Following on the AAP’s #CallYourPediatrician campaign, which aims to reach parents with timely reminders that going to the pediatrician, even during COVID-19, is important and safe, the National Academy of State Health Policy (NASHP) is out with a new briefing document that compiles recent strategies that state officials have employed to ensure children stay up-to-date […]
(New York Times) As public health officials look to fall and winter, the specter of a new surge of Covid-19 gives them chills. But there is a scenario they dread even more: a severe flu season, resulting in a “twindemic.” Even a mild flu season could stagger hospitals already coping with Covid-19 cases. And though […]
(HealthDay News) When elementary school students get their annual flu shot, everyone benefits, a new study shows. An increased vaccination rate among grade schoolers in California was associated with a decrease in flu hospitalizations for folks in every other age bracket, researchers report. The results come as no surprise to public health experts, given children’s […]
(New York Times) Making sure that your kids get a yearly flu shot is always a good idea, but even more so this fall, as the coronavirus continues to spread throughout much of the United States. As any parent knows, cold and flu season always brings a host of respiratory viruses and runny noses, but this year […]
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) opposes today’s announcement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) authorizing state-licensed pharmacists to order and administer all vaccines to children and adolescents ages 3-18 years. “This move is incredibly misguided. In the middle of a pandemic, what families are looking for is reassurance and clinical guidance from the doctors they trust most to care for their children: […]
(USA Today) A recent survey serves as a small snapshot of a national problem that some fear may be exacerbated in the fall as children return to school for in-person instruction. The national survey, released Wednesday and conducted by Orlando Health, found the vast majority of parents believe vaccines are the best way to protect their […]
(Annenberg Public Policy Center) The flu vaccine is considered one of the great achievements in public health, and each year it prevents millions of people from getting sick and thousands of deaths. Even so, social media messages abound with skepticism and falsehoods about vaccination. What effect, if any, do these social media messages have on […]
(CNN) The federal government is doing too little to counter disinformation and boost public confidence in forthcoming coronavirus vaccines, say NIH Director Francis Collins and National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci. “Unfortunately, the anti-vax content is much more viral, much stickier than the pro-vaccine, pro-public health, pro-science content,” said Chelsea Clinton, […]
By Lena H. Sun, Washington Post With the Trump administration aiming to deliver 300 million doses of vaccine against the coronavirus as early as January, state officials and health experts say they remain in the dark about key details and, therefore, are inadequately prepared for what is expected to be the largest single vaccination campaign ever undertaken. Getting shots […]
by Marie McCullough, Philadelphia Inquirer For the first time, an expert medical group has recommended delaying, decreasing, and simplifying cervical cancer screening, largely because the HPV vaccine, introduced 14 years ago, is protecting young women from the disease. Most Americans still don’t know that the human papillomavirus (HPV) causes oral and genital cancers, and too many parents […]