Blog

New Blog Layout and Web Address

Rene F. Najera — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 13:49:39 +0000

New Blog Layout and Web Address Rene F. Najera Mon, 2019-07-01 09:49

The blog is moving to a new platform. Please go to http://historyofvaccines.blog and check it out. Don’t forget to sign-up for updates. The current blog address will continue to display old posts, but it will not be updated anymore.

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Farm Animals and Pets Also Need Vaccines

Rene F. Najera — Sun, 30 Jun 2019 21:11:27 +0000

Farm Animals and Pets Also Need Vaccines Rene F. Najera Sun, 2019-06-30 17:11

New vaccines against diseases that affect farm animals like swine and cows are always being developed. Those animals, along with pets and other domesticated animals, benefit from vaccines for protection against diseases.

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Unless you adhere to a strict, no-pork diet, you’ve probably had some sort of pork product in your life. From bacon with breakfast to a pork chop for dinner and gelatin for dessert, there are too many pork products to list. According to the National Pork Producers Council, the United States produces about $23 billion in pork products each year. Like with other livestock, it is crucial for pork growers to keep their herd healthy.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Expands Recommendations on HPV Vaccine, Leaves Some Decisions Up to Patients and Their Providers

Rene F. Najera — Fri, 28 Jun 2019 12:20:56 +0000

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Expands Recommendations on HPV Vaccine, Leaves Some Decisions Up to Patients and Their Providers Rene F. Najera Fri, 2019-06-28 08:20

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend that men up to age 26 be vaccinated against HPV and that both men and women up to age 45 should discuss with their healthcare providers the benefits of getting vaccinated.

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The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has made two recommendations on the use of the vaccine against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). First, the upper bound of the age recommendation for women is now age 26. For men, it remains at 21. The committee also recommended that men and women ages 27 to 45 have a discussion with their healthcare providers and receive the vaccine if they’re deemed to be at risk for the infection.

With More Deaths in a Younger Population, Measles Is Affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo Worse Than Ebola

Rene F. Najera — Sun, 23 Jun 2019 16:58:51 +0000

With More Deaths in a Younger Population, Measles Is Affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo Worse Than Ebola Rene F. Najera Sun, 2019-06-23 12:58

More deaths from measles than from Ebola have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, most of them in children. So which disease is worse? Which should be addressed first?

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According to Doctors Without Borders, there have been over 1,500 deaths from measles in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the first five months of 2019.

Where People Go, Diseases Follow

Rene F. Najera — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 12:59:58 +0000

Where People Go, Diseases Follow Rene F. Najera Fri, 2019-06-21 08:59

Infectious diseases have been with humans from the very beginning, and they travel with humans to this day. What's worse, our intelligence allows us to spread these diseases farther and faster than ever before.

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Wherever there are people, there is disease. This seems like a “truism” — something that should go without saying and is just a part of life — but, when you think about it, there really is no reason for there to be disease among us. Injuries and conditions that rise from genetic abnormalities, sure, but infectious disease?

Student Documentary on Polio

Rene F. Najera — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 12:30:52 +0000

Student Documentary on Polio Rene F. Najera Fri, 2019-06-21 08:30

Students at the Upper Arlington High School in Columbus, Ohio, put together a documentary on the polio epidemic in the United States.

The following documentary on the polio epidemic in the United States was put together by Defne and Kaya Ceyhan, students at Upper Arlington High School in Columbus, Ohio. It was part of a senior group documentary competition for National History Day 2019. Their documentary won the district and state contests.

Celebrities Have Influence on Vaccination

Rene F. Najera — Sun, 16 Jun 2019 22:15:08 +0000

Celebrities Have Influence on Vaccination Rene F. Najera Sun, 2019-06-16 18:15

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When the 13 colonies that would become the United States of America were fighting the Revolutionary War against England, General George Washington ordered his troops to receive the variolation against smallpox. This was the time before Jenner’s smallpox vaccine, so variolation was the best protection against smallpox, a disease that would decimate whole communities when it would arrive in merchant vessels. In 1777, Gen.

Chickenpox Vaccine and Shingles Risk

Rene F. Najera — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 23:07:12 +0000

Chickenpox Vaccine and Shingles Risk Rene F. Najera Thu, 2019-06-13 19:07

New research is showing that children are protected form chickenpox and from shingles if they are immunized according to the recommended US schedule.

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When I was 4 or 5 years old, in the early 1980s, I contracted chickenpox (also known as varicella). I remember the days that I spent home feeling sick and covered in pocks because my parents decided that it would be a good idea to invite all my cousins to come over and get exposed. The house was soon filled with over a dozen children my age, and I couldn’t join them in playing because I was sick while they were running around, laughing and playing. A few days later, I felt better, but almost all of my cousins went down with the disease.

Measles Cases Top 1,000 in the First 5 Months of 2019

Rene F. Najera — Sun, 09 Jun 2019 01:31:51 +0000

Measles Cases Top 1,000 in the First 5 Months of 2019 Rene F. Najera Sat, 2019-06-08 21:31

The number of measles cases in the United States is the highest it has been in a lifetime, and there are no signs that it is slowing down.

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Look at this hexagonal map:

More Evidence That Vaccine Policy Is Political

Rene F. Najera — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 18:35:48 +0000

More Evidence That Vaccine Policy Is Political Rene F. Najera Sun, 2019-06-02 14:35

Political fights over vaccine requirements are not new, but they still make it difficult to fight off epidemics of vaccine-preventable diseases. One such fight seems to be looming in California after Governor Gavin Newsom has expressed concerns over a recent bill aimed at reducing medical exemptions to immunization.

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Governor Gavin Newsom of California has expressed some concerns over a recent bill before the California State Legislature aimed at reducing the number of unqualified medical exemptions to the vaccine mandates in the state.