Influenza News

Days after winning the White House, President-elect Donald J. Trump declared during a TV interview that he would try to keep in place parts of the Affordable Care Act guaranteeing coverage for patients with pre-existing conditions and allowing children to remain on their parents’ health care plans until age 26 years — comments that seemed at odds with his persistent campaign pledge to “repeal and replace” President Barack Obama’s signature health care law.

Days after winning the White House, President-elect Donald J. Trump declared during a TV interview that he would try to keep in place parts of the Affordable Care Act guaranteeing coverage for patients with pre-existing conditions and allowing children to remain on their parents’ health care plans until age 26 years — comments that seemed at odds with his persistent campaign pledge to “repeal and replace” President Barack Obama’s signature health care law.

Data from the Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network showed that antiviral treatment increased among U.S. patients hospitalized with influenza during the 2010-2011 to 2014-2015 seasons.

GlaxoSmithKline announced its’ FluLaval Quadrivalent influenza vaccine has been approved by the FDA for use in children aged 6 months and older, according to a press release.

NEW YORK — C. Mary Healy, MD, of the infectious diseases section at Baylor College of Medicine, discusses the importance of maternal immunization as infants and pregnant women are uniquely susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases, such as influenza and pertussis.

Children with asthma were vaccinated for influenza at a higher rate than children without asthma, according to findings presented at the 2016 American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.

NEW ORLEANS – Intravenous zanamivir served as a safe and well-tolerated anti-influenza treatment for hospitalized pediatric patients at high risk for complications and intolerable of enteral therapy, according to data presented at ID Week 2016.

SAN FRANCISCO — Following a meeting last week in which the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice approved several updates to its 2016-17 vaccination guideline, Joseph A. Bocchini Jr., MD, FAAP, discussed the latest changes to vaccine recommendations for influenza, human papilloma virus and meningitis B.

SAN FRANCISCO — Offering influenza vaccination regularly to patients presenting to a pediatric emergency department lessens the financial and patient burden of pediatric influenza, according to recent research presented at the 2016 AAP National Conference and Exhibition.

At just 6% vaccine effectiveness, the 2014-2015 influenza vaccine offered little protection against the predominant influenza A (H3N2) virus, according to an analysis of individuals seeking outpatient treatment for acute respiratory illness. However, the vaccine was effective against influenza B.