TULSA, Okla. Tulsa Health Department (THD) wants you to avoid the back-to-school rush to update your childs vaccines.
Appointments wont be necessary this year to update your childs vaccines at THD since theyre now allowing walk-ins.
We want our students to be ready for back to school, said J.P. Williams, associate director of preventive health services at THD.
We want to provide as many opportunities for parents as far as our locations, Williams said.
Williams said THD is making it more convenient for families to beat the rush.
Every Tuesday and Thursday in July, the location at 3rd & Utica and the location at 5635 N. M.L.K. Jr. Blvd will be open for walk-ins.
THD has four locations, which can be viewed by clicking here.
The James O. Goodwin Health Centers public health clinic at 51st Street & 129th East Ave is temporarily closed for remodel.
We also have the caring van so if you cant make it to any of our clinic sites, look for that caring van throughout the community, Williams said.
THD will also offer shot records and birth certificates to help families with everything they need to enroll in school.
According to THD, in Oklahoma, all children must present an immunization record or file an exemption before they can attend public school.
THD gives vaccines at no charge to kids up to age 18.
We want parents to avoid the rush, start now, so you can enjoy the rest of your summer vacation, Williams said.
Administration of the maternal respiratory syncytial virus prefusion F (RSVpreF) vaccine (Abrysvo) didn't come with an increased risk of preterm birth or other negative neonatal outcomes, according to a retrospective study.
Preterm birth, before 37 weeks' gestation, was actually numerically less common for women who received Pfizer's maternal RSV vaccine than without it (5.9% vs 6.7%, adjusted OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.62-1.20), Moeun Son, MD, of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, and colleagues reported in JAMA Network Open.
No significant differences emerged by vaccination status in small-for-gestational-age birthweight, stillbirth, neonatal ICU admissions, respiratory distress with NICU admissions, or neonatal jaundice, hypoglycemia, or sepsis. Percentages of spontaneous and nonspontaneous premature births were similar as well.
"Patients and clinicians can feel confident that the vaccination during pregnancy is a safe way to protect infants from harmful RSV infections," Son told MedPage Today in an email.
"The data are particularly reassuring," she added, "because we include a broader group of women, including some with health conditions that could increase the risks of poor pregnancy outcomes who were excluded" from the MATISSE study, the phase III clinical trial that led to the vaccine's approval.
However, in a time-dependent model, researchers did find an association of the vaccine with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Among women who received the vaccine, 20.1% were diagnosed with a hypertensive disorder during pregnancy versus 18.1% of the group that received no vaccine (HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.16-1.77).
This initial postmarketing study suggests "the benefits of the vaccine greatly outweigh the risks," Annette Regan, PhD, MPH, of the University of San Francisco's School of Nursing and Health Professions, wrote in an accompanying editorial.
"While these data provide initial reassurance that the vaccine was not associated with preterm birth in this setting, there are important limitations to consider, and some findings warrant further investigation," Regan cautioned. "Results were not stratified by onset of labor, making it difficult to disentangle whether preterm birth with a spontaneous onset may differ by vaccination status," she noted.
Before Pfizer's vaccine received FDA approval in August 2023, phase III clinical trial data raised concerns about a 1% higher rate of preterm birth observed in women who had received the vaccine compared with women in the control group. Women in those trials received the vaccine from weeks 24 through 36 of pregnancy. Given this potential risk, the FDA limited approval for Pfizer's vaccine to use during gestational weeks 32 through 36.
Of note, GSK recently decided to halt a phase III clinical trial of a similar RSVpreF vaccine because of a 1.9% absolute higher rate of preterm birth observed in the intervention arm. In that trial, women randomized to the vaccine arm received it between 24 and 34 weeks of gestation.
Regan also speculated that the real-world study drew from a population that is healthier than the general U.S. birthing population, given that the 6-7% preterm birth rate observed in this cohort is lower than the national preterm birth rate of 10-11%. "Replication in larger and more diverse cohorts of US pregnancies would therefore be helpful," she wrote.
The retrospective observational cohort study looked at data from 2,973 pregnant women from two New York City hospitals within one healthcare system who gave birth at 32 weeks of gestation or later from September 2023 through January 2024. Of these, 34.5% had received the prenatal RSV vaccine. The median age was about 35 years.
The maternal RSV vaccination rate at the hospitals was almost double that of the nationally reported rate of 17.8% during the study period, Son noted.
Researchers found some disparities in vaccination rates, she said. Black women, women with public insurance, and those who had fewer prenatal visits were less likely to be vaccinated. These disparities are similar to those previously seen for other recommended vaccines during pregnancy, she pointed out.
