Tetanus News and Research

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Tetanus is a severe, frequently fatal disease caused by an exotoxin produced by Clostridium tetani, a bacterium that is found in the environment. Tetanus is not transmitted from person to person. Rather, Clostridium tetani enters the body through an open wound, including lacerations, abrasions and puncture wounds. The toxin causes neuromuscular dysfunction, with rigidity and spasms of skeletal muscles. The muscle spasms usually start in the jaw (which is why the disease is sometimes called "lockjaw") and neck and may spread to many other muscles, leading to generalized paralysis.

Abortion of female fetuses in northern India results in gender imbalance

Modern ultrasound technology and economic pressure leads to female fetuses in the Ballabgarh area of northern India being aborted more often than male fetuses. Additionally, girls up to the age of five die more frequently than boys, which results in a gender imbalance in the area, according to Anand Krishnan, MD and doctoral candidate at Ume- University, who defends his thesis on 11 October.

9 Oct 2013

Healthcare providers report unaccompanied teens may not receive required vaccines

Healthcare providers report that older teens often go to the doctor without a parent or guardian, a new survey in the Journal of Adolescent Health reveals—and those teens may not get necessary vaccinations because there's no parent or guardian present to give consent.

9 Oct 2013

New report shows 6.6 million children under 5 died in 2012

In 2012, approximately 6.6 million children worldwide - 18 000 children per day - died before reaching their fifth birthday, according to a new report released today by UNICEF, WHO, the World Bank Group and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division. This is roughly half the number of under-fives who died in 1990, when more than 12 million children died.

13 Sep 2013

Undervaccination results in increased risk for whooping cough in young children

Undervaccination – not receiving all recommended vaccinations or not being vaccinated according to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices schedule – results in an increased risk for whooping cough in children 3 to 36 months of age, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study.

12 Sep 2013

Undervaccination with diptheria increases risk of whooping cough

Undervaccination with the diptheria, tetanus toxoids and acelluar pertussis (DTaP) vaccine appears to be associated with an increased risk of pertussis (whooping cough) in children 3 to 36 months of age, according to a study by Jason M. Glanz, Ph.D., of the Institute for Health Research at Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Denver.

10 Sep 2013

Health care providers are missing opportunities to improve teens' vaccination coverage

Health care providers are missing opportunities to improve teens' vaccination coverage, reports a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

2 Aug 2013

Immunization in developing countries: an interview with Dr. Jos Vandelaer, Chief of Immunization for UNICEF

Overall, worldwide, immunization programs reach around 83% of all children – this is an enormous achievement. With this level of immunization coverage, we prevent over 2 million deaths, year after year. This statistic is often forgotten or taken for granted.

11 Jul 2013

Diaxonhit, XDx agree to market and perform AlloMap Molecular Expression Testing in Europe

Diaxonhit, the leading French provider of specialty diagnostic solutions, and XDx, Inc., a U.S. molecular diagnostics company focused on non-invasive tests for transplantation and autoimmune disease, announced today that they have entered into a memorandum of agreement for the exclusive license to market and perform AlloMap Molecular Expression Testing (AlloMap) in Europe.

4 Jun 2013

Report highlights successes in improving maternal health, reducing child mortality

Rapid expansion of programs to prevent HIV transmission to babies and vaccinate children show how results can be achieved in relatively little time.

1 Jun 2013

Somalia launches pentavalent vaccine with support from GAVI, UNICEF, WHO

"Coinciding with World Immunization Week, the Somali government announced on 24 April its intention to vaccinate all children under the age of one with a new five-in-one vaccine, known as a pentavalent vaccine, funded by the GAVI Alliance, with [UNICEF] and the [WHO] as implementing partners," IRIN reports.

30 Apr 2013

Indian drug supplier cuts price of 5-in-1 childhood vaccine for GAVI Alliance; Groups highlight World Immunization Week

"The cost of immunizing children in developing countries with a five-in-one vaccine is set to fall after a deal by an Indian supplier to slash the price it charges the GAVI global vaccines group," Reuters reports.

19 Apr 2013

Global experts highlight strategies to immunize more children

In advance of World Immunization Week, global experts are highlighting strategies to further advance progress on the Global Vaccine Action Plan that was endorsed by the World Health Assembly, 2012.

19 Apr 2013

National Jewish Health researchers unravel mystery of adjuvants

Aluminum salts, or alum, have been injected into billions of people as an adjuvant to make vaccines more effective.

8 Apr 2013

Study suggests sex discrimination starts in womb in male-dominated societies

Women in India are more likely to get prenatal care when pregnant with boys, according to groundbreaking research that has implications for girls' health and survival.

28 Mar 2013

2 in 5 parents believe HPV vaccine is unnecessary

A rising percentage of parents say they won't have their teen daughters vaccinated to protect against the human papilloma virus, even though physicians are increasingly recommending adolescent vaccinations, a study by Mayo Clinic and others shows.

18 Mar 2013

ADMA Biologics initiates enrollment in RI-002 Phase III study for PIDD

ADMA Biologics, Inc. (ADMA), a specialty immune globulin company that develops, manufactures and intends to market plasma-based biologics for the treatment and prevention of certain infectious diseases, announced that the first patient enrolled in the pivotal Phase III clinical study of its RI-002 has been dosed.

7 Mar 2013

India needs political leadership, resources to ensure children's right to health

"India is making positive strides in reducing child mortality through new policies and ambitious programs, but preventing the deaths of millions of children remains one of the country's greatest challenges," health expert and blogger John Butler writes in the Wall Street Journals "India Real Time" blog, noting, "Roughly 1.7 million children under five years old die every year in India, says UNICEF, representing more than a fifth of all child deaths worldwide."

2 Mar 2013

Govs brace for impact of scheduled cuts in home states

The nation's governors met in Washington over the weekend, and among their hottest topics: a White House warning regarding the state-by-state impact of sequestration, which is scheduled to kick in March 1.

26 Feb 2013

CDC: Adult vaccination rates 'unacceptably low'

According to the CDC, a "substantial increase" in immunizations for adults is necessary.

31 Jan 2013

Common myths about flu from Mayo Clinic

It seems you can't go anywhere these days without hearing "the flu this" or "the flu that." Unfortunately, this season's influenza outbreak is one of the worst in years. And it's not just the flu virus that's causing problems; there are also many myths about the flu that are keeping people from doing more to prevent it.

29 Jan 2013