Childhood Vaccines

Yet another study finds no link between MMR vaccine, autism

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).

Study: Docs often bend to pressure to space primary vaccines

Pediatricians and family physicians frequently face pressure from patients to spread out early-childhood vaccines and often acquiesce, according to a study today in Pediatrics.

Proposal: Pay docs for counseling parents on childhood vaccines

Amid a widespread measles outbreak, the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) is considering recommending that physicians be compensated for counseling parents about the importance of childhood vaccines, Bloomberg News reported yesterday.

The committee is also looking at a recommendation that would set a minimum vaccination coverage goal for clinicians, the story said.

Study: HPV vaccination not associated with STI risk in girls

Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) is not associated with an increased risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI) among teen girls, according to a study yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Tuberculosis rates decrease in majority of EU countries

Tuberculosis cases decreased by 6% during 2012 in 29 European countries, while hot spots in northern Europe and the Baltic states remained, according to a report issued today by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

Reports reveal over 100 safety breaches at high-security UK labs

UK labs that handle the most dangerous pathogens have reported at least 116 accidents or other biosecurity breaches in the past 5 years—about one every 2 weeks—The Guardian reported today.

Advisors seek clarity on fed's gain-of-function research funding pause

The committee that advises the federal government on biosecurity and dual-use research today approved a statement detailing its concerns about the US government moratorium on funding for "gain-of-function" (GOF) studies on influenza, MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus), and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).

Hospital MERS cluster in Riyadh tied to patient from Taif

A hospital cluster of five confirmed MERS-CoV cases in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been traced to a patient from Taif near Mecca, the country's Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a statement today.

Enterovirus D68 cases reach 796 as unexplained neuro illnesses rise

The count of confirmed enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) cases in the United States reached 796 today, and the number of unexplained neurologic illnesses with potential links to the virus has risen to 37, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Vaccine coverage remained high in 2013 but pockets of concern continue

Vaccination coverage of young US children against all routinely recommended vaccines remained high and even increased for certain vaccines last year, according to data from the National Immunization Survey (NIS), published today in Morbidity Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).