Hepatitis B and C in travellers
THE risk of hepatitis B and C to travellers may be miscalculated.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
immunisation
The following articles have the tag immunisation
Vax scare: TV station busted
A REGIONAL television station has been found guilty of misleading the public, after it quoted the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) making unsubstantiated claims about measles inoculation being linked to autism.
Vaccination proof at enrolment: Plibersek
The federal health minister will today ask the states to implement a policy to get parents to provide proof of their child’s immunisation status when enrolling them for school.
Helping has tangible results
SYDNEY GP Dr Bruce Gerard enjoys a holiday with a difference.
Study favours pertussis vax in pregnancy
AUSTRALIAN experts say pertussis vaccination in pregnancy is likely to be more effective than postpartum vaccination, despite a lack of real world data.
Vaccination rates not falling: Govt
FEDERAL health staff have played down concerns that child vaccination rates are falling, saying they are either steady or going up.
Fear mongering isn’t the vax answer
A MEASLES outbreak in Wales right now is being blamed on the number of unvaccinated children in the UK — fallout from the bogus MMR-autism scare campaign back in 1998.
Plibersek weighs in on GP vax rates
HEALTH Minister Tanya Plibersek has leapt to the defence of GPs, saying they do a “terrific job”, after the shadow health minister suggested they were to blame for sliding vaccination rates.
Legionnaires’ scare forces hospital shutdown
THE Brisbane private hospital hit by a legionnaires’ disease outbreak is writing to all Queensland GPs offering advice on assessing former inpatients who may present with concerns.
TV station guilty of misleading vax claims
A REGIONAL television station has been found guilty of misleading the public after it quoted anti-vaccination lobby the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) making unsubstantiated claims that measles inoculation was linked to autism.
RACGP defends vax CPD course
THE RACGP has strongly defended its CPD accreditation system after a media report said one accredited course was teaching GPs about the widely discredited links between vaccination and autism.
Candidate vaccine could defeat EV71 infections
A NOVEL enterovirus 71 (EV71) vaccine has been found efficacious in a trial of more than 10,000 children aged six months to three years.
Congenital Rubella threat escalates in Poland
AN ONGOING outbreak of rubella in Poland poses an increased risk of congenital rubella infection, researchers say.
Vax ban could turn doctors into ‘police’
BANNING unvaccinated children from school could become a “serpent’s egg” policy that becomes dangerous once hatched, with doctors and teachers forced to become “police”, a former state health minister has warned.
Doctors back proof of vax law for childcare
LEGISLATION passed by the NSW lower house last week forcing childcare centres to exclude children without vaccination records or valid exemptions is supported by doctors and should lift vaccination rates, the AMA says.
Don’t blame GPs for falling vax rates: Plibersek
HEALTH Minister Tanya Plibersek has leapt to the defence of GPs, saying they do a “terrific job”, after the shadow health minister suggested they were to blame for sliding vaccination rates.
HCCC investigating Australian Vaccination Network, says NSW Health Minister
NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner has told the state’s parliament that the Health Care Complaints Commission has launched an investigation into the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN).
Doctors back new vaccination law
LEGISLATION being introduced to the NSW parliament today to exclude children who don’t have vaccination records from childcare centres has the support of doctors and should lift immunisation rates, the AMA says.
‘We’ll up our fees’: GPs reject freeze
GENERAL practices have rejected the government’s rationale for placing an eight-month freeze on MBS rebates, with some practices already confirming plans to increase gap fees and axe bulk-billing of even disadvantaged patients.
Myelodysplastic syndromes
This Update summarises the various myelodysplastic syndromes and their treatments.
Vax ban could turn doctors into police
BANNING unvaccinated children from school could become a “serpent’s egg” policy that becomes dangerous once hatched, with doctors and teachers forced to become “police”, a former state health minister has warned.
RACGP under fire over anti-vax CPD info
THE RACGP has strongly defended its CPD accreditation system after a media report said one accredited course was teaching GPs about the widely discredited links between vaccination and autism.
Vaccinations: It’s about the truth
IMMUNISATION has been in the news a fair bit lately.
Media surveillance may combat vax myths
A GLOBAL media surveillance system has been developed by international experts in an attempt to stop the spread of misinformation about vaccines.
