Measles outbreaks are at alarming levels

According to a news report at ABC, measles infections are at their highest level in a decade. So far there have been 131 cases this year in the United States as opposed to 42 cases throughout the entire last year. Over half of those infected are children who did not receive the vaccine. Also alarming is the number of outbreaks, in a normal year there is one in the United States. This year, as of July 30, there have been seven outbreaks. The reason for the rising number of children not receiving the shots is because of the fear that the immunization leads to autism in some children.

New Vaccine for US Infants

The FDA has just approved a new vaccine, Pentacel, for the immunization of infants. As stated here at Pharmalot, it provides immunization for these five diseases: Haemophilus influenza type b (HIb), diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whopping cough) and poliomyelitis. The doses are given to infants at 2, 4, 6, and 15 to 18 months. This single shot four times can reduce as many as 23 injections otherwise needed for the immunization of infants.

According to this article here at HealthNews, the vaccine was approved after 5,000 infants in Canada and the United States showed that the vaccine was safe and effective against those diseases. This immunization has been used in Canada since 1997, and immunizations in the United States will begin this summer.

To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate

When approved by the FDA in 2006, the HPV vaccine was created in order to reduce the number of cervical cancer patients among women. The vaccine has a higher protection rate when the female has never been sexually active, therefore the best time to receive the vaccine in preteen years. However, according to this report at ABC News, only half of mothers intend to vaccinate their daughters against this virus by the age of 13.

Here are the statistics out of 10,000 mothers stated what they would do according to the age of their daughter:

49% -- Vaccinate if daughter was 9 – 12

68% -- Vaccinate if daughter was 13 --15

86% -- Vaccinate if the daughter 16 -- 18

Doctors and insurance agencies need to find a way to come together and educate mothers about the benefits of this vaccine, especially when their daughters are young. With education, this form of cancer can severely decrease its numbers, improving the health of millions of women.