Infection Control Today Magazine

Herd Immunity

Planning for the Next Influenza Season

The level of herd immunity before and after the first 2009 pandemic season is not precisely known, and predicting the shape of the next pandemic H1N1 season is a difficult challenge. Carrat, et al. (2010) conducted a modeling study based on data on medical visits for ...More
October 22, 2010
Posted in News
Mumps Vaccine Coverage Should Be Improved, Study Finds

Although immunity to mumps is high in the United States, mumps vaccine coverage must be maintained and improved to prevent future outbreaks, according to a new study. ...More
August 24, 2010
Posted in News
Herd Immunity to H1N1: The Norway Experience

By autumn 2009, almost half of the population of Norway had been vaccinated against the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus. Many had also been infected by the virus during the summer and autumn outbreaks. The majority of those who were vaccinated or were infected are ...More
August 24, 2010
Posted in News
Rise in Pertussis Cases Makes It 'Worth a Shot'

By Jacquelyn Preston and Karen Krakower Kaplan If you think you shouldn't be worried about your child's—or your—lingering, nagging cough, think again. Pertussis has reemerged on the scene. In what some public health officials are calling the worst outbreak in 50 years, ...More
August 18, 2010
Posted in News
Small Increases in Vaccine Cost Can Cause Large Gaps in Protection

Vaccine scares may do more harm than previously believed to a population's "herd immunity." ...More
July 29, 2010
Posted in News
Study Finds Rotavirus Vaccine Greatly Reduces Hospitalizations for Acute Gastroenteritis in Children

Vaccinating infants against rotavirus, a leading cause of severe diarrhea and dehydration among babies and young children, was associated with a dramatic decline in U.S. hospitalization rates for acute gastroenteritis. The findings appear in a study, now available online, ...More
May 12, 2010
Posted in News
Study Shows that Johns Hopkins Flu Vaccination Rates Twice National Average

A campaign that makes seasonal flu vaccinations for hospital staff free, convenient, ubiquitous and hard to ignore succeeds fairly well in moving care providers closer to a state of "herd" immunity and protecting patients from possible infection transmitted by healthcare ...More
February 12, 2010
Posted in News
Public May Refuse Pandemic Flu Vaccine Over Safety Concerns

Parents and healthcare workers may refuse to get immunized or vaccinate their children against a pandemic virus if they believe the risks of a novel vaccine outweigh the benefits, according to research published in Emerging Health Threats Journal. As the influenza A (H1N1) ...More
August 24, 2009
Posted in News
Rotavirus Infections Decline More than 70 Percent in U.S. Children

MADISON, N.J. -- The largest study of rotavirus laboratory data developed since an oral rotavirus vaccine was introduced in the U.S. in early 2006 shows that cases of rotavirus infection have decreased significantly, suggesting the vaccine is preventing infection in infants ...More
October 27, 2008
Posted in News