Non-vax kids may be banned from childcare
A MOVE to ban unvaccinated children from NSW preschools and childcare centres is not about discriminating against the children of vaccine refusers, the state opposition says.
Financial incentive aids drug users to complete hep B vax
A MODEST financial incentive may increase the likelihood of people who inject drugs completing a course of hepatitis B vaccine, an Australian trial shows.
Preparing for a pandemic
Is Australia any closer to establishing a centre for communicable disease control to respond to bird flu and other outbreaks?
New flu strain could increase pneumonia prevalence
A virulent flu strain this winter is expected to make more Australians susceptible to pneumonia, according to an expert.
Consider alternative therapies
IT is important to include complementary and alternative medicine in history-taking.
HCCC power boosted after anti-vax feud
THE NSW Health Care Complaints Commission’s (HCCC) bitter feud with anti-vaccine lobbyists has propelled the state government to dramatically increase the body’s powers, enabling it to launch practitioner investigations without a patient complaint.
Call to remove Fluvax from GPs’ fridges
A PUBLIC health expert has called for all stocks of CSL’s Fluvax to be removed from the fridges of GP practices involved in vaccinating children.
Exercise boosts vax response
A FLU expert wants GPs to urge patients to help improve the success of influenza vaccination by exercising before and after shots.
Low vax rates in affluent areas
SOME of Australia’s most affluent communities have rates of child immunisation low enough to increase the risk of spreading some contagious diseases, according to a report.
Immunisation reminder app launched
GPs in NSW now have an additional ally in efforts to ensure child immunisations are kept up to date with the state’s health department launch of a new app.
Pertussis cocooning is effective
BABIES whose mothers have been immunised against pertussis during or before pregnancy appear to be protected against infection via placental transfer of maternal antibodies, experts say.
Pre-pregnancy pertussis vaccination most effective: study
VACCINATING women before pregnancy could have the greatest impact on preventing pertussis infection in babies, a much-anticipated study of the cocooning strategy has suggested.
Push for national kids’ flu vax program
THE case for a nationally funded influenza vaccination program for young children should be considered, in light of a study finding high hospitalisation rates in those under five years, experts say.
ACCC launches action against homeopathy site
THE Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched Federal Court proceedings against owners of a website warning of the so-called health dangers of vaccination.
ACCC launches action against homeopathic website
THE Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched Federal Court proceedings against owners of a website warning of the so-called health dangers of vaccination.
National pertussis cocooning vaccination approach lacking
THE tragic death of a Queensland infant from pertussis has highlighted the lack of a national approach to booster vaccination for family members.
Booklet to combat vaccination myths
DANGEROUS misinformation being circulated about immunisation has prompted the development of a reference booklet that GPs can use during difficult consultations with conscientious objectors.
Vaccination misinformation spreads virally through social media: RACP
RUMOUR and misinformation about vaccination from organised opponents has the potential to be amplified via the internet and social media, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) has warned.
NSW measles outbreak sparks call for immunisations
AN OUTBREAK of measles in NSW has prompted infectious diseases experts to warn that immunisation rates are falling in difficult-to-reach immigrant communities.
Plea for GPs to 'engage' with anti-vax patients
GPs have been urged not to disengage with patients who object to having their children immunised as the impacts of the government’s decision to link the procedure to family tax benefits continue to be debated by doctors.
Anti-vax group under fire as ‘duplicitous’
THE Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) has rejected suggestions that its name is “duplicitous” and should be changed, after a major health professional body advertised one of its seminars before learning it was considered an anti-vaccination lobby.
GPs wary of vax objector forms
GPs have warned they would rather their patients miss out on government incentives – or even lose their patients – than sign the conscientious objector form for parents who refuse to have their children immunised.
Anti-vax lobby rejects AMA call for name change
The Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) has rejected suggestions that its title is “duplicitous” and should be changed after a major health professional body advertised one of its seminars before learning it was considered an anti-vaccination lobby.
Health check response shows ‘stick’ didn’t work
THE federal government’s scrapping of GP incentives for child vaccination faces fresh criticism, after the government admitted a similar “stick” introduced for child health checks resulted in almost half of eligible families potentially being penalised because they failed to respond.
