Parents often give their infants acetaminophen (Tylenol) after immunizations and booster shots. As it turns out, this may do more harm than good. The medication may actually weaken infants’ immune systems, according to research from the Czech Republic.

Acetaminophen is sometimes given to infants and small children following shots to prevent fever, a common reaction to vaccinations. This study examined the effects of acetaminophen on immune response after initial and booster vaccinations.

Two hundred twenty-six children from 10 different medical centers were randomly selected to receive three doses every six to eight hours for 24 hours after immunizations. Just 42 percent of these children experienced fevers (100.4 degrees F or above), compared to 66 percent of a control group of 233.

When it was time for booster shots, parents were asked to repeat the process. There was a lower incidence of fever in both groups—36 percent for those who took acetaminophen and 58 percent for those who did not.

Children who received acetaminophen , however, had fewer antibodies, indicating more susceptibility to disease. In the studied children, pneumonia, hepatitis B, whooping cough, polio, diphtheria and tetanus antibodies were fewer following vaccinations and boosters with acetaminophen use.

Antibodies are proteins in the immune system (immunoglobulins) that bind to harmful pathogens (viruses) to keep them away from healthy white blood cells. Without these antibodies, the body’s immune system is more susceptible to disease.

When vaccines fail to protect against diseases, the health of the entire community is at stake because viruses are more easily spread.

“This point has implications, especially for Haemophilus influenzae, for which higher and sustained antibody concentrations are needed (to reduce transmission),” says Dr. Robert T Chen of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, “…and for pertussis, the bacterial vaccine-preventable disease that is least controlled.”

Although they’re not entirely sure why children taking acetaminophen had fewer antibodies, doctors plan to explore the issue further. They stress the importance of this information, and advise against unnecessary acetaminophen use.

“(A)dministration of antipyretic drugs at the time of vaccination should nevertheless no longer be routinely recommended without careful weighing of the expected benefits and risks,” wrote lead author Dr. Roman Pryula of the University of Defense in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.

The study appears in this month’s online issue of The Lancet.

A novel prostate cancer vaccine may become the first approved cancer treatment vaccine in the United States. The Seattle-based biotechnology company Dendreon announced today that their treatment vaccine called Provenge “significantly prolongs survival in men with advanced prostate cancer.” A clinical trial of 512 men with metastatic prostate cancer showed that the vaccine significantly improved the odds of survival from prostate cancer compared to a placebo.

Provenge is a therapeutic or treatment vaccine, where a drug stimulates the patient’s own immune system to fight prostate cancer cells. The drug is produced from a patient's own cells and is used when testosterone hormone blockers are no longer effective. Therapeutic vaccines do not prevent disease like traditional vaccines do but rather they stimulate the patient’s own immune system to attack cancer cells after they have already developed.

If approved later this year, Provenge could be first cancer treatment vaccine in the United States. Two years ago, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declined to approve the drug at that time and elected to wait for the results of the clinical trial that were briefly described today. The full clinical trials results will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association on April 28th in Chicago.

Cancer vaccines can be used to prevent cancer or to treat cancer. To date, the FDA has approved two vaccines that prevent cancer--a vaccine against the hepatitis B virus that causes liver cancer and a vaccine against human papillomavirus, which accounts for most cases of cervical cancer. If approved by the FDA, Provenge could be the first approved cancer treatment vaccine.

Many scientists believe that cancer treatment vaccines are a much more precise and less dangerous method to treat cancer compared to traditional chemotherapy where massive doses of potentially toxic drugs are used.

Learn more about the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer at Healia or ask our health professionals or medical students a question about prostate cancer.


_{Photo: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, public domain}

A study released this weekend in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology reports researchers have discovered human antibodies that defend against several strains of the flu including the avian (bird) flu, the 1918 pandemic flu, and common seasonal flu strains. The discovery could lead to the development of vaccines that protect against several flu strains, eliminating the need for seasonal flu shots. More immediately, the antibodies might be used to confer protection against a flu pandemic.

