Jump to content

Search the hub

Showing results for tags 'Vaccination'.

More search options

  • Search By Tags

    Start to type the tag you want to use, then select from the list.

  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • All
    • Commissioning, service provision and innovation in health and care
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19)
    • Culture
    • Improving patient safety
    • Investigations, risk management and legal issues
    • Leadership for patient safety
    • Organisations linked to patient safety (UK and beyond)
    • Patient engagement
    • Patient safety in health and care
    • Patient Safety Learning
    • Professionalising patient safety
    • Research, data and insight
    • Miscellaneous

Categories

  • Commissioning, service provision and innovation in health and care
    • Commissioning and funding patient safety
    • Digital health and care service provision
    • Health records and plans
    • Innovation programmes in health and care
    • Climate change/sustainability
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19)
    • Blogs
    • Data, research and statistics
    • Frontline insights during the pandemic
    • Good practice and useful resources
    • Guidance
    • Mental health
    • Exit strategies
    • Patient recovery
    • Questions around Government governance
  • Culture
    • Bullying and fear
    • Good practice
    • Occupational health and safety
    • Safety culture programmes
    • Second victim
    • Speak Up Guardians
    • Staff safety
    • Whistle blowing
  • Improving patient safety
    • Clinical governance and audits
    • Design for safety
    • Disasters averted/near misses
    • Equipment and facilities
    • Error traps
    • Health inequalities
    • Human factors (improving human performance in care delivery)
    • Improving systems of care
    • Implementation of improvements
    • International development and humanitarian
    • Safety stories
    • Stories from the front line
    • Workforce and resources
  • Investigations, risk management and legal issues
    • Investigations and complaints
    • Risk management and legal issues
  • Leadership for patient safety
    • Business case for patient safety
    • Boards
    • Clinical leadership
    • Exec teams
    • Inquiries
    • International reports
    • National/Governmental
    • Patient Safety Commissioner
    • Quality and safety reports
    • Techniques
    • Other
  • Organisations linked to patient safety (UK and beyond)
    • Government and ALB direction and guidance
    • International patient safety
    • Regulators and their regulations
  • Patient engagement
    • Consent and privacy
    • Harmed care patient pathways/post-incident pathways
    • How to engage for patient safety
    • Keeping patients safe
    • Patient-centred care
    • Patient Safety Partners
    • Patient stories
  • Patient safety in health and care
    • Care settings
    • Conditions
    • Diagnosis
    • High risk areas
    • Learning disabilities
    • Medication
    • Mental health
    • Men's health
    • Patient management
    • Social care
    • Transitions of care
    • Women's health
  • Patient Safety Learning
    • Patient Safety Learning campaigns
    • Patient Safety Learning documents
    • Patient Safety Standards
    • 2-minute Tuesdays
    • Patient Safety Learning Annual Conference 2019
    • Patient Safety Learning Annual Conference 2018
    • Patient Safety Learning Awards 2019
    • Patient Safety Learning Interviews
    • Patient Safety Learning webinars
  • Professionalising patient safety
    • Accreditation for patient safety
    • Competency framework
    • Medical students
    • Patient safety standards
    • Training & education
  • Research, data and insight
    • Data and insight
    • Research
  • Miscellaneous

News

  • News

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start
    End

Last updated

  • Start
    End

Filter by number of...

Joined

  • Start

    End

Group

First name

Last name

Country

Join a private group (if appropriate)

