Illinois Mandates Insurance Coverage for EpiPens
Illinois has become the first state to pass a law requiring health insurance companies to cover the cost of medically necessary EpiPen injectors. This is big news in an era when so many families face the daily threat of a potentially deadly allergic reaction. Signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker, the new law will take effect […]
Scientists Find Chronic Brain Inflammation in Children With Autism
Story Highlights A new study out of Tufts University suggests that inflammation may be the “main driver” in the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Chronic inflammation, of the brain and the gut, have long been recognized as playing a role in ASD, though the relationships played by each remain unsettled. ASD, along with many […]
New Herpes Vaccine Nearing Human Clinical Trials
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania recently reported that they are close to developing a herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) vaccine for humans. HSV-2 primarily causes genital herpes and is contracted through forms of sexual contact with a person who has HSV-2. An estimated 14 percent of Americans between the ages of 15 and 49 […]
Flu Shots May Be Even Less Effective This Year
Just as publicity about the need for everyone to get a flu shot ramps up, there are signs that the influenza vaccine for this “flu season” (2019-2020) may be even less effective this year than last year. The strains of the influenza virus selected by the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. health officials for […]
USDA Pressured to Create Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccine Bank
Representatives from the National Pork Producers Council, the National Milk Producers Federation, the National Corn Growers Association and Iowa State University have urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to quickly establish a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine bank.1 FMD is a contagious viral disease. The virus causes illness in cows, pigs, sheep, goats, deer, and […]
Disabled Child Denied Medical Vaccine Exemption Kicked Out of NY School
Nine-year-old Ameer Hamideh has been kicked out of the CHC Learning Center in Buffalo, New York because he does not have all the vaccines mandated by the state of New York for children his age. Ameer, who has cerebral palsy and also suffers from a rare seizure disorder called Lennox Gastaut Syndrome (LGS), cannot get […]