Immunization

How a scratch from a bramble almost cost woman her hand: Cut from thorn led to common fungal infection... but it was only in hospital that the danger was finally spotted By Julie Cook For The Daily Mail Published: 00:37 BST, 31 August 2021 | Updated: 07:38 BST, 31 August 2021 When her finger started to throb after snagging it on a blackberry bush, Jackie Jackson shrugged it off When her finger started to throb after snagging it on a blackberry bush, Jackie Jackson shrugged it off.  Blackberry picking was one of her late-summer pastimes, so the 60-year-old swimming instructor was used to picking up the odd cut. But this time was different. Even though Jackie could see no sign of a thorn in her right index finger, four days later it was starting to swell and real...

Maddi López-Olaizola, Amaia Aguirre-Quiñonero, Andrés Canut, José Luis Barrios, Gustavo Cilla, Diego Vicente, and José María Marimón Author affiliations: Biodonostia Health Research Institute, Infectious Diseases Area, Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Donostialdea Integrated Health Organization, San Sebastián, Spain (M. López-Olaizola, G. Cilla, D. Vicente, J.M. Marimón) ; Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Araba Integrated Health Organization, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain (A. Aguirre-Quiñonero, A. Canut) ; Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Ezkerraldea-Enkarterri-Cruces Integrated Health Organization, Bilbao, Spain (J.L. Barrios) Since the introduction of the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine in the infant immunization schedule in 1998, the incidence of invasive H. influenzae (Hi) infections in Spain decreased to 0.7 episodes/100,000 population ( 1 ). Higher incidence rates are observed in children ≤2 y...

Is the University requiring students, faculty and staff receive the vaccine? Regarding vaccine requirements, the UNC System has advised the campuses that under state law, only the North Carolina Commission for Public Health may mandate immunizations for college students. The University will continue the Carolina Together Testing Program (CTTP) in fall 2021, which now will require all students, faculty and staff who are unvaccinated or do not provide their vaccination status to participate in regular asymptomatic evaluation testing.  Fully vaccinated students, faculty and staff will be exempt from testing. As of August 23, 2021, students who have not attested they are vaccinated will be tested twice a week as part of the Carolina Together Testing Program. Effective September 15, 2021:  Unvaccinated faculty and staff will test weekly  in the Carolina Together Testing Program. W...

Propelled by the Delta variant and large numbers of unvaccinated people, COVID-19 patients are flooding California hospitals at a rate not seen since last winter's surge. Hospitalizations statewide have almost doubled in the past two weeks, while reported hospitalizations in Santa Clara County have grown more slowly, according to state public health data. Hospitalizations are indicators of the breadth and severity of the COVID-19 spread. In Santa Clara County, the 7-day average of the number of patients with the disease grew from 79 to 133 from July 24 to Aug.7, an increase of 68%. Statewide, 5,358 people were hospitalized with the disease on Sunday, compared to 2,781 on July 24, according to the state. In six of the nine Bay Area counties, hospitalization rates more than doubled in the last two weeks. Only Sonoma County, with a 44% increase, reported growth rates lower than Santa Clara County. San Mateo County reported a 135% increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations, and San ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] New doctors serving in Eastern Montana    Billings Gazette

Enlisting in the military is a big decision, and an important consideration is healthcare. Within the U.S. Military Health System (MHS) lies TRICARE, the Defense Health Agency's primary healthcare delivery mechanism. This is the medical system used by active-duty and reserve-duty military, National Guard, and their families for medical treatment. About 40% of the time that treatment takes place on base at a military treatment facility (MTF). More often, 60% of the time and growing, care is provided at facilities with which the government contracts or purchases care. TRICARE is governed by public law and federal regulations, which can change frequently. While the information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the time of publication and/or update, TRICARE advises that for the most up-to-date information you should check with your local military hospital or clinic. Working in the military brings with it specific financial challenges. This arti...

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about FluMist. Can FluMist spread or cause the flu through shedding? Shedding is very common with the FluMist vaccine. However, it's very unlikely that this shedding will spread or cause the flu. Shedding occurs when a virus in your body replicates (makes copies of itself) and is then released to the environment around you. For example, when you receive the FluMist nasal spray, the flu viruses will replicate in your nose. Then if you sneeze, you could spread the flu viruses. In a study of children and adults ages 5 through 49 years, shedding occurred in 29% of adults and children ages 5 through 49. Another study looked at viral shedding in younger children, ages 6 to 59 months (about age 5 years).* In this study, shedding occurred in: 79% of children in the study 89% of children ages 6 months through 23 months old 69% of children ages 24 months through 69 months old Another study looked at whether people actually catch the flu w...

Two U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster IIs landed Friday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, carrying injured U.S. troops from the suicide bomb attack in Kabul on Thursday that killed 13. They were transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations, said in a press briefing Friday. On Friday afternoon, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that 20 service members had been injured by the bombing and evacuated from Afghanistan while several others were treated on site. On Thursday a U.S. Central Command statement had put the total airlifted out of the country at 18. Routine services at Landstuhl were curtailed Friday to accommodate patients evacuated from Afghanistan, including the troops injured in Thursday's bombing as well as Afghan nationals removed as part of Operation Allies Refuge, a hospital spokesman told Military.com. Read Next: 3 Mo...

A broad defense against SARS-like viruses Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the third coronavirus that has emerged as a serious human pathogen in the past 20 years. Treatment strategies that are broadly protective against current and future SARS-like coronaviruses are needed. Martinez et al. took on this challenge by developing vaccines based on chimeras of the viral spike protein. The messenger RNA vaccines encode spike proteins composed of domain modules from epidemic and pandemic coronaviruses, as well as bat coronaviruses with the potential to cross to humans. In aged mice vulnerable to infection, the chimeric vaccines protected against challenge from SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 and tested variants of concern, and zoonotic coronaviruses with pandemic potential. Science , abi4506, this issue p. 991 Abstract The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in 2003 and SARS-CoV-2 in 2019 highlights the need to develop universal vaccinat...