Diphtheria News and Research

RSS

Diphtheria is a disease caused by a bacterium, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, that usually affects the tonsils, throat, nose and/or skin. It is passed from person to person by droplet transmission, usually by breathing in diphtheria bacteria after an infected person has coughed or sneezed. Although diphtheria disease is rare in the U.S., it appears that C diphtheriae continues to circulate in areas of the country with previously endemic diphtheria. Diphtheria also occurs in many other parts of the world.

High Court to hear vaccine case

The New York Times: A Supreme Court case scheduled for today will examine whether the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act should protect manufacturers from "virtually all product liability lawsuits."

13 Oct 2010

Vaccine lawsuits – Justices divided

The US Supreme Court is seemingly divided over the lawsuits on childhood vaccines. The Justices acquiesced that the Congress has done its bit to shield vaccine-makers from suits by the few who have had an adverse reaction to a vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Now the matter revolves around whether those hurt by vaccines have the right to sue manufacturers if they can prove that a safer version was available.

12 Oct 2010

Data shows Take Care Clinics’ quality of care exceeds national benchmarks

Take Care Health Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreens and the nation's largest and most comprehensive manager of convenient care clinics and worksite health and wellness centers, today announced that an analysis of de-identified data collected through the company's electronic medical record (EMR) system by the Jefferson School of Population Health showed that the quality of care delivered in Take Care Clinics for treatment of pharyngitis (inflammation of the throat) and upper respiratory infections (URI) meets or exceeds the quality of the care delivered in other settings.

5 Oct 2010

Outbreak of whooping cough mirrors challenges in developing world, global health official says

The outbreak of whooping cough in Texas, California, and other states this year underscores the critical importance of widespread vaccination coverage, both locally as well as around the world, said a leading global health official attending conferences on world affairs and immunization in Fort Worth this week.

29 Sep 2010

Eastmont Community Center launches new adolescent immunization awareness initiative

Eastmont Community Center responded today to alarmingly low whooping cough and meningococcal meningitis immunization rates among Latino adolescents by launching a new adolescent immunization awareness initiative. The grassroots campaign aims to educate local Latino families about free or low-cost vaccines available to help protect children against these and other infectious diseases.

24 Sep 2010

Whooping cough on the rise in California

Whooping cough is on the rise in California and the number infected has reached a 55-year high, including nine infant deaths, eight of them Hispanics. There have been more than 4,000 confirmed, probable or suspected cases this year, the most reported since 1955.

19 Sep 2010

Walgreens pharmacists in California offer immunizations that protect against pertussis

With the state of California on pace for the worst epidemic of pertussis, or whooping cough, in nearly five decades, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the California Department of Public Health continue to strongly encourage vaccination to help increase immunity and stop the spread of the disease for all Californians.

18 Sep 2010

Reuters examines conditional cash transfer programs in Latin America

Reuters examines a program providing cash incentives to "more than 2.6 million Colombians, mostly women with young children living in extreme poverty" in exchange for their participation in "health workshops" and their commitment to ensuring their children receive "regular medical check-ups," receive immunizations and "attend school at least 80 percent of the time."

16 Sep 2010

Doctors demonstrate the true impact of vaccination

With Children Back in School, Doctors Clear up Confusion and Demonstrate the True Impact of Vaccination

16 Sep 2010

RAB-1 monoclonal antibody study shows positive result for rabies

With the potential to save tens of thousands of lives each year, a new cost-effective rabies therapy developed by MassBiologics at the University of Massachusetts and the Serum Institute of India took an important step forward with positive results from a Phase 1 study. The recently completed study showed that a new monoclonal antibody (RAB-1) resulted in protective antibody levels in the serum of treated subjects equal to the current standard of treatment, which is often not available in the areas of the world hit hardest by rabies.

15 Sep 2010

Researchers develop mathematical framework for vaccine stockpile implications

A creative version of a classic engineering technique may improve decisions about building and using supplies of important pediatric vaccines, potentially leading to lower public health costs and healthier children.The United States maintains a six-month supply of common pediatric vaccines to ensure protection from deadly diseases, such as the flu, polio, and diphtheria, despite interruptions in vaccine production.

13 Sep 2010

Tikcro reports $3.2 million net loss for second-quarter 2010

Tikcro Technologies Ltd. today reported results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2010.

7 Sep 2010

Children, teens need good health before the start of new school year, says medical director

With the back to school shopping season in full swing, it is also important to arm area children and teens with other tools they need to have a good school year- like medical exams. These are critical to good health and should take place before or shortly after the start of the new school year, and include a routine doctor's exam to confirm that all immunizations are up-to-date, a dental check-up, and a vision exam.

30 Aug 2010

Simple medical exams recommended for school-age children

Many children and teens are enjoying the remaining days of their summer vacation, but are they truly prepared for what lies ahead? With a few simple medical exams, Virginia's school-age children will be armed with the tools they need to enjoy a healthy school year. The exams we are referring to are given in a doctor's and/or dentist's office, and should take place before or shortly after the start of the new school year, and include a routine doctor's exam to confirm that all immunizations are up-to-date, a dental exam and a vision exam.

27 Aug 2010

FDA accepts Sanofi Pasteur's Menactra vaccine sBLA for active immunization of infants and toddlers

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for use of Menactra® (Meningococcal [Groups A, C, Y and W-135] Polysaccharide Diphtheria Toxoid Conjugate Vaccine) for active immunization of infants and toddlers for the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease caused by serogroups A, C, Y, and W-135.

26 Aug 2010

Department of Health to hold vaccination drive for whooping cough

With some areas of the state seeing an increase in whooping cough, known medically as pertussis, the Department of Health urges all Pennsylvanians to ensure they are protected against the vaccine-preventable disease.The department will soon hold public vaccination clinics in York and Delaware counties, where cases of pertussis have been rising.

24 Aug 2010

Pfizer's Prevenar 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine receives WHO prequalification

The World Health Organization (WHO) has granted prequalification to Prevenar 13 (Pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine [13-valent, adsorbed])for active immunization of infants and children from 6 weeks through five years of age against invasive disease, pneumonia and otitis media caused by the 13 pneumococcal serotypes (1, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F and 23F) contained in the vaccine.

24 Aug 2010

Immunization rate increases among teens: NIS report

In light of today's report of the National Immunization Survey results, the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) encourages increased efforts in fully immunizing all adolescents.

21 Aug 2010

Scientists suggest combination vaccine prevents pertussis

If you think you shouldn't be worried about your child's—or your—lingering, nagging cough, think again. Pertussis has reemerged on the scene. In what some public health officials are calling the worst outbreak in 50 years, pertussis, better known by its unique sound—whooping cough, has been found in six states with 1,500 cases reported, six of them fatal.

19 Aug 2010

BBC reports on efforts to broaden access to childhood vaccines

The BBC reports on discussions about childhood immunization at the International Pediatric Association (IPA) meeting last week in Johannesburg, South Africa. "Vaccines are a key plank in meeting Millennium Development Goal 4 - to reduce child mortality by two thirds by 2015 - and many sessions at the congress were devoted to them," the news service writes.

18 Aug 2010