The alleged vaccine-autism connection has yet again been debunked. In a large retrospective cohort study of children with older siblings, the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine was shown to not be associated with autism, even in kids with an older sibling with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Two common antibiotics used for serious skin infections—clindamycin and trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) —both had about an 80% success rate in curing uncomplicated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) skin infections, according to a study today in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
California officials today said they have confirmed 92 measles cases since December, 59 of which are linked to visiting Disneyland, bringing the US total to more than 100 cases, while Toronto has confirmed 4 cases not linked to each other or to travel outside the country.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) today reported two new MERS-CoV cases and one recovery in a previously reported patient. Both new cases occurred in Taif, and the MOH says that both patients are in critical condition.
Austria has reported its first MERS case, involving a visiting Saudi Arabian woman, while her home country has reported yet another case.
The Austrian health ministry said yesterday that the Saudi woman arrived in the country a few days ago and is now isolated in a Vienna hospital in critical condition, according to a Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA) story today.
A federal vaccine advisory group yesterday recommended that adults age 65 and older receive the Prevnar 13 pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, according to a press release from Pfizer Inc., the vaccine's maker. Using the vaccine alongside the current 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine is thought to provide broader protection.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its state health partners are investigating a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to frozen rodents used to feed pet snakes and other reptiles. So far 37 illnesses in 18 states have been reported since Jan 11, the CDC said in its outbreak announcement today
A case of H5N1 avian flu has been confirmed in a 4-year-old Cambodian boy, bringing to three that country's cases so far this year, according to a joint press release today from Cambodia's Ministry of Health (MOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The 13-valent vaccine for young kids was shown more effective than the 23-valent version for older adults.
A 66-year-old United Arab Emirates (UAE) man who owns camels has the latest confirmed case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced in a statement today.
