Vaccination and Immunization

The July 2006 issue, which featured an update on STDs, included a case on primary syphilis in a teenager (page 427). Therapy with intramuscular penicillin G (weekly for 3 weeks) or ceftriaxone (daily for 2 weeks) was recommended. However, the CDC's newly published guidelines on STD treatment recommend therapy with a single intramuscular dose of 2.4 million units of penicillin G.1 If the patient is allergic to penicillin, the alternative is therapy with doxycycline (100 mg orally bid for 14 days) or tetracycline (500 mg qid for 14 days). Ceftriaxone is not a recommended treatment for syphilis.

Nationally, immunization levels are higher than ever, but new challenges mean no rest for the pediatric community. Consider these tips on maintaining immunization coverage-to help you preserve and extend essential protection for children in your care.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) unanimously voted on June 29 that children 4 to 6 years old receive a second dose of varicella vaccine for the prevention of chickenpox.

Your doctor has just told you that you have an infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). Most teens have a lot of questions about warts and HPV. This guide will help answer some of those questions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that approximately 81% of the nation's toddlers are receiving all the vaccinations in the recommended series."These results are terrific news," said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the CDC. "They illustrate the tremendous progress we've made in preventing what were once common childhood diseases. Most importantly, these results show that parents have high levels of confidence in our vaccination recommendations. It's encouraging to see that parents recognize the importance of protecting their children against diseases that while relatively uncommon, can cause serious harm."

With the recent licensing of conjugated, quadrivalent meningococcal vaccine (MCV4) and likely approval of other "childhood" vaccines to prevent disease during adolescence and adulthood, the national immunization program ventures onto new ground.

Saying that child immunization rates in America are a disaster, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter on Monday called for universal immunization registries.

It has been difficult to determine the impact of influenza infection on infants and young children, because annual outbreaks of respiratory syncytial virus infection often overlap influenza outbreaks. But careful epidemiologic tests, combined with accurate, simple-to-perform viral diagnostic studies, have now clearly demonstrated that young children--particularly those younger than 2 years--are hospitalized because of influenza at a rate that equals or exceeds the influenza hospitalization rate for the elderly.

2004 immunization schedule for January to June 2004

Keeping track of changes in immunization recommendations is the best way to be certain that our patients receive maximal benefit.

The biggest change in this year's schedule is the addition of the seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

Many families feel that pediatricians just don't listen when they try to voice concerns about vaccines. Our recommendation: Identify each family's specific issues, target your response accordingly, and use a nonconfrontational approach. Time-consuming lectures on big subjects like immunology generally aren't needed.