News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – In their ongoing investigation of febrile seizures in young children who were vaccinated against flu this season, experts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today that they have detected a small excess risk of the condition in those who received the vaccine alongside the new pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

(CIDRAP News) – A surveillance report from the United Kingdom yesterday confirmed earlier anecdotal reports of an increase in invasive bacterial infections in flu patients, noting that the spike was most notable for Streptococcus pyogenes, particularly in young adults.

(CIDRAP News) – A large prospective study from Hong Kong raises the possibility that elderly people with chronic illnesses can significantly reduce their risk of stroke and heart attack by getting vaccinated against influenza and pneumococcal disease at the same time, but other researchers are greeting the findings with a mix of caution and skepticism.