News & Events

By Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, Sept. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — More U.S. kids are getting a recommended vaccine that protects against several cancers — but there is still much room for improvement, a new study finds. At issue is the vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV). Certain strains of HPV are sexually transmitted, and some […]

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 […]

DOH – Department of Health Press Release Listserv Wolf Administration Highlights the Importance of Vaccinations and Introduces Updated Guidelines for New School Year Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania departments of Education, Health, Human Services, and Insurance are reminding parents to ensure their children’s immunizations are up to date as part of back-to-school preparations. Vaccine requirements […]

Countering anti-vaccination influences from social media — with conversation Exposure to anti-vax tweets was followed by negative vaccination attitudes and behavior — but not among people who discussed vaccination with others (The Annenberg Public Policy Center) PHILADELPHIA – The flu vaccine is considered one of the great achievements in public health, and each year it […]

(Reuters) – Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the United States, spoke with Reuters correspondents Jeff Mason and Mike Erman on Wednesday about fighting the new surge in coronavirus cases and about how possible vaccines could slow the spread of the virus. Fauci also touched on his sometimes-fraught relationship with the White House. […]

(NPR, Jon Hamilton) For years, public health officials have been trying to dispel the myth that people who get a flu shot are more likely to get Alzheimer’s disease. They are not. And now there is evidence that vaccines that protect against the flu and pneumonia may actually protect people from Alzheimer’s, too. The evidence comes from two […]

Most VFC providers open, offering vaccinations Melissa Jenco, News Content Editor July 09, 2020 As schools consider re-entry, a new survey found many pediatric practices are open and offering vaccinations children may have delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Resumption of vaccination activities is critical to protecting children and adolescents from vaccine-preventable diseases as well as […]

by Kasra Zarei The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has been proven to prevent certain types of oral and genital cancers and other health problems. However, in a study published this week in Lancet Public Health, researchers found that more than half of the parents of adolescents who have not received the HPV vaccine had no intention […]

July 21, 2020 Given the COVID-19 pandemic, there are risks and difficulties attendant on requiring immunization of children to enter and attend school. During last winter, spring and continuing to the present, preventive medical visits, including those associated with the administration of vaccines, have been postponed to mitigate the risk of transmission of the COVID-19 […]

LONDON (AP) — More than 70 rich countries have signed up to a global coronavirus vaccine initiative intended to ensure that any effective shots are fairly distributed around the world – but which may also allow them to buy more vaccines to stockpile for their own citizens. In a statement on Wednesday, the vaccines alliance […]

(New York Times) By Denise Grady An experimental coronavirus vaccine made by the biotech company Moderna provoked a promising immune response against the virus and appeared safe in the first 45 people who received it, researchers reported on Tuesday in The New England Journal of Medicine. Moderna’s vaccine, developed with researchers at the National Institute of Allergy […]

(AMA, by Tanya Albert Henry) Telehealth is taking care of many patient needs, but with flu season nearing doctors won’t be able to vaccinate patients through cyberspace. And with COVID-19 continuing to surge, it will be more important than ever to vaccinate patients against the flu to reduce the number of people using the nation’s […]

Researchers studied more than 1.1 million youths and found that 2- to 5-year-olds who were born in September or later were more likely to receive influenza vaccination and less likely to have influenza, compared with those born in earlier months who had check-ups before that year’s seasonal vaccine was available. However, the findings in the […]

by Kasra Zarei, Posted: July 6, 2020 In Philadelphia, there has been a significant drop in the number of pediatric and adult routine immunizations administered since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, compared with the same time last year, according to the city’s Public Health Department. The Philadelphia Immunization Program, part of the city’s health department, […]