Budget 2012: Government tightening the belt in health
HEALTH has been front of stage in the past two budgets – this year things are different.
Immunisation mandatory for family tax payment
LEGISLATION aimed at increasing immunisation rates for children has cleared federal parliament.
Circumcision may be cut from MBS
THE government will consider removing circumcision from the MBS as part of a planned review of paediatric surgery, in a move certain to be opposed by proponents who compare the ethics and practice of infant male circumcision to childhood vaccination.
Mandatory flu vax proposed for healthcare workers
GPs already rank among Australia’s best healthcare workers when it comes to getting their flu vaccinations – but for some their voluntary annual jabs could become mandatory under a proposal for stricter immunisation rules.
Anti-vax views ‘nonsense’: Health Minister
QUEENSLAND Health Minister Geoff Wilson has rubbished the views of Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) president Meryl Dorey, but defended her right to speak at the Woodford Folk Festival on the Gold Coast later this month.
Family tax benefits only for immunised children
PARENTS will soon face a loss of family benefits if they opt out of early childhood vaccination programs.
$80,000 boost for adult immunisation
THREE general practice focused vaccination programs are set to share in $80,000 worth of grant funding as part of an adult immunisation program being run by pharmaceuticals manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline.
Measles cases double in past year
AUSTRALIA has experienced almost double the number of measles cases this year compared to last year, hampering plans to eliminate the disease. Dr Robert Menzies, deputy director (surveillance) at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, Sydney, said the outbreaks were due to poor vaccination coverage among young adults, a cohort with a high rate of overseas travel, and pockets of low coverage in some communities. Between January and September this year 136 measles cases were notified in Australia, compared to 70 cases in 2010. Some 61% of cases (82 individuals) were unvaccinated, including nine ...
Double varicella dose for chickenpox
Two doses of varicella vaccine are more effective than one to prevent chickenpox in children, a US study shows. Since 2006, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended a second dose of varicella vaccine be routinely administered to children aged 4–6. Researchers assessed the effectiveness of two doses of varicella by comparing 71 cases of confirmed varicella with 140 controls matched by age and paediatric practice. They found that two doses of the vaccine was 98.3% effective in preventing chickenpox, compared with one dose, which was 86.0% effective. In the first two ...
Pertussis rising in vaccinated children
AS pertussis cases continue to mount around Australia, the disease is being increasingly seen in immunised primary school-age children, experts say. NSW Health recently alerted GPs that babies were at risk from older siblings whose immunity from vaccination may have waned, and warned pertussis “can occur in fully vaccinated children”. Notifiable diseases data shows Australia has recorded more than 24,000 pertussis cases to date this year, compared to 29,000 last year. However, Professor Peter McIntyre, director of the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, said while Australia appeared to be “swimming in pertussis”, the high ...
TGA re-evaluates Rotarix amid intussusception concerns
The TGA is examining post-marketing surveillance data after US regulators raised concerns about a link between the rotavirus vaccine Rotarix and the risk of intussusception. The US Food and Drug Administration last week ordered changes to Rotarix’s warning label after an analysis of interim data from a Mexican study showed a greater risk of intussusception in the four weeks following the first dose. A spokeswoman for the vaccine’s manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, said the company had shared with regulators interim data showing a “small, temporal” increased risk after the first dose of Rotarix compared to the risk of intussusception ...
Flu vaccine split-dose safe in egg-allergic kids
MOST egg-allergic children can be safely vaccinated against influenza, according to new allergy guidelines that contrast with existing Australian advice. Dr Ray Mullins, president of the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA), said the body of current evidence suggested a strict split-dose protocol would permit safe vaccination. While egg anaphylaxis was until recently considered an absolute contraindication to influenza vaccination, because the vaccine was grown in eggs, this was based on decades-old studies, he said. “The amount of egg protein present in modern vaccines as opposed to old ones is very tiny, ...
New vax to broaden protection against pneumococcal disease
WITH penicillin resistance at an all-time high, Australia is set to adopt a 13-valent vaccine that broadens protection against pneumococcal disease. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee had provided a positive recommendation for Prevenar 13 to be included in the National Immunisation Program, Pfizer Australia confirmed. A Pfizer spokeswoman said Prevenar 13 would be listed on the program for the same indications as the 7-valent Prevenar: a three-dose schedule for healthy infants and a 3+1 schedule for at-risk babies. The recent 12 th immunisation conference of the Public Health Association of Australia heard that pneumococcal vaccine ...
Push for more transparency in vaccine decisions
IMMUNISATION providers have called for greater transparency about decision-making on vaccination recommendations and funding. Members of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) were asked at a forum in Adelaide last week how Australia could move closer to the US system in which such expert committee meetings were held in public. GPs and public health officers expressed frustration that major policy decisions were made by ATAGI in a “secretive process”. “Big decisions are made but it’s not transparent,” one Melbourne GP said. But the public health forum suggested many leading figures in immunisation would also ...
Nine divisions risk measles outbreak
WHILE most of Australia will likely keep measles at bay over the next decade and more, the potential for outbreaks is growing in nine divisions of general practice, modelling shows. Sydney researcher Dr James Woods (PhD) has found pockets, mainly in NSW, where poor immunisation coverage coupled with waning immunity may put communities at risk. The modelling, based on serological data and vaccination rates, was “reassuring” for most of Australia, said Dr Woods, senior lecturer in the University of NSW School of Public Health and Community Medicine. However, in a handful of areas, there was the ...
Rotavirus vaccine link to risk of intussusception
THE TGA is investigating data from post-marketing surveillance of rotavirus vaccines suggesting the risk of intussusception may be increased after the first dose. Melbourne immunisation researcher Dr Jim Buttery said a study of 192 intussusception cases in the first 18 months after the vaccines were introduced produced a “signal” warranting investigation. Intussusception appeared to increase after the first dose of vaccine compared with the expected rate, he said. This was statistically significant for RotaTeq, but not for Rotarix. There was no problem after the second dose of either vaccine, and the risk of intussusception was actually ...
Oral immunotherapy shows some success in treatment of hay fever
ALLERGY injections for severe hay fever could be successfully swapped for convenient tablets or drops that dissolve under the tongue, Italian research suggests. While sublingual immunotherapy with grass allergens has become widespread in Europe, it has been slower to catch on in Australia. But a new meta-analysis of 3000 patients from 19 trials confirms that the sublingual approach reduced both symptoms and medication use compared to placebo, albeit modestly. It was more effective in adults, however, and the researchers caution that more work is needed in children. Sublingual immunotherapy has fewer side-effects and reduces doctor visits but ...
Pertussis epidemic may see return of 18-month booster
GPs are being urged to bring forward the first DTPa dose to six weeks as part of a fresh attempt to combat the pertussis epidemic.A return of the 18-month dose is also on the agenda amid concern that its removal has led to waning childhood immunity. Professor Peter McIntyre, director of the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, said starting DTPa at six weeks instead of eight was already recommended in NSW, but it should be considered nationally. “ATAGI is reviewing both the six-week dose and the question of whether we need to do anything about ...
It’s back: severe swine flu cases reported
THE H1N1 (swine) flu strain appears to be having a resurgence, with several intensive care admissions in four states and two confirmed deaths in Western Australia. Health authorities are recommending GPs step up efforts to vaccinate patients as the winter flu season intensifies, with pregnant women already prominent among severe cases. NSW Health Communicable Diseases Branch director Dr Jeremy McAnulty said eight severe flu cases were reported in the state in the last weeks of July, with two of the four females being pregnant. “Monitoring is indicating that while influenza activity is still at reasonably low ...
Anti-vaccination group taken to task by complaints commission
A PROMINENT anti-vaccination lobby misleads the public and inappropriately criticises GPs on its website, the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) has ruled. The commission said the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) also “quotes selectively from research to suggest that vaccination may be dangerous”. The AVN was investigated by the commission following a complaint by the parents of a baby, Dana McCaffery, who died from pertussis last year, and a separate one from an anti-AVN campaigner, Ken McLeod. The HCCC has advised the AVN to make it clear on its website that its purpose is to provide ...
