A recent polio outbreak in Tajikistan shows how precarious control of the disease can be when immunization rates fall below the World Health Organization target level of 90 percent. The polio immunization rate in Tajikistan is 87 percent. This is the first persistent polio outbreak in a certified polio-free country, with more than 560 cases of flaccid paralysis reported.

A polio outbreak in Tajikistan could spread to other regions if health agencies do not move to boost vaccination rates.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has learned that DNA from porcine circovirus type 1 (PCV1), a virus not known to cause disease in humans, is present in the Rotarix vaccine. All available evidence indicates that there has been no increased risk to patients who have received this vaccine. PCV1 is not known to cause any disease in animals or humans; therefore, it has not been routinely tested for in vaccine development. Rotarix has been extensively studied, before and after approval, and found to have an excellent safety record (i.e., no unusual adverse events). However, FDA is recommending that healthcare practitioners temporarily suspend usage of the Rotarix vaccine for rotavirus immunization in the United States while the agency learns more about the detection of components of the virus found in the vaccine.

(from ABC news) It was the scientific paper that served as a central pillar for the idea that vaccination could increase children's risk of developing autism. The Lancet has retratced the controversial Autism Paper, and Pediatrician Alanna Levine discusses which vaccines your child should get and when.Click below for article and video.
 

MAINTAIN is a patients assistance program that can help eligible people in financial need continue to get their Pfizer medicines if they are unemployed and do not have prescription coverage. The MAINTAIN program has been extended through December 2010.

"The Department of Health and Senior Services, in consultation with the Public Health Council, is proposing to readopt the administrative rules at N.J.A.C. 8:51, Childhood Lead Poisoning, with amendments, new rules, and repeals. The notice of proposal appears in the December 21, 2009 issue of the New Jersey Register."

Governor Corzine today announced more than $3 million in financial assistance awarded by the Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund Commission (CICRFC) to help families dealing with their children's extraordinary medical expenses.  “This assistance ensures that families can focus on the important needs of their children without worrying about their ability to pay for necessary medical care"

McNeil Consumer Healthcare and FDA notified consumers of a nationwide recall of certain Tylenol products as a precautionary measure because of potential manufacturing problems. The company initiated a recall of certain oral suspension products distributed between March 2008 and May 2008 due to the potential of bacteria in raw materials used to manufacture the finished product. There are no illnesses reported by patients using this product. McNeil is advising parents and caregivers who have administered affected product to their child or infant and have concerns to contact their healthcare providers. Parents and caregivers can find the lot numbers on the bottom of the box containing the product and also on the sticker that surrounds the product bottle.