About me

Organisation

Role

Found 453 results
  1. News Article
    The NHS could struggle to cope with a catastrophic flu season after leading medics warned of plunging flu vaccine uptake among its frontline staff. NHS figures show just 39% of frontline staff had a flu vaccine in November, down from 52% in November 2020. The worrying statistics mean the already under-strain service could lose crucial staff to illnesses and risk spreading the virus during its busiest winter period. Speaking to The Independent, Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said: “We are concerned about staff vaccination against flu. Post-pandemic, there is a certain lack of appetite and there is probably a degree of apathy about staff getting vaccinated against flu, and we think that’s a problem. “We need to be doing more to get stuff vaccinated against flu.” He added: “I think societally and as healthcare practitioners, I think we have a moral duty to get ourselves vaccinated so we don't create gaps by going off sick and we don't infect our patients.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 21 December 2023
  2. News Article
    Pregnant women have been urged to get vaccinated following a spike in suspected whooping cough cases in England and Wales. Official figures show doctors reported some 716 suspected cases between July and November - up from 217 in the previous period last year. Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes that spreads easily and infected tens of thousands of people before vaccines were introduced. It is easily preventable, experts say, but can sometimes cause serious problems for babies and children. Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said the rise in suspected cases of whooping cough was “expected” due to low immunity as a result of the Covid pandemic. Despite vaccinations being available in the UK the infection hasn’t gone away “completely” but immunisation can provide “life-long protection”. “Social distancing and lockdown measures imposed across the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the spread of infections, including whooping cough,” Dr Amirthalingam added. “As expected, we are now seeing cases of whooping cough increase again so it’s vital pregnant women ensure they get vaccinated to protect their baby.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 7 December 2023
  3. News Article
    Doctors must be on high alert for measles as vaccine rates among young children have dipped to a 10-year low, leaving some unprotected and risking outbreaks of the highly infectious and dangerous virus, experts say. It is the first time in decades the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has issued national guidance such as this. At least 95% of children should be double vaccinated by the age of five. But the UK is well below that target. Latest figures show only 84.5% had received a second shot of the protective measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab - the lowest level since 2010-11. Measles can make children very sick. The main symptoms are a fever and a rash but it can cause serious complications including meningitis. For some, it is fatal. The RCPCH is worried the UK is now seeing a "devastating resurgence" of virtually eliminated life-threatening diseases such as measles, because of low vaccine uptake. Read full story Source: BBC News, 22 November 2023
  4. News Article
    All children in the UK should be given a chickenpox vaccine at 12 and 18 months of age, combined with the MMR jab as one shot, the NHS is advised. It will now be up to the government to decide whether to add it to the routine immunisations children are offered. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has also recommended a temporary catch-up programme for slightly older children who've missed out on this initial rollout. Chickenpox cases dipped during the Covid pandemic due to restrictions on socialising, meaning there is currently a larger pool of children than usual who are unprotected against the highly contagious virus. Chickenpox can be more severe if you catch it for the first time as a teen or an adult rather than as a young child. Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam from the UK Health Security Agency said: "Introducing a vaccine against chickenpox would prevent most children getting what can be quite a nasty illness - and for those who would experience more severe symptoms, it could be a life saver. "The JCVI's recommendations will help make chickenpox a problem of the past and bring the UK into line with a number of other countries that have well-established programmes." Read full story Source: BBC News, 14 November 2023
  5. Content Article
    A BMJ investigation has raised concerns that the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) isn’t operating as intended and that signals are being missed. VAERS is supposed to be user friendly, responsive, and transparent. However, investigations by The BMJ have uncovered that it’s not meeting its own standards. Not only have staffing levels failed to keep pace with the unprecedented number of reports since the rollout of covid vaccines but there are signs that the system is overwhelmed, reports aren’t being followed up, and signals are being missed. The BMJ has spoken to more than a dozen people, including physicians and a state medical examiner, who have filed VAERS reports of a serious nature on behalf of themselves or patients and were never contacted by clinical reviewers or were contacted months later. 
  6. News Article
    AstraZeneca is facing legal action over its Covid vaccine, by a man who suffered severe brain injury after having the jab in April 2021. Father-of-two Jamie Scott suffered a blood clot that left him with brain damage and unable to keep working. The action, taken under the Consumer Protection Act, alleges the vaccine was "defective" as it was less safe than individuals were entitled to expect. Studies suggest Covid vaccines have saved millions of lives. In June 2022, the World Health Organization said the AstraZeneca vaccine was "safe and effective for individuals aged 18 and above". A further claim from about 80 people who say they were injured by the AstraZeneca vaccine is also due to be launched later this year but Mr Scott's case is expected to be heard first. AstraZeneca said: "Patient safety is our highest priority and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines. "Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems. "From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, Vaxzevria [the vaccine against Covid] has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile and regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects." Read full story Source: BBC News, 9 November 2023 Related reading on the hub: Interview with Charlet Crichton, founder of UKCVFamily
  7. Content Article
    UKCVFamily was set up in November 2021 to support patients in the UK who have had an adverse reaction to a Covid-19 vaccination. The group provides help and advocacy as well as raising awareness amongst healthcare professionals, the media and the Government. In this video, founder of UKCVFamily Charlet Crichton talks to us about why she established the group and describes the support it offers to patients. She outlines some of the issues people face when trying to access diagnosis and treatment, and discusses the limitations of the MHRA's Yellow Card scheme in collecting data about adverse reactions. She also describes how healthcare professionals can support people with adverse reactions by taking their concerns seriously and investigating symptoms thoroughly.
  8. News Article
    The NHS has launched an investigation after it sent “priority” letters to people who died years ago, in some cases decades, urging them to book flu and Covid-19 jabs to reduce their risk of serious illness. The health service is asking eligible patients to arrange appointments for both vaccines to avoid a potential “twindemic” of flu and coronavirus this winter, which would pile further pressure on hospitals and GP surgeries. “You are a priority for seasonal flu and Covid-19 vaccinations,” the two-page letter tells recipients. “This is because you are aged 65 or over (by 31 March 2024). However, some of the letters, which contain personal information such as NHS numbers, have been sent to people who died years ago. Others have been sent to people who are not eligible for the vaccines, with no connection to the addressee. In a statement, NHS England told the Guardian it was investigating. It declined to answer questions about when the error was first discovered, what had caused it and how many people had been affected. “We have been made aware of some letters sent in error and appreciate this may have been upsetting for those who received it – we are working as quickly as possible to investigate this,” a spokesperson for NHS England said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 24 October 2023
  9. Content Article
    HPV is a common infection that is spread by skin-to-skin contact, including sexual contact, which can lead to the development of cancers affecting both women and men, including cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and oral cavity. In England, young people aged 12 to 13 years are offered immunisation against HPV as part of the NHS vaccination programme. Research has shown that in England cervical cancer has almost been eliminated among young women who were offered the HPV vaccine. However, research by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit in Behavioural Science and Evaluation at the University of Bristol has identified sustained inequalities in uptake by area and minority ethnic groups. It has also identified unmet information needs among young people in schools where vaccination uptake is low, with implications for obtaining consent and vaccination uptake. This web page contains a number of information videos to address information needs about HPV among young people. They were coproduced with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and diverse ethnic groups.
  10. Content Article
    Investigative journalist and medical researcher Maryanne Demasi interviews Phillip Buckhaults, a cancer genomics expert and professor at the University of South Carolina. Professor Buckhaults describes how he decided to test for DNA contamination in vials of Pfizer and Moderna’s bivalent booster shots, hoping to debunk myths about contamination. However, his research revealed that billions of tiny DNA fragments are present in Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine. He highlights the need for further research to find out whether this poses any risk to people who have been given the vaccine, particularly around whether these fragments of DNA could trigger people developing cancer or autoimmune conditions.
  11. News Article
    Parents are being urged to get their children vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) after a “worrying” drop in uptake of key vaccines. Figures from NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show 92.5% of children had had the first dose of the MMR jab at five years old by 2022-23, the lowest since 2010-11. The proportion of five-year-olds who had had the second jab by 2022-23 was 84.5%, also the lowest level since 2010-11. Vaccination programmes across England failed to meet the uptake recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the year 2022-23. WHO recommends that, nationally, at least 95% of children should be inoculated for diseases that can be stopped by vaccines, in order to prevent outbreaks. NHS data showed no routine vaccine programme met the threshold during the 12-month period. Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, a consultant medical epidemiologist at UKHSA, said the downward trend was a “serious concern”. “The diseases that these vaccines protect against, such as measles, polio and meningitis, can be life-changing and even deadly,” she said. “No parent wants this for their child especially when these diseases are easily preventable. Please don’t put this off, check now that your children are fully up to date with all their vaccines due. Check your child’s red book and get in touch with your GP surgery if you are not sure.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 29 September 2023
