Vaccination

LOS ANGELES — Healio is on-site again for IDWeek, which is being held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from Oct. 16-19.

Vaccination coverage among kindergarteners in the United States is still declining from pre-pandemic levels, and some states are reporting exemption rates of more than 5%, according to the latest CDC data.

As older Americans continue to shoulder much of the COVID-19 burden, new data show that most went without a vaccine last winter and that those who got sick rarely received antivirals.

The number of pertussis cases in the United States has quadrupled over the last 12 months, according to the CDC, raising questions as to what is behind the sudden, significant spike.

A combination of remdesivir plus dexamethasone significantly reduced the risk for death among people hospitalized with COVID-19 with baseline oxygen requirements compared with dexamethasone alone, according to a study.

This is the second respiratory disease season with two new powerful tools to protect infants from severe respiratory syncytial virus disease, and experts are optimistic that uptake will improve from last season.

The threat from bird flu remains low for the general public, the CDC reiterated last week in an update related to a human case in Missouri with no exposure to infected animals.

Vaccination reduced influenza-related hospitalizations by around one-third in the Southern Hemisphere this year, according to interim data published Thursday by the CDC.

The addition of HPV vaccination into routine postpartum care may increase vaccination rates, which can reduce patient costs, prevent HPV-related cancers and vaccinate vulnerable populations, researchers reported in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Older adults’ risk for death when hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus is higher than it is for influenza B but similar to influenza A, according to a study.