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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19), was first detected in China in December 2019 (2,2). Within 1 month, COVID-19 cases were reported [...]

Zika virus is a flavivirus closely related to dengue, West Nile, Japanese encephalitis, and yellow fever viruses (1,2). Diagnostic testing for Zika virus infection is conducted using both molecular and [...]

In the United States, incidence of pertussis is greatest among infants, children 7-10 years of age, and adolescents (1). During 2000-2012, reported pertussis cases increased >6-fold from 7,867 cases to [...]

Diagnosis of Zika virus infection is accomplished by testing for viral RNA or IgM and neutralizing antibodies (1). A cohort study of 62 confirmed Zika virus cases from the 2016 [...]

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis and is the most frequently reported bacterial vaccine-preventable disease in the United States (1). Vaccination against pertussis began in [...]

A study aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of Anthrax adsorbed vaccine (AVA). The results indicate that intra-muscular administration of AVA significantly reduced the occurrence of injection site adverse effects.

OBJECTIVE. Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important cause of otitis media in children. In this study we estimated the effect of routine childhood immunization with heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on frequent otitis media (3 episodes in 6 months or 4 episodes in 1 year) and pressure-equalizing tube insertions. PATIENTS AND METHODS. The study population included all children who were enrolled at birth in TennCare or selected upstate New York commercial insurance plans as of July 1998 and continuously followed until 5 years old, loss of health plan enrollment, study outcome, or end of the study. We compared the risk of developing frequent otitis media or having pressure-equalizing tube insertion for 4 birth cohorts (1998-1999, 1999-2000, 2000-2001, and 2001-2002) by using Cox regression analysis. We used data from the National Immunization Survey to estimate the heptavalent pneumococca] conjugate vaccine uptake for children in these 4 birth cohorts in Tennessee and New York. RESULTS. The proportion of children in Tennessee and New York who received at least 3 doses of heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine by 2 years of age increased from [less than or equal to] 1% for the 1998-1999 birth cohort to ~75% for the 2000-2001 birth cohort. By age 2 years, 29% of Tennessee and New York children born in 2000-2001 had developed frequent otitis media, and 6% of each of these birth cohorts had pressure-equalizing tubes inserted. Comparing the 2000-2001 birth cohort to the 1998-1999 birth cohort, frequent otitis media declined by 17 % and 28%, and pressure-equalizing tube insertions declined by 16% and 23% for Tennessee and New York children, respectively. For the 2000-2001 to the 2001-2002 birth cohort, frequent otitis media and pressure-equalizing tubes remained stable in New York but increased in Tennessee. CONCLUSIONS. After heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction, children were less likely to develop frequent otitis media or have pressure-equalizing tube insertions. Key Words otitis media, pressure-equalizing tubes, middle ear ventilation tubes, tympanostomy tubes, epidemiology, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important cause of otitis media, a common childhood illness that has resulted in an estimated $5.3 billion annually in direct medical costs across the United States. [...]

BACKGROUND. Since introduction of the heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in the United States in 2000, rates of invasive pneumococcal disease have declined. However, the national impact of heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on pneumonia and otitis media remains unknown. OBJECTIVES. We compared national rates of outpatient visits for pneumonia and otitis media in children before and after heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction. METHODS. Rates of ambulatory visits for pneumococcal and nonspecific pneumonia, otitis media, and other acute respiratory infections were compared before (1994-1999) and after (2002-2003) heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction using the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. To evaluate vaccine effects while accounting for temporal variability, ratios of pneumococcal-related disease rates in children RESULTS. After the introduction of heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, otitis media visit rates declined by 20% in children aged CONCLUSIONS. After heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction, national rates of otitis media visits declined significantly in children Key Words pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, otitis media, pneumonia Abbreviations PCV7--heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine NAMCS--National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey NHAMCS--National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey CD-9-CM--International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification, Ninth Revision ARI--acute respiratory infection RR--rate ratio CI--confidence interval, Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important cause of pneumonia and otitis media in children in the United States. (1-6) Although the precise incidence of pneumococcal pneumonia is difficult to ascertain, because [...]

Aggression, but not dominance, is typically used as a criterion for the assessment of Type A behavior. this study proposed and demonstrated that nonaggressive dominance, defined as interpersonal resistance or persistence in efforts to control a competitive situation, is associated with Type A behavior for both males and females. Forty males and 35 females typed with the Jenkins Activity Survey participated in a revised version of the classic Deutsch and Krauss (1960) competition paradigm. Both A males and females were more dominant than their respective Type B counterparts. Type A males were not different from Type A females in persistence, nor were Type B males different from Type B females. Female Type A's were more resistant to their competitor's efforts at controlling the situation than were their Type B counterparts. Male Type A's did not differ from their Type B counterparts in resistance. The implications of these results in further elucidating the mechanisms underlying the relationship between Type A and pathophysiologic health hazards are discussed.