Influenza News

SAN DIEGO — Treatment with the cap-dependent endonuclease inhibitor S-033188 was superior to placebo in alleviating influenza symptoms, and the agent was superior to both placebo and the antiviral oseltamivir in virologic outcomes, according to data from the phase 3 CAPTSTONE-1 trial presented here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Infectious Disease News Editorial Board member William Schaffner, MD, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, stresses the importance of influenza vaccination among health care workers and says that providers can increase vaccination rates among patients by being “a flu vaccine insister.”

The presence of an older sibling drastically increased the risk of influenza-related hospitalization among children aged younger than 2 years, according to a study published in The European Respiratory Journal.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — During a recent press conference hosted by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, Infectious Disease News Editorial Board member Kathleen M. Neuzil, MD, MPH, discussed influenza vaccination rates in the United States and how health care providers can improve coverage.

Alere Inc. announced today that is has received marketing clearance from the FDA for its rapid influenza A and B test, which the company said can produce results in under 5 minutes.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — HHS Secretary Tom Price, MD, and other health officials are strongly urging all patients and health care providers to get vaccinated as influenza season approaches. Vaccination rates, they said, have been low among certain groups.

Although vaccination against influenza lessened the chances of illness, the live-attenuated vaccine demonstrated inefficacy and the inactivated vaccine demonstrated significant effectiveness in children for the 2015-2016 season, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Being an infectious disease pharmacist and having children has its advantages. Children contract many different infectious syndromes, which allows me to take advantage of that fact and use them as case examples. In July, my youngest son contracted influenza, which was complicated by pneumonia despite having been vaccinated last season. So, I was curious what the literature showed with respect to influenza vaccination decreasing the incidence of pneumonia.

A candidate adjuvanted vaccine that protects against four strains of influenza known as aQIV showed superior immunogenic response in children aged 6 months to younger than 6 years and additional clinical benefit in children aged 6 to less than 24 months when compared with a nonadjuvanted influenza vaccine, according to phase 3 study findings presented at the Sixth ESWI Influenza Conference in Latvia.

Vaccination rates were lower among children in the 2016 to 2017 influenza season when compared with the 2015 to 2016 season, according to recent findings. These results coincide with the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommending against using live-attenuated influenza vaccine in June 2016, suggesting the unavailability of this vaccine may impact vaccine uptake in pediatric patients.