Vaccination

The rate of vaccine exemptions rose slightly among children entering kindergarten in the 2018-2019 school year, with 2.5% having an exemption from at least one vaccine, according to new data published in MMWR. But researchers suggested an additional target to improve vaccine coverage rates in the United States: underimmunized children who begin school under grace periods or provisional enrollment.

Recent study data showed disparities in hepatitis B virus infection rates between ethnic groups as well as among between U.S.-born and foreign-born patients.

A set of interventions aimed at increasing provider knowledge of routine newborn immunizations and addressing parental vaccine hesitancy improved vaccination rates in one NICU from 56% to 93%, according to a quality improvement study published in Pediatrics.

The CDC’s announcement that 2018 marked the United States’ fifth straight record-breaking year for cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis was the week’s top story in infectious disease.

The theme of this year’s International Infection Prevention Week, which runs from Oct. 13 to 19, is “Vaccines are Everybody’s Business.”

WASHINGTON — Unvaccinated adults had a “significant” impact on the early days of the New York State measles outbreak, with 51% of cases during the first month being attributable to them, according to data presented at IDWeek.

WASHINGTON — An investigational vaccine failed to prevent chronic hepatitis C virus infection in a cohort of at-risk adults, according to results of a clinical trial presented at IDWeek.

WASHINGTON — In this video from IDWeek, Amanda Jezek, senior vice president for public policy and government relations at the Infectious Diseases Society of America, reveals the hashtag for a Twitterstorm campaign to support vaccination.

Survey results that showed that only 52% of adults in the United States plan to get the vaccine for this flu season and the FDA’s approval of a vaccine for smallpox and monkeypox were among to top stories in infectious disease last week.

PARIS — Influenza vaccination is associated with a significantly reduced risk for all-cause mortality, CV mortality and death from acute MI and stroke in patients with hypertension, according to data presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress.