Category Archives: Current Health-Related Updates

If you’re over 50 please pay attention!

We have a new shingles vaccine, and health and federal officials are recommending it over the older vaccine. Not only is it much more effective, you can also get it at a younger age (50+ years) than the older vaccine–Zostavax (60+ years).

Our new vaccine, Shingrix, is 96.6% effective in adults 50-59 years, while our older vaccine, Zostavax, is only 70% effective in adults 60-69 years.

And WOW… the effectiveness of Shingrix at age 70+ is 91.3% vs 38% for Zostavax (which is given at an older age, also). This research shows that Shingrix offers much longer lasting protection than Zoatavax, whose protection is shown to wane after the first year.

If given the choice choose Shingrix.

And if you’ve already had the Zostavax vaccine the CDC recommends you go get the Shingrix vaccine to make sure you are as fully covered as can be.

Protect yourself from shingles!

 

You can find all this and more here:

Dooling KL, Guo A, Patel M, et al. Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for Use of Herpes Zoster Vaccines. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018;67:103–108. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6703a5



Nightmare Bacteria

methicillin-resistant mrsa staph bacteria

MRSA

Many disease-causing bacteria are now resistant to antibiotics that once aided in removing them from our bodies, meaning they are learning to defend themselves against these drugs. Once they have learned how to do so, they are able to survive and take over, then pass that information on to other germs. We have been calling these germs antibiotic-resistant (AR) bacteria or superbugs.

You may have heard of MRSA, or Methicillin–resistant Staphylococcus aureus, an AR that attacks the skin and soft tissue. This nasty germ has become so hard to treat due to the fact that we are no longer able to use certain types of antibiotics to treat it.

MRSA is just one of many superbugs. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria kill more than 23,000 Americans each year.

But what if the bacteria become resistant to ALL or nearly all of the antibiotics known to treat it?

That would be a nightmare. Continue reading →

New study finds low vaccine rates in children with autism

In a new study that can be found in JAMA Pediatrics, they’ve found that children with autism spectrum disorder are statistically less likely to be fully vaccinated than children not on the spectrum.

They’ve found that 80% of children with autism are fully vaccinated with the recommended vaccines for children 4-6 years old (which includes the MMR vaccine), compared to 94% of children without autism.

This most likely comes from parents’ fears of the association of autism and vaccines.

However, there are decade long studies that show there is no connection between autism and vaccines.

The research claiming the link between the two can not be reproduced. It has since been thrown out by the scientific community due to fabrication by the researchers involved.

Vaccinating your child will not cause your child to develop autism, but will instead leave him or her vulnerable to vaccine preventable diseases.

Photo cred: ent wellbeing


Fillable microparticles might be the future of vaccines

What?! 
 Here’s my take:
This is definitely an interesting idea, however I’m not sure they are close to being able to carry out this plan quite yet (in my opinion), but it’s definitely an incredible possibility.
 
So what’s going on here?
 
Based on the findings from the research of these new micro-capsules, the researchers believe they may be able to create a vaccine that releases the capsules into the body that biodegrade at just the right times to deliver each vaccine into the body.
 
What a cool idea to eliminate the stress and pain of multiple injections for the child throughout childhood!

Continue reading →

Summer 2017 — Zika

Dr. Timothy Brei, left, examines Aryanna Guadalupe Sanchez-Rios during her check up on on May 5, 2017. (Photo: Heidi de Marco, Kasier Health News)

We aren’t hearing about the Zika virus as much as we did last summer, but it’s still around and still pretty scary, especially for expectant mothers.

In the summer of 2016 you may have heard zika mentioned on the news at least several times, if not more. Health officials were urging everyone, especially pregnant women, to wear bug spray with DEET when venturing outside. Being infected with the mosquito-borne virus while pregnant lead to babies born with birth defects and other health problems. Last year the US had over 5,000 reported cases (many other cases without symptoms unreported) in thousands of American cities.

The summer of 2017? As far is mid June there have already been 650 reported cases of zika in the US. However, most people don’t have symptoms and don’t even know they have the virus. Most cases go unreported.

The CDC has reported that the types of mosquito that carry Zika, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, are appearing in more counties in the southern U.S. where they haven’t been before.

It’s not going away. But officials expect reported cases to lower over time.

Continue reading →