I was made aware of this great flu infographic at OnlineEducation.net and I am happy to share this with all of my readers. Really helpful and informative. We need more of these, preferably for each vaccine-preventable disease. Kudos to the nice folks who created this and allowed us to share it with all of you.
13 infants have died of whooping cough in the UK between January 1st and October 31st, 2012, preliminary data from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) shows, nearly doubling the number of fatalities from all of 2011. No deaths have been recorded in November, although an additional 1,080 confirmed cases of infections were recorded bringing the total number of laboratory confirmed cases in the UK and Wales to 8,819 for the calendar year 2012 (through November). The real incidence number is very likely to be higher, especially keeping in mind that data for December is not yet available. The number of fatalities is worrying ———->FULL ARTICLE
So far in 2012, whooping cough has killed 23 children under 5 years of age in Bogota, Colombia, nearly doubling the number of fatalities from last year ( 14 victims ), it is being reported. The majority of the victims has been in children under 1 year of age, highlighting the danger this disease poses to infants. Pertussis has been making a sort of resurgence worldwide lately, with higher than normal incidence being reported in many countries, which is a worrying development. The causes of the increase are still unclear; partly, the new, acellular vaccine DTaP seems to provide shorter span protection ———->FULL ARTICLE
Powerful testimonial; we are so happy this story had a happy ending.
Tragic news reach us from Yemen: at least 126 children have died from measles since mid-2011 due to a breakdown in basic health services as a consequence of political troubles. The Yemeni government has asked for international assistance with a vaccination campaign that will begin in the hardest-hit regions in early March. The latest numbers (February 2012) show a total of 3,767 confirmed cases resulting in 126 deaths, since mid-2011, for a death rate of 1 in 30 infected. 70% of infections, and all of the 126 deaths, were in children under 5 years of age, an age-group group that is ———->FULL ARTICLE
A whooping cough outbreak in British Columbia, Canada has sickened more than 140 people since December, prompting Canadian Health authorities to issue a warning. Hotspots include the Fraser Valley, Hope, Chilliwack and Agassiz areas. If you are traveling to the area make sure you have received your booster shot, and especially if traveling with children make sure they are up-to-date with their DTaP vaccine. Pertussis can be particularly dangerous if caught by a young child, especially a baby who hasn’t had a chance to be vaccinated yet. Related articles Whooping cough spreading in B.C.’s Fraser Valley (cbc.ca) Spread of whooping cough in Fraser ———->FULL ARTICLE
Meningitis doesn’t play around, it maims, debilitates and kills very fast. In just 3 days in February a meningitis outbreak in the Ivory Coast has killed 11 people, as reported by Examiner.com. A vaccine costs about $5 which is too much for many families to afford, thus forcing them to skip it. This tragedy highlights the importance of the work of organizations such as GAVI and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation who work at making vaccines available to poor people in developing countries. According to Examiner.com: “The symptoms of bacterial meningitis are sudden, with fever, stiff neck, body aches ———->FULL ARTICLE
READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT DIGITALJOURNAL Early this year, 13 diagnosed cases of whooping cough were in Smithtown, New York. As the year progressed, that number would increase drastically to 216 cases throughout the entire Suffolk County. This is the highest number of whooping cough cases reported in the area since 1999. Also called pertussis, whooping cough is highly contagious and can cause serious illness in infants who are too young to be vaccinated with the five required shots. Families with newborns should have teenagers and adults vaccinated also. For Infants and Children: In the US, the recommended pertussis vaccine ———->FULL ARTICLE