"As we prepare for the next RSV vaccination season, which starts this September, we are going to speak with different communities to help understand what might cause vaccine hesitancy among women or create barriers to access the vaccine, so we can improve vaccination rates even more this year," Son told MedPage Today.
Katherine Kahn is a staff writer at MedPage Today, covering the infectious diseases beat. She has been a medical writer for over 15 years.
Disclosures
The study was funded by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College.
Son reported no conflicts of interest, but two co-authors reported ties to Pfizer.
Regan served on the data safety monitoring board for the Moderna mRNA-1345 candidate RSV vaccine.
Primary Source
JAMA Network Open
Source Reference: Son M, et al "Nonadjuvanted bivalent respiratory syncytial virus vaccination and perinatal outcomes" JAMA Netw Open 2024; DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.19268.
Secondary Source
JAMA Network Open
Source Reference: Regan AK "Perinatal outcomes after RSV vaccination during pregnancy -- addressing emerging concerns" JAMA Netw Open 2024; DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.19229.
CLARK COUNTY, Nev. (KTNV) While the calendar may say July, it's not too early to start thinking about back to school.
The new school year begins August 12 and the Southern Nevada Health District is advising parents to make an appointment now for back to school vaccinations.
The Clark County School District requires a number of vaccinations for students enrolling in school.
For a complete list of CCSD vaccination requirementsas well as immunization clinic locations by appointment onlysee the information and links below.
CCSD: Student Enrollment Process
All vaccinations are by appointment only.
Southern Nevada Health District Main Facility
East Las Vegas Public Health Center
Henderson Public Health Center
Mesquite Public Health Center
Back-to-School vaccinations for ages 11-18 years old available at these locations:
Boulevard Mall (in El Mercado)
Fremont Public Health Center
Back-to-School vaccinations on first come, first serve basis at this location:
CCSD Family Support Center
For more information, visit the SNHD website by clicking the link here: Back to School Vaccine Clinics
Health district reminds parents to get students vaccinated before first day of school
Las Vegas (KSNV)
The school year is fast approaching and the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) is advising parents/guardians to make sure they are up to date with all school-required vaccines before stepping foot in the classroom.
SNHD encourages parents and guardians to beat the back-to-school rush and make an appointment now for their kindergartners, 7th and 12th graders at one of its immunization clinics for their mandatory school vaccines.
Clark County School District (CCSD) students are required the following vaccinations:
SNHD reminds parents/guardians who recently moved to Nevada that hepatitis A vaccination is required in the state, adding that immunizations that were up to date in other states, that do not require hepatitis A vaccination, might not be current in Nevada.
Students enrolled in the 12th grade in Nevada public, private, or charter schools must also receive the meningococcal vaccine (MenACWY) before the start of the 2024-2025 school year.
SNHD accepts most insurance plans. Not all immunizations are covered by insurance.
Vaccine costs vary based on the type of immunization required. In addition to the vaccine costs, SNHD charges an administration fee of $22 per person for one vaccine and $10 for each additional vaccine.
Mandatory back-to-school vaccinations, as well as recommended vaccinations, are available at the following SNHD locations by appointment only:
Special back-to-school dates and times at this location:
Special back-to-school dates and times at this location:
To make an appointment, call (702) 759-0850 or click here.
For more information on required vaccines, clickhere.
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Babies exposed to maternal RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccination in the third trimester are not at an increased risk of preterm birth or other poor birth outcomes, according to a study today in JAMA Network Open.
The US Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizers Abrysvo vaccine for use in women 32 to 36 weeks pregnant last August based on clinical trial results. Maternal vaccination in late pregnancy is meant to pass protective antibodies on to the newborn, but clinical trial results showing an increased risk in preterm birth shortened the recommended vaccination window from 24 to 36 weeks to 32 to 36 weeks.
Each year, RSV causes 80,000 hospitalizations and up to 300 deaths in children under age 5 in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that pregnant women receive one RSV vaccine dose from September to January to protect infants against the virus.
In today's study, the vaccine was found to be safe and protective in a real-world setting, which included 1,026 vaccinated and 1,947 unvaccinated patients who received care at two New York City hospitals from September 22, 2023, to January 31, 2024. Preterm birth was defined as birth before 37 weeks' gestation.
Sixty patients who had evidence of prenatal vaccination (5.9%) experienced preterm birth, compared with 6.7% of those who did not.
"The real-world evidence provides an additional layer of confidence about the safety of this vaccine during pregnancy," said lead author Moeun Son, MD,associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine in a press release from Weill Cornell. "Randomized clinical trials dont always emulate the populations we see in the clinical setting, but now we have data from multiple populations showing no increase in preterm birth risk."
The real-world evidence provides an additional layer of confidence about the safety of this vaccine during pregnancy.
