As a parent, keeping up with your children’s vaccinations can be a challenge. With some vaccines requiring multiple doses in sequences, others requiring booster shots over time, and others still needing to be administered on an annual basis, making sure your family’s immunizations are up-to-date is not nearly as easy as it sounds. But many … Continue reading
The flu — it’s a guy thing. A recent study from the Stanford University School of Medicine has found evidence that the flu vaccine is more effective in women than men. Even when women get the flu, the study suggests that they are better at fighting off the virus. This disparity between men and women … Continue reading
New York City schools can now force students to get a flu shot. A new city-wide mandate requires children between six months and five years of age to obtain a flu vaccine between July 1 and December 31 each year. Passed in the final days of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration, the rule applies to more … Continue reading
Last week, Massachusetts announced a $35 million increase to a proposed fund for folks injured by a contaminated steroid injection. Created by the pharmacy company New England Compounding Center, the medication resulted in a nationwide meningitis outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that the injection sickened more than 750 people in 20 … Continue reading
Those who suffer vaccine-related injuries are eligible for financial compensation from the federal government’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. But not everyone who has been harmed by a vaccine knows about this multibillion-dollar fund. Several federal agencies are trying to change that. Starting next year, the Health Resources and Services Administration — which analyzes claims filed … Continue reading
The federal government recently took steps to ensure the continued monitoring of vaccine side effects. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have awarded an $18 million contract to SRA International Inc. — an information technology consulting firm — to support the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. VAERS is … Continue reading
Parents with kids in college now have one more thing to worry about: meningitis. In September of this year, a Georgetown University student died from serogroup B Meningococcal disease — better known as meningitis B. Last month, health officials confirmed that a San Diego State University freshman was killed by the same strain. Outbreaks at … Continue reading
Recently, doctors, patients, and physicians from around the world gathered in Orlando, Florida, to share knowledge about two debilitating diseases — Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP). GBS and CIPD are very rare autoimmune diseases. In ever rarer cases GBS may result following a vaccination. GBS is an autoimmune disease, wherein the … Continue reading
On November 17, our nation’s capital will play host to even more lawyers than usual. The reason is the 27th Annual U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judicial Conference. Lawyers from around the country will debate issues facing the Court, which handles monetary claims made against the U.S. government. The topics are diverse, ranging from the … Continue reading