vaccinated against the pandemic H1N1 virus.

(CIDRAP News) – Interim clinical trial findings announced today affirm that children younger than 10 need two pandemic H1N1 vaccine doses, and initial findings in pregnant women reveal no safety concerns and a need for only one dose.

Federal officials also detailed the role of an independent panel of experts to review vaccine safety data and released a report outlining the government's vaccine safety monitoring system.

(CIDRAP News) – Federal health officials today hosted a Web telecast to help pregnant women and new mothers prepare for an uptick in novel H1N1 flu infections, a day after a federal judge rejected an advocacy group's request to limit use of the H1N1 vaccine in pregnant women.

(CIDRAP News) – An advisory committee today called on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to be ready to respond quickly to safety concerns that may emerge during this fall's novel H1N1 influenza vaccination campaign.

(CIDRAP News) – The immunization advisory group for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) meets tomorrow in an emergency session to discuss which groups should be targeted to receive the pandemic H1N1 vaccine and whether some should have priority.