Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Female Adolescents Aged 14 to 19 in the United States

Published online November 23, 2009
PEDIATRICS (doi:10.1542/peds.2009-0674)

Results Prevalence of any of the 5 STIs was 24.1% among all and 37.7% among sexually experienced female adolescents. HPV (23 high-risk types or type 6 or 11) was the most common STI among all female adolescents (prevalence: 18.3%), followed by C trachomatis infection (prevalence: 3.9%). Prevalence of any of the STIs was 25.6% among those whose age was the same or 1 year greater than their age at sexual initiation and 19.7% among those who reported only 1 lifetime sex partner.

Conclusions The prevalence of STIs among female adolescents is substantial, and STIs begin to be acquired soon after sexual initiation and with few sex partners. These findings support early and comprehensive sex education, routine HPV vaccination at the age of 11 to 12 years, and C trachomatis screening of sexually active female adolescents.

See Article here.

Vaccines on horizon for AIDS, Alzheimer's, herpes

'Golden era' could bring vaccines against AIDS, Alzheimer's and addictions within 5 years

By Linda A. Johnson, AP Business Writer
On 3:50 pm EST, Tuesday November 17, 2009

MARIETTA, Pa. (AP) -- Malaria. Tuberculosis. Alzheimer's disease. AIDS. Pandemic flu. Genital herpes. Urinary tract infections. Grass allergies. Traveler's diarrhea. You name it, the pharmaceutical industry is working on a vaccine to prevent it.


AP - ADVANCE FOR WEDNESDAY NOV 18; graphic shows market share for leading vaccine manufacturers ...

Many could be on the market in five years or less.

Read more about these exciting developments.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Passport Health's FLU Information Page

See our information and resources and get up to date information on the seasonal and H1N1 FLU.

See our FLU page here:

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Hep. A In Australia

Hepatitis A – Semi-dried Tomatoes Australia Update (Victoria)

As reported on the 13th of October last month, The Department of Health and Human Services had received 12 notifications for Hepatitis A in one week in Victoria from persons who reported to have eaten semi-dried tomatoes.

There are now renewed warnings following a further 23 cases of Hepatitis A reported this week, linked to semi-dried tomatoes. So far in 2009 there have been 200 cases reported in Victoria compared to 74 during the same period last year.

As the incubation period of Hepatitis A can be as long as 2 months, it is difficult to find out where that these persons have eaten the product. Victoria's
chief health officer Dr John Carnie said that they are working closely “with the manufacturers and suppliers of semi-dried tomatoes to try and identify the
source.”

Full article here:

Friday, November 13, 2009

H1N1 6-Month Toll 22 Million, CDC Estimates

By Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today
Published: November 12, 2009

In the first six months of the H1N1 flu pandemic, 22 million Americans fell ill from the virus, the CDC now estimates.

Of those, about 98,000 needed inpatient care, and 3,900 died, according to Anne Schuchat, MD, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

The estimates are higher than initial counts, which included only laboratory-confirmed cases, Schuchat told reporters in a news conference.

"For influenza it's virtually impossible to find every case with a lab test," she said. "These estimates give a bigger picture of what's going on.".....

The agency also broke its estimates down by age group and found that most cases occurred in those under 65:

•For children under 18, there were an estimated eight million illnesses, 36,000 hospital stays, and 540 deaths.
•For adults from 18 through 64, there were 12 million cases, 53,000 hospital stays, and 2,900 deaths.
•For those 65 and older, there were 2 million cases, 9,000 hospital stays, and 440 deaths.

See the full article here:

Thursday, November 12, 2009

A Week With Sea Lions

Check out the travel blog one of our patients shared with us. He had a very exciting and itneresting trip to the Galapagos Islands and shares his thoughts and some great pictures.

A Week with the Sea Lions

The FDA will likely squash the drug industry's social life on the Web.

The Food and Drug Administration is clamping down on the drug industry's use of social media to promote its products.

What do you think?

See the full Forbes article at:

Pharma's Future In Social Media
Laurie Burkitt, 11.11.09, 08:08 PM EST
The FDA will likely squash the drug industry's social life on the Web.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Do you have questions about the FLU mist vaccine?

Who should not be vaccinated with the nasal-spray flu vaccine LAIV (FluMist®)?
•People less than 2 years of age
•People 50 years of age and over
•People with a medical condition that places them at high risk for complications from influenza, including those with chronic heart or lung disease, such as asthma or reactive airways disease; people with medical conditions such as diabetes or kidney failure; or people with illnesses that weaken the immune system, or who take medications that can weaken the immune system.
•Children <5 years old with a history of recurrent wheezing
•Children or adolescents receiving aspirin
•People with a history of Guillain–BarrĂ© Syndrome that occurred after receiving influenza vaccine
•Pregnant women
•People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs or who are allergic to any of the nasal spray vaccine components.

Learn these and other important facts about FLU Mist at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/nasalspray.htm

Views of H1N1 epedemic, New Poll

A new poll shows that a growing number of Americans are concerned about H1N1 (or swine) flu.

http://www.the33tv.com/news/20091103_health_poll_gx,0,7013363.graphic

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Estimates of the Prevalence of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009, United States

Questions and Answers: EID article ", April-July 2009"

Summary
Through July 2009, a total of 43,677 laboratory-confirmed cases of 2009 H1N1 were reported in the United States, which is likely a substantial underestimate of the true number. Correcting for under-ascertainment using a multiplier model, researchers in this study estimate there may have been between 1.8 million and 5.7 million cases during this time period, including 9,000-21,000 hospitalizations. This article is available online at Emerging Infectious Diseases online.

Learn more: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/eid_qa.htm<

FLU Information for Travelers

•Know when you should avoid travel. If you are sick with symptoms of influenza-like illness, you should not travel.


•Be prepared for health screenings at airports. Airport staff in some countries may check the health of arriving passengers.


•You can prepare for travel by educating yourself about the outbreak situation and screening procedures in your destination country or countries.


•Know what to do during and after your trip. During your trip, follow local guidelines and practice healthy habits.

For more detail see: http://www.flu.gov/individualfamily/travelers/index.html

Sunday, November 1, 2009