Respiratory Infections News

The FDA has told COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers that they should add omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants to their existing vaccines to create bivalent boosters.

An FDA advisory committee voted Tuesday to recommend changing the composition of COVID-19 booster vaccines to include the addition of the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 as a component.

Recurrent episodes of childhood bronchitis appear to be associated with increased risk for lung disease later in life, researchers reported in BMJ Open Respiratory Research.

Healio Pediatrics Editorial Board Member Leonard R. Krilov, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at NYU Langone Hospital – Long Island, answers some frequently asked questions about the vaccines.

A White House representative said during a press conference today that “more than enough” COVID-19 vaccine doses were being distributed for the country’s 20 million infants and toddlers.

In retrospect, my path to infectious diseases began before I recognized it.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted unanimously on Wednesday to recommend enhanced influenza vaccines for older Americans, introduce a second MMR vaccine, and OK a 15-valent pneumococcal vaccine for children.

Merck announced Wednesday that the FDA approved an expanded indication for Vaxneuvance, the company’s 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, to include its use in infants and children aged 6 weeks to 17 years.

New research seems to help explain the biology behind long COVID symptoms like brain fog and increased anxiety and depression.

Paxlovid lowered the risk for severe COVID-19 or death by 46% in a study of patients in Israel and was especially effective among older or immunosuppressed patients, or patients with underlying neurological or cardiovascular diseases.