  12. News Article
    The BMA’s GP Committee (GPC) has demanded an investigation into the Government and NHS England’s ‘mismanagement’ of this year’s vaccination programmes. A motion was passed at the GPC England meeting today which called for a review of the ‘circumstances which led to muddled and mismanaged communications’ and for reflection on how to ‘prevent a repeat occurrence’. Last month, there was confusion over the start date for the adult flu and Covid vaccination programmes, which usually start in September. NHS England said the programmes would start in October this year – a move which the BMA said would cause ‘serious disruption’. But the Government then announced that vaccination will begin on 11 September, in what the BMA has called a ‘u-turn’, following the identification of a new Covid variant. GPs were asked to vaccinate ‘as many people as possible’ by the end of October. The GPC has said today that these ‘conflicting instructions’ led to confusion among GPs while also impacting on patient safety. Read full story Source: Pulse, 21 September 2023
  13. News Article
    Babies could be needlessly hospitalised this winter because the government has delayed a vaccine that protects them from a life-threatening virus, the UK’s top children’s doctor has warned. Dr Camilla Kingdon, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), said she was “frustrated” by delays in introducing a new vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which drives 30,000 hospital admissions each winter and leads to dozens of deaths. She warned the delay meant thousands of children’s operations will have to be cancelled as RSV patients fill up beds – piling further pressure on already soaring waiting lists. It comes after the UK’s most senior A&E doctor, Dr Adrian Boyle, told The Independent that the government’s failure to prepare the NHS for winter could see thousands of people die needlessly this year. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said in June that a rollout of two RSV vaccines, one for babies and one for pregnant women, would be “cost-effective”, while the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said there was a “strong case” for a jab. But it confirmed there was no timeframe for when vaccinations could start. Read full story Source: The Independent, 4 September 2023
  14. News Article
    All tech support for flu and covid vaccinations will be switched off on Thursday after NHS England decided against extending its contract with its supplier in favour of developing an in-house system, according to HSJ. NHSE last week told suppliers System C and Graphnet it would not extend the contract for the National Immunisation Management Service – just one week before the contract ends. NIMS, provided by the two British firms in partnership with NHS South Central and West Commissioning Support Unit, has been used for the last three years to manage the vaccination programme. Its functionalities include a single data store holding vaccination records for more than 60 million people, a call and recall service that can identify and contact groups of eligible individuals according to age and clinical priority, and reporting and analysing of vaccination activity in “near real time”. NHSE informed System C it would not extend the contract last Thursday – five working days before it was due to expire, according to a message from System C to customers, seen by HSJ. In its message, System C said: “This means that all functionality, including the NIMS application programming interface links to third party booking systems, all outgoing feeds and extracts, NIMS dashboards and the point of vaccination data capture application will stop working after 31 August.” There is currently “significant usage” of the system by GPs and trusts, which means NIMS users “may need to take action to deal with the retirement of the system” – the message stated. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 30 August 2023
  15. News Article
    US regulators this week have approved the first RSV vaccine for pregnant women so their babies will be born with protection against the respiratory infection. The Food and Drug Administration cleared Pfizer’s maternal vaccination to guard against a severe case of RSV when babies are most vulnerable – from birth through six months of age. The next step: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must issue recommendations for using the vaccine, named Abrysvo, during pregnancy. “Maternal vaccination is an incredible way to protect the infants,” said Dr Elizabeth Schlaudecker of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, a researcher in Pfizer’s international study of the vaccine. If shots begin soon, “I do think we could see an impact for this RSV season.” RSV is a coldlike nuisance for most healthy people but it can be life-threatening for the very young. It inflames babies’ tiny airways so it’s hard to breathe or causes pneumonia. In the US alone, between 58,000 and 80,000 children younger than five are hospitalised each year, and several hundred die, from the respiratory syncytial virus. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 22 August 2023
  16. News Article