Researchers found the naturally-occurring antibodies – proteins produced by the immune system to protect against invading bacteria and viruses – by screening a huge number of flu antibodies collected from the blood of volunteers. It is unknown how common the antibodies are in the general population. They tested the antibodies in mice and found that they were effective in neutralizing the common seasonal flu known as H1N1, the H5N1 avian flu, and the virus responsible for the 1918 "Spanish flu" pandemic that killed nearly 50 million people worldwide.

What makes the newly discovered antibodies special is that they bind to a place on the surface of the flu virus that does not mutate or change often. Other portions of the influenza virus surface, including the two major surface proteins known as hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N), mutate frequently to evade detection from the immune system. Current flu vaccines are directed against these ever-changing proteins, making them good for only one season because the virus changes its surface proteins enough to make the existing antibodies useless. This mechanism also means that flu shots often provide less-than-optimal seasonal protection because changes in these proteins can occur so rapidly that the antibodies produced in response to the vaccine no longer recognize the virus.

Since the new antibodies are made by human cells and are monoclonal, meaning that they are all directed against the same portion of the flu virus, the researchers believe that clinical trials testing their use could be started soon. Other types of human monoclonal antibodies are already in use to treat some types of cancer. If the trials are successful, injection of the monoclonal antibodies could provide protection against multiple flu strains for high-risk individuals such as health care workers, and may also be used to treat those who already have the flu. In the future, the researchers will try to isolate the portion of the flu virus that these antibodies target and use it to make vaccines that could be used to protect everyone against multiple flu strains.

For more information on vaccines, see the Healia Health Guide on Vaccines. If you have questions about the flu, ask it in the Healia Health Community for Cold and Flu.

_{Photo: samantha celera, Flickr, Creative Commons}

A special vaccine court has ruled against three families who claimed that childhood vaccines caused their children’s autism. The judges in the Vaccine Court Omnibus Autism Proceedings concluded that the scientific evidence was overwhelmingly against the claim that vaccines can cause the developmental disorder.

The three families’ claims were seen as "test cases" for the more than 5,300 claims filed by parents claiming an association between early childhood vaccination and autism. The three families had claimed that the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine in combination with the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal that was formerly common in other childhood vaccines had cause their children’s autism symptoms. The court’s findings that the "that petitioners' theories of causation were speculative and unpersuasive" presumably deals a serious blow to the other pending cases. The court has yet to rule on three test cases in which the parents claim that thimerosal alone caused their child’s autism.

The proceedings were a part of the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program set up in 2001 by the National Institutes of Health. The program allows people who believe they have been injured by vaccines to seek compensation from a $2.5 billion fund built up from a 75-cent-per-dose tax on vaccines. The no-fault payout system is meant to protect vaccine makers from costly lawsuits that could drive many out of the vaccine-making business.

In order to win compensation, complainants need only to provide evidence that vaccines sometimes cause that particular condition or injury and that it is more likely than not that the vaccines caused their injury.

The causes of autism remain a mystery. Despite the fact that a group of parents continue to claim that vaccines caused their child’s autism, no scientific research has yet provided a conclusive link between the two, and several large-scale studies provide strong evidence against such a link. Symptoms of autism tend to appear in early childhood, around the same time that vaccinations are given. Childhood vaccines are associated with some serious side effects including seizures and coma, but the risk of such events is incredibly low, far lower than the chance that an unvaccinated child will die of the disease their parents did not vaccinate them against.

If you have more questions about autism or you want to connect with other parents of autistic children, join the Healia Health Community for Autism. For more information on childhood vaccinations, including links to the CDC’s current immunization schedule, see the Healia Health Guide on Child Vaccines.

Photo: stevendepolo, Flickr, Creative Commons

Today marks the start of National Influenza Vaccination Week, which runs December 8 through 14 this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designed the event to highlight the importance of continuing influenza (flu) vaccination, as well as to remind people that it is still beneficial to get the flu vaccine in December and the months beyond.

The flu is a contagious disease caused by the influenza virus that produces symptoms such as high fever, sore throat, coughing, body aches, extreme fatigue, runny or stuffy nose, and even nausea and diarrhea in children. It spreads easily from person to person but simple actions such as vaccination and good hygiene are effective ways to protect yourself. The flu virus changes every year and so the flu vaccine must be administered yearly in order to be effective. Vaccination should begin as soon as vaccine is available and continue throughout the flu season, into December, January, and beyond.

