Answers about Vaccines

There are many reasons for vaccinating, the most important of which is to prevent disease. Some of the diseases previously held at bay by immunization programs are coming back into developed nations. Click the link above for further explanation.

Read more about vaccine safety at the CDC website, including recommended schedules for receiving vaccinations.

To follow outbreaks, see ProMED_mail on Twitter, they link to news alerts and articles. Current alerts include Measles in New Zealand. Previous outbreaks have included Measles in the UK and U.S., H1N1 influenza, and plague (yersinia pestis).

Preventing Hantavirus Infection

Hantavirus is a rare and deadly disease carried by mice into your home. Controlling their presence and cleaning is the key to prevention.

Read more about the virus, its symptoms, and prevention.

H1N1 Pandemic

The World Health Organization has raised the outbreak level for H1N1 swine flu to 6 - declaring it a pandemic.

How did we get to this point?

For information on the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic click here

C. difficile

Clostridium difficile is an opportunistic bacteria traveling in feces. It infects the GI tract when it becomes vulnerable after antibiotic use. Since 2000, more aggressive strains that are resistant to treatment have been seen. Prevention is simpler than treatment - find out more.

The MMR vaccine

Do you wonder why we vaccinate with MMR? I've written a synopsis here.

An excerpt:

Three dangerous viruses once required separate vaccinations but are now protected against by one. Monovalent vaccines are available for all three viral infections, but routine use of the MMR vaccine containing all three began 20 years ago (1989). The vaccine is given as two injections. The first dose is given...

Measles and Rubella

I have written synopses of the childhood viral diseases Measles and Rubella.

The take away information - children between 12 and 15 months of age should receive the MMR vaccine, with a booster at least 4 weeks later or by the time they enter Kindergarten (4-6 years of age) to confirm immunity.

Women who are planning on getting pregnant should be tested for Rubella to ensure their immunity. Those who are not immune should be vaccinated for Rubella at least 28 days prior to becoming pregnant to prevent birth defects. 25% of women who are susceptible to rubella and exposed to the virus in their first trimester have babies with eye defects, heart defects, hearing loss, mental impairments, and movement disorders.

Genetic protections against HIV

Genetic similarities between individuals who are resistant to HIV infection or the progression to AIDS has been of interest to researchers because of the possibility for new therapies targeting these genes.

Many co-receptors for HIV binding to T cells and viral replication have been found in certain ethnic populations that tend to be less susceptible to infection.

Read more of the introduction to genetic protections against HIV...

Stevia

Stevia, a sweetener from the leaf extract of the herb Stevia rebaudiana, has been an herbal supplement in the United States and artificial sweetener in Asia for decades, and a sweetener in South America for centuries.

Native to Paraguay, the Food and Drug Administration deemed stevia unsafe as a food additive in 1991, but recent research paints a different picture.

Both the Coca-Cola company and PepsiCo Inc are readying juice beverages sweetened with stevia for market, but might or might not wait for FDA approval. As long as stevia is indicated as an unapproved herbal supplement, it can legally be used.

There is speculation that Coca-Cola may go forward with their new Odwalla line prior to FDA approval, which according to scientists is almost certain.

The no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) for the taste-improving compound found in stevia (rebaudioside A), and left in new preparations to remove the licorice aftertaste of steviol, is 50,000 ppm in tested rats – implicating safety in humans.

There is also Truvia, a tabletop version of stevia from Cargill as an artificial sweetener.

The benefit of stevia is its lack of calories and that it doesn’t produce increased blood glucose levels, making it a perfect sweetener for diabetics. When these products hit the shelves is just a matter of time, whether this will be before or after FDA approval may affect public perception of both the companies and the agency.

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