    Covid vaccines should be made available for people to buy privately in Britain, leading scientists have urged, amid concerns over a new wave of the virus which could worsen in autumn and winter. Unlike flu jabs, which individuals or employers can buy for about £15 from high street pharmacies, Covid jabs are only available on the NHS in the UK. This month the UK government announced that the Covid autumn booster programme would cover a smaller pool of the population than earlier vaccination drives. The age limit has been raised from 50 to 65 and above, with some younger vulnerable groups also eligible. Covid is on the rise, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Experts raised concerns the wave could continue to grow and add to winter pressures on the NHS. Prof Adam Finn, of the University of Bristol, a member of the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said Covid jabs should be available commercially. Some employers might want to offer the vaccines to their staff, he added. Speaking in a personal capacity, Finn said: “I think it will be a good idea for vaccines to be made available to those that want them on the private market. I don’t really see any reason why that shouldn’t be happening.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 17 August 2023
  17. News Article
    Updated Covid vaccines are expected to become available in the US next month as alarm grows over a new variant dubbed Eris. Healthcare providers are grappling with a rise in hospitalisations stemming from Covid infections. Eris or EG.5.1, a subvariant of Omicron that originally emerged in late 2021, now accounts for around 17per cent of current COVID cases, according to the CDC. Symptoms of the new variant include a runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing and a sore throat. In the week of 30 July to 5 August, the latest period that data is available for, hospitalisations spiked by more than 14per cent, while deaths rose 10per cent compared to the previous week. It comes as providers and pharmacies prepare to roll out an updated vaccine designed to combat Omicron — but experts are not very optimistic that the greater majority of Americans will opt to be vaccinated. Fewer than 50 million people in the US got the shot last fall, compared to 250 million, or 73 per cent of the country’s population, when the vaccine was first made available in 2021, according to the agency. Read full story Source: Independent, 16 August 2023
  18. Event
    until
    Vaccine uptake in the UK is dropping, and we are failing to meet the WHO’s 95% coverage target. To help address this, we must understand people’s attitudes and experiences of vaccines, so we can grasp their concerns and better support them. Children’s attitudes are important too, because they must feel empowered to make health decisions. RSPH research with Children and Young People (CYP) shows that they trust vaccines and think they are important to their health. However, trust varies by ethnicity, with results showing that 85% of white CYP trust vaccines, in comparison to 71% of Asian and 74% of black CYP. Knowledge varies around which vaccines they think are available to them and they do not necessarily know which vaccines they can have. Whilst 61% of CYP understood how vaccines worked, they reported concerns about side effects (63%), safety (57%), whether they will hurt (55%) and the costs of accessing vaccines (16%). These findings have practical implications for practitioners working with CYP and delivering vaccines. In this webinar, we will explore: The impact of inequalities on access to vaccines and information about vaccinations. What challenges the public health workforce face in delivering vaccines. How the workforce – and others involved in vaccine delivery - can be supported to develop and deliver vaccines programmes Register for the webinar
  19. News Article
    Medics have welcomed clarification from health officials over when the upcoming flu and Covid-19 vaccination programme will begin. NHS England had been criticised for pushing back the start date a month with pharmacists saying the change of plan would likely “catch patients off guard”. While school-aged children will be able to receive the flu shot from 1 September, adults were not expected to start getting flu and Covid jabs until October, a month later than recent years. Officials briefed that the later start time was so sites can co-administer both vaccines wherever possible, to make it more convenient, and to ensure protection in later winter months – typically when viruses are more likely to spread. But NHS England was criticised for a lack of transparency and communication, as healthcare teams had been preparing to provide the service as usual from September. NHS England said to maximise and extend protection during the winter and through the period of greatest risk in December and early January 2024, care home residents and care home staff must start receiving their jabs from 2 October, and other eligible flu and Covid cohorts from 7 October. However, in updated guidance officials said that as some firm commitments and appointments have already been made, any patient wishing to receive their vaccination in September will be allowed to do so. Most people are still likely to have their vaccines in October, officials believe. Responding to news that NHS England will, if needed, now allow practices to deliver both vaccination programmes from September rather than October, Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of GPC England at the British Medical Association (BMA), said: “This news is very welcome, coming after the BMA made clear yesterday to NHS England that shifting the entire programme at the last minute to October would not only cause widespread confusion, but also serious disruption as flu clinics would have to be rearranged to fit the new timetable." Read full story Source: inews, 11 August 2023
  20. News Article
    The Government has decided to cut the fee GPs are paid per Covid vaccination by a quarter, prompting BMA to issue a patient safety warning. NHS England has published the new enhanced service specification for Covid vaccines to be delivered between 1 September and 31 March next year, setting out that GPs will be paid £7.54 for each vaccine administered – down from £10.06 – and continue to be paid £10 for each housebound patient. The fee had already been reduced from £12.58 last year, when the BMA advised GPs to review whether they were still able to fulfil the ES commitments. The new specification said that practices with ‘sufficient workforce capacity so as not to impact the delivery of essential services and appropriately trained and experienced staff’ must indicate their willingness to participate in the programme before 5pm on 29 August. The Item of Service fee for flu remains £10.06 of each vaccine delivered, according to the new specification published last week. But the BMA said that that NHS England’s decision to reduce the Covid fee ‘undervalues general practice and threatens the safety of vulnerable patients’. Read the full article here: https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/clinical-areas/respiratory/25-cut-to-covid-vaccine-ios-threat-to-patient-safety-bma-warns/
