Donald Trump vs. Vaccines

Posted on by Kate Smith

In Dr. Paul Offit’s latest post on his substack, Beyond the Noise, he states: At a campaign rally on June 22, 2024, former president Donald Trump told a crowd of cheering fans, “I will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate.” Given that every public school in the United States has vaccine mandates, this would mean eliminating all federal funding for public schools. Will Trump’s statement pressure schools to eliminate mandates? More to the point, why are school vaccine mandates important? The best way to understand school vaccine mandates is through the lens of measles virus, the Read More …

Call for Abstracts – HPV Conference

Posted on by Kate Smith

Call for abstracts for the inaugural National HPV conference (April 15-17, 2025 in Indianapolis, IN). This conference is aimed towards those working in HPV prevention, screening, and control (more info on the conference found here: https://nhpvc.org/). Timelines for abstract submissions and conference registration can be found below (2025 National HPV Conference_Call for Abstracts). Call for abstracts submissions open: June 15, 2024 Deadline for abstract submission: September 15, 2024, 8:00 pm EST Deadline for review of abstracts: October 15, 2024, 8:00 pm EST Program decision: November 15, 2024 Conference registration & reservations: November 15, 2024

Posted in HPV

RSV Guidance Updated

Posted on by Kate Smith

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its RSV vaccine guidance for seniors for this upcoming respiratory viral season, saying the new recommendations are meant to simplify decision-making for patients and clinicians. The new guidance recommends that everyone over the age of 75 get the RSV vaccine, as well as anyone aged 60 to 74 who is “at increased risk of severe RSV.” Read more

Posted in RSV

Delaware Division of Public Health notifies of rise in pertussis cases in New Castle County

Posted on by Kate Smith

DOVER, DEL. (June 14, 2024) – The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is currently investigating a rise in pertussis (whooping cough) cases in New Castle County. Pertussis is a serious respiratory illness that can lead to severe health complications including pneumonia, syncope (passing out), seizures, apnea (stopping breathing) and death, particularly in very young children. It begins with cold-like symptoms and develops into a bad cough. Coughing spells can be severe, and sometimes the individual might suffer from gagging or vomiting as a result. Some people also may have a high-pitched “whoop” after they cough, which is how the disease Read More …

FDA Updates Advice to 2024-2025 COVID-19 Formula

Posted on by Kate Smith

Based on the totality of the evidence, on June 6, 2024, FDA initially advised the manufacturers of the licensed and authorized COVID-19 vaccines that the COVID-19 vaccines (2024-2025 Formula) for use in the United States beginning in fall 2024 should be monovalent JN.1 vaccines. FDA has continued to monitor the circulating strains of SARS-CoV-2.  Based on the most current available data, along with the recent rise in cases of COVID-19 in areas of the country, the agency has further determined that the preferred JN.1-lineage for the COVID-19 vaccines (2024-2025 Formula) is the KP.2 strain, if feasible. Read more

Moderna Receives U.S. FDA Approval for RSV Vaccine mRESVIA(R)

Posted on by Kate Smith

May 31, 2024 CAMBRIDGE, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 31, 2024 / Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved mRESVIA (mRNA-1345), an mRNA respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, to protect adults aged 60 years and older from lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV infection. The approval was granted under a breakthrough therapy designation and marks the second approved mRNA product from Moderna. “The FDA approval of our second product, mRESVIA, builds on the strength and versatility of our mRNA platform,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. “mRESVIA protects older adults Read More …