The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine does not increase the risk of Crohn's disease (chronic inflammation of the intestine), finds a study in this week's British Medical Journal (BMJ).
It has been hypothesized that the MMR vaccine increases the risk of Crohn's disease, although the evidence for this is sparse. The study provides strong evidence against this theory and adds to the evidence that MMR vaccine is no less safe in this respect than the single measles vaccine.
Valerie Seagroatt, a statistician at Oxford University, analyzed national data on hospital admissions for Crohn's disease in children and adolescents over the 12 years from April 1991 to March 2003.
She plotted rates for narrow (three-year) age bands and compared rates for those born before and after the introduction of the vaccine. She found no increase in Crohn's disease associated with the introduction of the MMR vaccination program, providing strong evidence against the hypothesis that MMR vaccine increases the risk of Crohn's disease.
Reference: MMR vaccine and Crohn's disease: ecological study of hospital admissions in England, 1991 to 2002 BMJ Volume 330, pp 1120-1
Source: BMJ
CDC Strategies Preventing Hospital-Onset C difficile Effectiveness Inconclusive in Testing
April 15th 2024Hospitals using CDC prevention strategies had different incidences of hospital-associated Clostridioides difficile infection compared to those that didn't, but the reasons are not necessarily the strategies themselves.
Unlocking the Power of AI in Hospital Infection Prevention: A Sustainable Approach to HAIs
April 11th 2024Read on about how, as hospitals grapple with the costly burden of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), artificial intelligence (AI) emerges as a game-changer in revolutionizing infection prevention strategies.
Deeds to Reality: A Journey of Immigration and Obstacles With Carole W. Kamangu, MPH, RN, CIC
April 9th 2024Carole W. Kamangu, MPH, RN, CIC, shares her inspiring journey from the Democratic Republic of Congo to health care leadership in the US today. (This is the French translation of the interview with Carole W. Kamangu.)