Study: DTP Vaccine Associated With 212% Increased Infant Mortality Risk
An observational study from the West African country Guinea-Bissau titled, “The Introduction of Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis and Among Young Infants in an Urban African Community: A Natural Experiment,” examined the introduction of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) and oral polio vaccine…
Needle-Free Vaccines Backed by Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently awarded two grants worth a total of $6 million to the Boston-based life sciences company Vaxess Technologies, Inc. The grants will support research to create two micro-needle vaccine “patches” that simplify delivery of the inactivated polio (IPV) and live attenuated measles rubella (M-R) vaccines through needle-free delivery systems and […]
Dr. Peter Hotez: “Snuff Out” Anti-Vaccine Movement
Occasionally, I come across an article that really riles me. Okay fine, when it comes to vaccine science and vaccination policy, I’ll admit this happens almost every day. Still, there was an opinion published recently in Scientific American that I found particularly annoying. It’s titled “Will an American-Led Anti-Vaccine Movement Subvert…
Did Payton Pierson Die of Influenza?
Ten-year old Payton Elizabeth Pierson was reported to have died of influenza on Feb. 9, 2017, according to media sources. The girl, a third grade student at Trinity South Elementary School in Washington, PA, was diagnosed with influenza on the evening of Feb. 4 by doctors at Washington Hospital. Following the diagnosis, which was made through the use of a “rapid nasal test,” Payton…
What if We Underestimate the Economic Cost of Vaccinating?
In a study conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and published in the journal Health Affairs on Oct. 12, 2016, it was estimated that the cost to the U.S. economy of people deciding not to get government recommended vaccines to prevent 10 infectious diseases was $7.1 billion in 2015. The research team, led by Sachiko Ozawa, PhD, associate…
Who Knows More—Parents or the Doctor?
When it comes to the technical aspects of medicine that affect your child, the doctor is the one with formal training and experience. This is why we go to doctors for advice: we assume doctors always know best. Or do they? Is there a particular circumstance where parents may know more? To put it a different way, are there times where a parent’s knowledge of their child…
