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. Read more about New Blog Layout and Web AddressThe 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 ..read more

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. Read more about Farm Animals and Pets Also Need VaccinesUnless 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. A ..read more

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. Read more about The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Expands Recommendations on HPV Vaccine, Leaves Some Decisions Up to Patients and Their Provi ..read more

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? Read more about With More Deaths in a Younger Population, Measles Is Affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo Worse Than EbolaAccording to Doctors Without Borders, there have been over 1,500 deaths from measles in the Democratic Republic of Cong ..read more

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. Read more about Where People Go, Diseases FollowWherever 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 condi ..read more

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. Read more about Student Documentary on Polio Add new commentThe 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 ..read more

Celebrities Have Influence on Vaccination Rene F. Najera Sun, 2019-06-16 18:15 Read more about Celebrities Have Influence on VaccinationWhen 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 ..read more

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. Read more about Chickenpox Vaccine and Shingles RiskWhen 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 fi ..read more

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. Read more about Measles Cases Top 1,000 in the First 5 Months of 2019Look at this hexagonal map ..read more

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. Read more about More Evidence That Vaccine Policy Is PoliticalGovernor Gavin Newsom of California has expressed some concerns over a recent bill before the California State Legis ..read more