There were no significant differences in rates of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) births or stillbirth, but there was an increased risk of overall hypertension disorders in pregnancy with RSV vaccination in a time-dependent model (hazard ratio, 1.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.16 to 1.77).
In an editorial on the study, Annette Regan, PhD, MPH, of the University of San Francisco, writes that the findings should reassure clinicians and women that the vaccine is safe, especially after phase 3 clinical data raised concerns regarding a 1% higher rate of preterm birth observed in the intervention arm compared with the control arm.
"Despite the need for further research and surveillance, results from this study should offer initial reassurance to regulators, policymakers, health care professionals, and pregnant patientsas well as additional countries considering the introduction of RSVpreF vaccine programs for pregnant people," Regan writes.
Son said the study should help guide clinicians who are currently providing care for women set to deliver during RSV season.
"As we prepare for the next RSV vaccination season in September, we are going to speak with different communities to help understand what might cause vaccine hesitancy among women or create barriers to access," Son said. "We want to ensure that all who would benefit will receive the vaccine."
Cases of whooping cough, the flu and gastroentiritis have surged, with young children particularly hard hit by the wave of illness which is putting 'unprecedented' pressure on some hospitals.
The winter peak is still yet to be reached in northern Australia popular with holiday-makers, prompting a leading general practitioner to urge everyone to get an influenza vaccination.
More than 170,000 influenza cases have been confirmed so far in 2024, with 29 per cent of them in children under nine years of age.
Infections in 2024 are already 27 per cent higher than the first six months of 2023.
Those figures do not give a complete picture as many people do not get tested, according to Royal College of General Practitioners rural chair Michael Clements.
He said cases are likely to climb as the winter virus peak hits warmer areas in August and September.
'We certainly are concerned that this is going to continue to increase and potentially overwhelm the hospital systems,' the Townsville GP told AAP.
His comments echo NSW Health Minister Ryan Park, who reported 'unprecedented' demand on emergency departments in his state due to a 30 per cent jump in flu cases, combined with fewer GPs working in the community.
Victoria's health department warns vaccine coverage of influenza remains 'low' in all age groups including children, despite a sixfold increase in emergency department presentations due to the flu from April to June.
Dr Clements said COVID-19 infections could have lowered immunity to influenza, and reduced herd immunity across the population.
He also cited more international travel and people going to work while unwell - two factors that were greatly reduced during Covid lockdowns - as factors that spread illness.
Cases of pertussis, known as whooping cough, have already surged past pre-pandemic levels to more than 12,900 so far in 2024, which is four times the number of total infections in 2023.
More than 60 per cent of cases have been in children under 14, with NSW health warning of 'unseasonably high' infections of whooping cough and pneumonia in school-aged children.
It can be deadly for babies, with Dr Clements noting many infants and adult patients with whooping cough have also tested positive to several other viruses at the same time like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) or COVID-19.
'These are spikes, we certainly have to acknowledge that they are big increases on the last years,' he said.
'What's hard to know is how to interpret it, so whether or not we're just interpreting a return to normal behaviour post COVID.'
Cases of a particular gastroenterisis strain have also already tripled the 2023 total, surging to more than 11,700.
Cryptosporidiosis is spread by a parasite in some swimming pools, and anyone with symptoms is advised to stay out of the water for at least four weeks as they could still be shedding the virus, which can survive chlorine.
Dr Clements is concerned about what he described as the 'massive explosion' in preventable illness and said he has noticed fewer campaigns from the federal government encouraging people to get jabbed.
'We can't look into the crystal ball and say whether we're at the peak now or whether we'll have another one,' he said.
'It's never too late to get a vaccine.'
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Typically, Americans learn about the clandestine depravities undertaken abroad by their government only decades after the offenses were committed. But last month, one ugly episode was revealed from the still-inflamed recent past: In a report for Reuters, Chris Bing and Joel Schectman documented that, in 2020 and 2021, the Department of Defense conducted an extensive, international disinformation campaign initially intended to discredit Chinese vaccines in the Philippines, a nominal ally, and later among Muslim-majority countries in Central Asia.
According to Reuters, at the very height of the coronavirus pandemic, with the disease raging through its first winter surge, American intelligence agents were actively spreading lies via social media to disparage vaccines being developed by China, presumably to suppress uptake. When the Pentagon was confronted with the report, its spokeswoman didnt just acknowledge the existence of these sorts of programs; she appeared to defend them.