  21. Event
    This year's conference is all about IPC Legends focusing on individuals who in their respective fields are experts willing to share their knowledge with us, and exploring new ideas in the field of IPS. Alyson Prince – Built Environment Infection Prevention & Control Nurse Specialist/Engineering, Archus Healthcare Infrastructure Specialist who will be covering Ventilation in the Healthcare Setting – What is the air and why is it important. Dave Cunningham – Leadership & Workforce Workstream Lead, NHS Improvement who will be providing an update on the National Infection Prevention IPC Educational framework. Leo Andrew Almerol – Vascular Clinical Nurse Specialist, Imperial College NHS Trust / Vascular Access Nurse 2022, British Journal of Nursing will be providing an update on The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Vascular Access Service in the UK. Dr Emily McWhirter – Nurse Consultant, World Health Organization will be sharing with us Leadership and expertise in influencing IPC practice. Professor Elaine Cloutman-Green – Consultant Clinical Scientist (Infection Control Doctor), Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust is speaking around Challenges in IPC: Aiming for progress not perfection. Dr Mat Moyo – Quality Improvement Mentor / Founder, Quantum Quality Improvement Coaching / Lecturer, Solent University will be speaking to us about Quality Improvement Project Coaching in IPC: Wise People Ask for Help and Get Further!" Sir Jonathan Van- Tam MBE – Former Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England 2017-2022, recording on Learning from the pandemic and the mission of vaccinating the nation will be played before we conclude the day by hearing from Karen Storey – Nursing Retention and Liaison Lead, who will demonstrate to us Shiny Mind app and the benefits to us all for our wellbeing. Register
  22. Content Article
    Different communities have different needs when it comes to vaccination. Research can show us how to engage with different groups effectively. The latest Collection from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) brings together examples of NIHR research on how to increase vaccine uptake.
  23. News Article
    The UK’s status as a global leader on vaccination is at risk because of falling uptake rates among children and an “alarming” decline in clinical trial activity, MPs have warned. The Health and Social Care Committee said in a report that it was concerned that England did not meet the 95% target for any routine childhood immunisations in 2021-22.1 Committee chair Steve Brine MP said that new spikes in measles cases in London and the West Midlands because of low uptake of MMR vaccines should be a “massive wake-up call” for the government to take action. “Vaccination is the one of the greatest success stories when it comes to preventing infection. Unless the government tackles challenges around declining rates of childhood immunisations and implements reform on clinical trials, however, the UK’s position as a global leader on vaccination risks being lost,” he said. The Health and Social Care Committee said, “It is unacceptable that there are people who are unable to take advantage of the important protection that vaccination offers because of practical challenges of time and location that can and must be tackled.” Read full story Source: BMJ, 27 July 2023
  24. News Article
    A vaccine that promises to protect infants and the over-75s from a lung infection which adds to pressure on the NHS each winter has been backed by government advisers. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of pneumonia in the very young and elderly. It typically causes between 22,000 and 30,000 hospital admissions of small children a year. RSV’s impact on the elderly is less well understood but important, and experts believe that an effective vaccine could significantly lessen winter pressures on the health service. After 60 years of research, vaccines for older adults from Britain’s GSK and its US rivals Pfizer and Moderna are in the final stages of development. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) believes that they could be licensed this year or early next year and trial data suggest that they work well. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 23 June 2023
  25. News Article
    The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination given in schools – which is helping to virtually eliminate cervical cancer – will move to a single dose from September, it has been announced. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the change in England follows advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and World Health Organisation scientists that a single dose “delivers robust protection” against HPV when compared with the two doses given at present. The HPV vaccine programme is offered to all children in school Year 8, when they are aged 12 to 13. Dr Vanessa Saliba, immunisation consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said: “The HPV vaccination programme is one of the most successful in the world and has dramatically lowered the rates of cervical cancer and harmful infections in both women and men – preventing many cancers and saving lives. “The latest evidence shows that one dose provides protection as robust as two doses. This is excellent news for young people." Read full story Source: The Independent, 20 June 2023
×
×
  • Create New...