Each year in the United States, an average of 20,000 children younger than five are hospitalized because of flu-related complications. As many as one in five children younger than five may have to see the doctor, visit the ER or other urgent care for treatment for flu. About 100 children on average die from complications of influenza each year.

This year, Tuesday, December 9th, is designated as Children's Vaccination Day. Thursday, December 11th, is designated as Seniors' vaccination Day, and Friday, December 12th, will focus on vaccination of health care workers.

Between 143 million and 146 million doses of influenza vaccine will be produced for use in the United States during the 2008-09 influenza season. This is an all-time high supply of vaccine making it possible for more people than ever to seek protection from the flu.

The CDC recommends that children aged six months up to their 19th birthday get vaccinated against the flu. Children under six months are too young to receive the flu vaccine, but they are among the most vulnerable to develop serious, even fatal, complications from flu. This makes it crucial for close contacts (family members, caregivers, etc.) of such infants to be vaccinated, and the CDC also recommends that close contacts of all children younger than five get a flu vaccine each year to provide added protection to this high risk group. Additionally, people who live with or have other close contact with a child or children of any age with a chronic health problem (asthma, diabetes, etc.) should get a flu vaccine.

Children ages six months up to nine years who are getting a flu vaccine for the first time need two doses of vaccine the first year. The second dose should be given 28 or more days after the first dose.

Get specific advice on how to avoid the flu by reading 3 Tips for Preventing the Flu. For more information on flu vaccination, see the CDC website on seasonal flu vaccines. For information on how to cope with the flu, join the Healia Health Community on cold and flu.

 

_{Adapted from CDC, Vocus/PRWEB releases}

_{Photo: Jim Gathany, CDC, PHIL}

Influenza or “the flu” is a serious contagious disease. Each year in the United States more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, 20,000 of whom are children younger than 5 years old. Approximately 36,000 people die from flu each year, which is more than the number of people who die from more widely publicized causes such as prostate cancer, homicide, and MRSA.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges you to take the following steps to protect yourself and others from the flu:

1. Take time to get a flu vaccine.
   The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against this serious disease. While there are many different flu viruses, the flu vaccine protects against the three main flu strains that research indicates will cause the most illness during the flu season. The vaccine can protect you from getting sick from these three viruses or it can make your illness milder if you get a different flu virus. Getting a vaccine is very important for people at high risk for serious flu complications, including young children, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart or lung disease, and people 65 and older. People who live with or care for those at high risk should also get a flu vaccine to protect their high-risk contact.


2. Take everyday preventive actions.
   The things you do everyday can make you more or less likely to get the flu. Some simple preventative measures can reduce your chances of getting the flu dramatically: Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective. Try to avoid close contact with sick people. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth because this is the main way germs are spread. If you get the flu, you can reduce the chances of infecting others by staying home from work or school and limiting contact with others, covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and throwing the tissue in the trash after you use it.


3. Take flu antiviral drugs if your doctor recommends them.
   If you do get the flu, antiviral drugs are an important treatment option. (They are not a substitute for vaccination.) Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. These drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster and may also prevent serious flu complications. This could be especially important for people at high risk. Antiviral drugs work best if started within two days soon of developing flu-like symptoms, which include: fever (usually high), headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches.

For more information on the flu or to pose a question to other people like you or to health experts, see the Healia Health Community on Cold and Flu.

Related Healia Health Blog post on National Influenza Vaccincation Week

 

_{Source: Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/preventing.htm}

_{Photo: Lost Albatross, Flickr, Creative Commons}

The HPV vaccine known as Gardasil may not be just for females anymore. A recent study shows that the vaccine, currently approved to prevent genital warts and cervical cancer in females, also prevents genital warts in males.

The phase III study involved nearly 4000 males aged 16 to 26 from several countries. The researchers report that Gardasil was about 89% effective in preventing genital warts and that it also appeared to prevent a precancerous condition called penile/perineal/perianal intraepithelial neoplasia or PIN.