The Reuters report is very much worth reading in full, a showcase of American recklessness in what may already be a new age of Spy vs. Spy psyops. Over the past few years, Americans trying to make sense of the countrys political fractiousness have been fed a steady diet of scare stories about malevolent meddling by foreign intelligence services most of them about Russia but some about China as well. But weve had very little reporting, or reckoning, with what the American side of that information war might look like. In fact, weve probably heard more complaints that the U.S. government has been doing too much to block the flow of disinformation, foreign or otherwise, than weve gotten accounting of any American information offensives or how fully certain corners of the military have already embraced the anything-goes logic of a Cold War 2.0.
On this point, the Department of Defense was remarkably blunt, acknowledging flatly in its statement about the anti-vaccine campaign that the Pentagon conducts a wide range of operations, including operations in the information environment (O.I.E.), to counter adversary malign influence; that this process is deliberate, methodical and comprehensive; and that this work employs a variety of platforms, including social media, to counter those malign influence attacks. The Chinese have been, predictably, more hyperbolic: An editorial in the Chinese Communist Party-run Global Times called the social media campaign simply brainwashing.
The program is reported to have begun almost as soon as the pandemic itself, in the spring of 2020, inspired at least in part by Chinese efforts to pin the outbreak on a visit to China by an American serviceman, to suggest the disease originated in an American laboratory at Fort Detrick, and more generally to flood social media with suggestions that the United States was behind the novel disease. (These efforts didnt get much traction outside China.) In response, newly created social media accounts that appear to have been operated by the U.S. military asserted that Covid was a purposeful bioweapon; the posts often included a hashtag, in Tagalog, that translates as China is the virus.
At least six State Department officials objected, Reuters reports; the campaign proceeded anyway, consistent with a 2019 order by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper that elevated Americas rivalry with China and Russia to the priority of active combat and allowed the Pentagon to undertake such operations against those countries without State Department approval. By the summer, the propaganda campaign seemed to have moved beyond the origin of the disease to the vaccines developed to protect against it, inflaming anxieties among Muslims that the Sinovac shots from China had been manufactured with pork products prohibited by Islamic law. Quite quickly, Reuters reports, Facebook flagged the accounts as objectionable, but the Pentagon defended them as parts of a legitimate counterterrorism operation, and the accounts remained active through the spring of 2021, when President Biden ordered the operation suspended.
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As new reports show the number of COVID-19 cases doubled within a month in Los Angeles County and across California, an outdated vaccine may be to blame.
People should check whether their last vaccine was the latest one, according to nurse practitioner Alice Benjamin, because the older version of the vaccine may not protect them from the new FLiRT variant.
If you got it in October and later, thats generally the updated vaccine, Benjamin said. If you got it prior to October, double check because if you did get the bivalent which has not been phased out, we recommend you do get an updated vaccine.
Specifically, Benjamin said that people need to look out for whether they have received the monovalent vaccine offered by Pfizer and Moderna.
The nurse practitioner added a few other summertime factors may be driving up the COVID numbers.
People arent necessarily wearing masks; theyre not required to in certain places, Benjamin said. Were traveling, were getting out for the summer. We also do have some reduced immunity. The vaccines will wane overtime.
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, after more than 118,000 cases and 4,291 deaths were registered.
For high risk populations, Benjamin emphasizes that two vaccines are recommended, with a second dose at least four months after the first.
Per CDC recommendations, anyone 6 months or older should have at least one of the updated COVID vaccines, Benjamin said.
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COVID-19 Vaccination May Shield Children from Asthma Symptoms, Study Suggests
A study led by Nemours Childrens Health suggests that COVID-19 vaccination may help protect children aged 5 years and older from symptomatic asthma, according to Cidrap. By analyzing state-level data from 2018 to 2021, the researchers found that states with higher vaccination rates saw a decrease in parent-reported asthma symptoms among children. The study also noted that the link between vaccination and reduced asthma symptoms warrants further investigation to confirm these potential benefits.
New Cyberattack Reporting Rules Ignite Concerns in Health Care Sector
A proposed rule under the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act is causing controversy in the health care industry, with fears that the new cyberattack reporting requirements may hinder crisis response efforts, according to Axios. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's (CISA) proposed rules mandate rapid reporting of cyber incidents and ransoms, which health care providers argue could divert critical resources and expose sensitive security details. Health organizations are calling for more flexibility and clarity in the rules, emphasizing the need to balance timely information sharing with practical considerations for handling cyber threats effectively.
MA Misdiagnoses: Misleading Records and Costly Consequences
Medicare Advantage insurers, including UnitedHealth, have issued hundreds of thousands of questionable diagnoses, inflating their payments from the government by billions of dollars, according to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal. These practices include diagnosing conditions such as diabetic cataracts and HIV in patients who do not have these diseases, often without their knowledge or consent. While insurers claim these efforts improve care coordination, critics argue they exploit the system, resulting in significant costs to taxpayers and potential harm to patients.