Polio outbreak in Tajikistan sparks alarm
The first outbreak of polio in a previously polio-free zone has occurred in Tajikistan. Data from the WHO revealed over 560 cases of acute flaccid paralysis had been reported in the Central Asian republic by early June this year, with 183 confirmed as poliovirus type 1. The growing outbreak represents 75% of the world’s cases of polio this year, outstripping cases in known polio hotspots India and Nigeria. Health experts believe the polio outbreak spread from India to Tajikistan due to immunisation rates in the region being below the WHO target levels, hovering between 70% and ...
Meningococcal C still a risk to youth even after vaccination
MOST Australian adolescents may be susceptible to meningococcal C (MenC) disease, despite childhood vaccination, researchers warn. A trial conducted in the UK to establish antibody persistence after vaccination with the MenC conjugate vaccine has raised questions about waning immunity. The Australian and British researchers found that the majority of six- to 12-year-olds in the UK, where children receive three shots in infancy, would have inadequate serological protection. In Australia, where children received a single dose of MenC vaccine at 12 months of age, the data suggested only a quarter may remain protected by the age of ...
Flu vaccine comments
Dr Greg Rowles, AGPN representative on the National Immunisation Committee, said the new advice was the latest twist in a confusing year. “I think GPs have found it quite complicated this year with Panvax and seasonal flu vaccine availability, new eligibility for the seasonal vaccine, and a push for the benefits of vaccinating kids then being followed by suspension of the vaccine in kids,” he said. The latest advice, in a June 1 letter from Chief Medical Officer Professor Jim Bishop to all immunisation providers, was that healthy children aged under 5 years should not be vaccinated ...
Review finds antiviral drugs safe in children with influenza
GPs should have no concerns about prescribing antiviral therapy for children and infants who have the potential to become extremely ill with influenza, according to a leading researcher. Professor Robert Booy, head of clinical research at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS), Sydney, said a new Australian review showed oseltamivir was well-tolerated in young children. The NCIRS examined its use in light of widespread publicity given to a meta-analysis last year on the use of neuraminidase inhibitors in children with seasonal influenza (BMJ 2009;339:b3172). The meta-analysis, which included only two studies on oseltamivir, ...
Notify national register of child flu vaccinations
GPs around Australia are being asked to send data on seasonal flu immunisations of children younger than seven years to the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR). A spokeswoman for the AGPN said a request went out last week through divisions for GPs to add data on flu vacc-inations to information sent to ACIR on National Immunisation Program (NIP) vaccinations. This followed a request from the TGA, who along with the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance are investigating the spate of serious adverse events in children related to seasonal flu immunisation. “Practices are doing the ...
Simple solution for sweetening up infant injections
WHILE sugar has long been known to help the medicine go down it now appears the pain of immunisation can be eased by offering infants a sweet oral solution before injection. A review of 14 randomised controlled trials has found incidence and duration of crying was reduced when infants were administered sucrose or glucose before immunisation. While there was “abundant evidence” of the analgesic quality of these solutions in newborn infants, the authors said the findings showed pain could be reduced in infants up to 12 months of age. The analgesic effects in these older infants ...
Software glitch hampers child flu vaccine records
SEVERE reactions to this year’s seasonal flu vaccination appear to occur in children naïve to flu vaccine and in those younger than three, rather than the entire under-five cohort as initially suspected. But establishing a precise denominator for this year’s vaccinated cohort has been fraught with difficulty because a software glitch has prevented optimum recording of doses on the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR). Perth paediatric immunologist Associate Professor Peter Richmond said the affected children were mostly younger than three years. “It seems to have affected more children who are getting vaccine for the first time – ...
Bumper flu fears as GPs, patients shun vaccination
AUSTRALIA could face a horror flu season if an unexplained spike in paediatric adverse reactions to the seasonal flu vaccine leads GPs and the public to shun flu jabs altogether. A crisis in confidence is already noticeable leading doctors warn, as some GPs abandon vaccination for children and adults alike, and practices are swamped with calls from concerned parents. Chief Medical Officer Jim Bishop recently ordered GPs to suspend seasonal flu vaccination of children under five. The moratorium followedreports of up to 400 cases of fever and 77 convulsions linked to the trivalent vaccine in WA and ...
