FDA Broadens Approval of Shingles Vaccine

By Associated Press Friday, March 25, 2011

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday expanded approval of a shingles vaccine from Merck to patients between the ages of 50 and 59.
The vaccine, called Zostavax, is already approved for patients of 60 years and older.

"The likelihood of shingles increases with age. The availability of Zostavax to a younger age group provides an additional opportunity to prevent this often painful and debilitating disease," said Karen Midthun, director of the FDA's center for biologics.

Zostavax was first approved in May 2006.

Shingles causes blisters and severe pain that can last from several weeks to years. The illness is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. The virus lies dormant in the nervous system for years but can reappear in the form of shingles for reasons that are not entirely understood.

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Trend reversal: Big drop in kids' ear infections

Friday, March 04, 2011

ATLANTA, GA -- Ear infections, a scourge that has left countless tots screaming through the night, have fallen dramatically, and some researchers suggest a decline in smoking by parents might be part of the reason.

Health officials report nearly a 30 percent drop over 15 years in young children's doctor visits for ear infections. That's half a million fewer trips to the doctor on average.

Why the numbers are declining is a bit of a mystery, but Harvard researchers think it's partly because fewer people smoke, meaning less irritation of children's airways. Many doctors credit growing use of a vaccine against bacteria that cause ear infections. And some think increased breast-feeding is protecting more children.

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Families of Meningitis Victims Promote Vaccines

Your Kid Has a Fever? Don't Rush to Dole out Drugs

By Bonnie Rochman Monday, February 28, 2011

Parents, especially new ones, freak out about fevers. A third of all pediatric visits involve worried parents bringing in feverish little ones. But there's really no reason to fret when your kiddo's temperature starts to rise. And there's no reason to push drugs to alleviate the fever, according to a new clinical report published online today in the journal Pediatrics.

Fever in and of itself is not harmful. Even more than that, it can actually be helpful since it prompts the body to churn out more infection-fighting white blood cells. Because fever decreases the ability of viruses and bacteria to reproduce, it can actually shorten the duration of an illness.

It's not that you want your child to suffer in hopes that a cold will wind down sooner, but Janice Sullivan, a co-author of the study, says it's not necessary to ply children with acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) unless they're uncomfortable.

Read more at the link.

Should you let your pets sleep in bed with you?

Q: Is it OK to let your pets sleep in bed with you or not? You've supported the idea, but now I see some don't believe it's a good idea. -- J.K., Houston, TX

A: You're referring to a study from the University of California-Davis which pointed out potential dangers of sharing your bed with a dog or cat. Much of their report focused on parasite transmission.

"The truth is that the vast majority of these parasites are preventable, using products recommended by your veterinarian," says Dr. Larry Kornegay of Houston, TX, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

As for reported dangers of being on the wet end of a dog kiss, Kornegay laughs and says, "Well, regular dental care can control much that bacteria." He adds, "Listen, I'm all for using common sense." Allowing pets to lick open sores -- not a good idea, for example. Or to give you a kiss after having been in the trash -- also not a good idea.

Immuno-compromised individuals, for example, should probably not be sharing the bed with a pet. Ask your physician.

Read the rest of the article here.

Group B Strep Is Still Main Cause of Bacterial Meningitis in Newborns

Released: 3/2/2011 8:00 AM EST

But Preterm Infants Are More Likely to Be Infected with E. Coli, French Study Reports in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal

Newswise — Philadelphia, Pa. (March 2, 2011) – The Group B Streptococcus is still the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in newborns, concludes a seven-year French study in the March issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

Group B strep remains predominant despite the recent introduction of GBS screening for women near delivery, according to the new report, led by Dr. Jean Gaschignard Hôpital Antoine-Béclère, Clamart, France. However, the situation is different for preterm infants—who are at higher risk of death, regardless of the cause of their meningitis.

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Pneumonia DNA Morphs To Dodge Vaccines

By SINDYA N. BHANOO
Published: January 28, 2011

Researchers from seven countries have collaborated to analyze how a single strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria has morphed over 30 years and spread across the world, in an attempt to overcome the development of antibiotics and vaccines.

The research is the first detailed genetic picture of the evolution of a specific strain of pneumonia, resulting in a family tree of sorts. The researchers analyzed samples from North and South America, Africa and Southeast Asia.

Over time, the bacteria mutated to better resist antibiotics and vaccines. The researchers found that it underwent both recombination, in which the DNA shuffles around, and base substitutions, in which individual nucleic acids in a DNA sequence change.

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Students Still Getting Mono After All These Years

It was only one week into the new school year and Chelsea Day, 13, was already feeling run down. Her head was pounding, her throat was sore and the typically avid soccer player was sleeping every chance she could.

“I was exhausted,” said Chelsea, an eighth grader from Cleveland, who thought she was simply getting used to school again. “As soon as I woke up, I wanted to go back to sleep.”

But a few days later her symptoms got even worse. The glands in her neck became swollen and the left side of her abdomen grew so enlarged that her mother rushed her to the emergency room.

It turned out she had infectious mononucleosis, or mono. Also known as “the kissing disease” because it is spread by close contact, the infection has become something of a rite of passage for many adolescents and young adults. Symptoms, which can last for months, include severe fatigue, fever, sore throats, swollen glands and an enlarged spleen.

Some 95 percent of adults in the United States have been infected with Epstein-Barr, the herpes virus that causes mono, by age 35 to 40. But unlike other herpes viruses, like chickenpox, most people who become infected with Epstein-Barr virus never develop symptoms. And because mono is so common, some experts fear the disease has become trivialized among physicians and the research community.

Read the rest of the article here.