The vaccine targets four types of the Human Papillomavirus, two that cause most cases of genital warts in both males and females, and two that are responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancers. One of the major arguments for vaccinating males against HPV is that it could prevent the spread of the virus, potentially eliminating many of the nearly 12,000 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in U.S. women each year. However, since the vaccine is not cheap – about $375 for three doses given over six months – many males might not want to be immunized if the only benefit to them is genital wart prevention.

But the vaccine might also have a direct cancer benefit for males. Even though cervical cancer makes up nearly 80% of cancers caused by HPV, the virus also causes penile and anal cancers in men. Additionally, recent studies suggest that HPV now causes as many cases of oral and throat cancer as tobacco and alcohol do. Making Gardasil available to boys and young men might also prevent many cases of these cancers in men.

The FDA is awaiting further information from Merck, the makers of Gardasil, before approving the vaccine for use in males. To find out more, see our earlier blog post Gardasil: an overwiev or stop by the Healia Health Community for HPV or the Healia Health Community on Cervical Cancer.

 

_{Photo: NathanF, Flickr, Creative Commons}

An influential panel of health experts has recommended that adult smokers be vaccinated against a major bacterium that causes pneumonia. This marks the first time the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended an immunization specifically for smokers.

The ACIP is a panel of 15 experts that advises government agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine recommendations. The CDC usually adopts the panel’s recommendations, so it is likely that doctors will soon be recommending pneumococcal vaccines for the 31 million American adults – more than one fifth of the adult population – who smoke.

Pneumococcal vaccines protect against several strains of Streptococcus pneumonia bacteria, which cause pneumonia, meningitis and other illnesses.

Currently, pneumococcal vaccines are recommended for young children and people aged 65 and older but not for healthy adults. The panel now recommends that adults aged 19 – 65 who smoke should also be given the vaccine. Studies have shown that smokers are about four times more likely than nonsmokers to suffer pneumococcal disease and the risk rises with the number of cigarettes a person smokes in their lifetime.

Vaccination does not guarantee protection, however. Current pneumococcal vaccines were designed to protect against specific strains of bacteria that were responsible for most cases at the time the vaccines were developed. Unfortunately, other strains have emerged since then to become the main sources of pneumococcal disease. Drug companies are in the process of developing new vaccines that will protect against these new strains.

If you are an adult smoker, ask your doctor if the pneumococcal vaccine may be right for you.

For more information about smoking or pneumonia, join Healia’s Health Community for Smoking or Healia’s Health Community for Pneumonia.

 

_{Photo: Lance McCord, Flickr, Creative Commons}

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today expanded the number of Americans who should get the flu vaccine. The CDC advised that all children between 6 months and 19 years old should get vaccinated now with either a vaccine shot or the nasal spray vaccine. The CDC also continues to recommend the vaccine for people in high risk groups, including health care workers, people 50 and older, pregnant women, and those with chronic conditions.

Federal health officials stated that there should be plenty of flu vaccine available and that this year's formula will be more effective than last year's. Each year, the CDC makes predictions about the flu virus strains that will circulate in the coming flu season.

According to the CDC, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized each year for flu complications and 36,000 people die annually from the flu-related problems.

Parents with children should consider vaccinating their children well in advance of the peak flu season which is usually January and February. Call your pediatrician or local health department to find out where the flu vaccine is available.  

Have a question about the flu vaccine? Ask the Healia Flu Community.

 

_{Photo: Judy Schmidt, CDC}

A new study has shown that a common childhood vaccine, the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, does not cause autism or gastrointestinal disorders. A previous study ten years ago had suggested that the measles vaccine was associated with gastrointestinal problems in children and that those problems subsequently resulted in autism.

According to one of the study leaders, "There was no evidence . . . MMR preceded either autism or GI problems.”

The study was published in the Public Library of Science One journal. The exact cause or causes of autism are unknown and continue to be the subject of intense research. Have a question about autism? Ask a peer or health professional at the Autism Community at Healia Communities.