Cough helps vax pain
IMMUNISATION pain can be overcome in children by using a simple coughing technique, according to US researchers. Asking children to do a ‘warm-up’ cough, followed by a second cough when the vaccine is injected reduced the pain of immunisation by almost half in the study. Researchers carried out the technique in 68 children aged 4-5 and 11-13 years attending for routine vaccinations under the US immunisation schedule. The cough technique reduced self-reported pain intensity by 40% on a visual analogue scale. The technique, although not successful in all children, could easily ...
SA Govt axes immunisation support for metro GPs
METROPOLITAN GPs in South Australia are set to lose vital immunisation support services after the State Government axed its local immunisation coordinators – via email. In a move that will save the SA Government $250,000, five Adelaide-based coordinators, all nurses employed through divisions of general practice, will lose their jobs as of 30 June. Coordinators based in rural and regional SA divisions have been assured their jobs are safe. The nurses provide immunisation advice, visit practices, and educate practice nurses on issues such as cold chain and link care between general practice, local councils and hospitals. ...
Broader vaccine needed as disease rates rise
PNEUMONIA and meningitis are on the rise again in young children as pneumococcal serotypes not contained in the seven-valent vaccine become more aggressive. Robin Gilmour, senior surveillance officer for respiratory disease at NSW Health, said that, following the introduction of the universal vaccine program in 2005, the rate of disease in children younger than two in NSW had plunged from 107 per 100,000 to 31 per 100,000. However, there had been a 52% increase in non-vaccine serotype disease since then, she said. The rate of disease caused by non-vaccine serotypes (excluding serotypes 19A and 6A) rose ...
Pay patients for screening and immunisations
HARD-to-reach patients could be better encouraged to participate in national screening and immunisation programs by the offer of financial incentives, according to a leading academic. In a discussion paper prepared for the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, Professor Anthony Scott, health economist at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, stated that financial incentives could be used to reward simple, positive behaviour change in patients. However, given the likely expense, such incentives had to be restricted to a well-defined group. Professor Scott suggested Indigenous Australians, people on lower incomes and people with poor access ...
Cost versus benefit model could deny patients essential vaccines
THE current cost-benefit-based approval process for funding immunisations may mean Australians miss out on access to essential vaccines, experts say. At a recent Public Health Association of Australia immunisation conference, medical epidemiologist Dr Stephen Lambert and GPs Dr Peter Eizenberg and Dr Neil Hearnden queried whether the cost-effectiveness model, introduced in 2006, was hampering protection from vaccine-preventable diseases. Dr Lambert, from the Queensland Paediatric Infectious Diseases Laboratory at Royal Children’s Hospital, Brisbane, said the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) was using “uncertainty” about public health outcomes to shoot down the case for funding vaccines including herpes zoster ...
Push for expanded vax program
AUSTRALIAN immunisation experts will consider broadening funded influenza vaccinations to all high-risk groups. Professor David Isaacs, a member of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), said a working party on influenza vaccination would present its initial report in June. While high-risk groups currently received subsidised influenza vaccinations, only the elderly and Indigenous people older than 50 years were part of the National Immunisation Program (NIP). “We would like to extend that to everybody at high risk,” Professor Isaacs said. “It would make sense if they were all on the immunisation program, but the ...
‘Revolutionary’ vaccine for hypertension
IMMUNISATION against angiotensin II may offer a radical new approach to the management of hypertension and a solution to the widespread problem of poor compliance with anti-hypertensive medication. Preliminary findings from an ongoing European randomised trial found patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension immunised with 100 µg or 300 µg of CYT006-angQb vaccine had lower blood pressure levels compared to those receiving placebo. Patients in the phase IIa trial reported the vaccine to be safe and well tolerated with no serious adverse effects except for transient influenza-like symptoms. Seventy-two patients aged 18 to 65 years received three subcutaneous ...
Vaccine injection angle revised in guidelines
IN a reversal of previous advice, experts now say intramuscular injection of vaccines should be given at a 90° angle rather than a 60° angle. Recommendations for altering needle angle and gauge were among a raft of changes in The Australian Immunisation Handbook , 9th edition, expected to be released this month. In a new resource, the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) said that, provided an injection angle of greater than 70° was achieved, the needle should reach the muscle layer. The 90° angle was recommended by the World Health Organization and US, ...