The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t found an increased risk of stroke for seniors who’ve received Pfizer’s omicron booster shot, a federal health official said Thursday.

The FDA launched an extensive review of federal data after investigators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detected a possible risk of stroke for seniors who received Pfizer’s booster.

The CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink, which monitors serious reactions to vaccines, showed a possible risk of stroke in late November. The FDA independently looked at data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and its Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.

Rad more at CNBC.

Classmates often stop Alma Gallegos as she makes her way down the bustling hallways of Theodore Roosevelt High School in southeast Fresno, California. The 17-year-old senior is frequently asked by fellow students about COVID-19 testing, vaccine safety and the value of booster shots.

Alma earned her reputation as a trusted source of information through her internship as a junior community health worker. She was among 35 Fresno County students recently trained to discuss how COVID vaccines help prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death, and to encourage relatives, peers and community members to stay up to date on their shots, including boosters.

When Alma’s internship drew to a close in October, she and seven teammates assessed their work in a capstone project. The students took pride in being able to share facts about COVID vaccines. Separately, Alma persuaded her family to get vaccinated. She said her relatives, who primarily had received COVID information from Spanish-language news, didn’t believe the risks until a close family friend died.

Read more at U.S. News.

A mountain of data says they are safe and effective.

Two doses of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine among school-aged children safely and effectively reduces COVID-19 infection risk as well as associated risks for developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome and COVID-19 related hospitalizations, new data suggests.

This study adds evidence to existing studies and “supports the safety and efficacy of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 5-11 years,” authors Dr. Jun Yasuhara of the Center for Cardiovascular Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Dr. Toshiki Kuno of the Division of Cardiology at Montefiore Medical Center told ABC News.

Read more at ABC.

Cancer rates have fallen by as much as 33% in the U.S. over the last three decades, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society. 

The report credited the decline in cancer cases to improvements in cancer treatment, early detection strategies and a drop-off in smoking. It highlighted one measure in particular that has been hugely effective in combating cervical cancer, especially—namely, the human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccine. 

It’s been long-known that HPV, which is the most common sexually transmitted infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can cause a range of cancers. Since becoming available in 2007, the HPV vaccine has been shown to provide almost 100% protection against several high-risk strains of HPV. Specifically, the report noted that cervical cancer is down about 65% in women in their 20s from 2012 to 2019—a testament to the efficacy of the HPV vaccine.

Read more at Northeastern Global News.

I keep getting into debates with people about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. I’m not talking about anti-vaxxers (though I’ve encountered plenty of them), but level-headed, rational people who genuinely have doubts.

Usually their doubts about vaccines come from dubious sources, but there’s so much misinformation out there, often coming from people with the letters M.D. or Ph.D. after their names, that I can understand why it’s confusing.

So let me engage in what is sometimes called “both-sides-ism” (a disparaging term, of course) and consider, briefly, the pluses and minuses of vaccines. While I’m at it, I’ll include some points specific to the Covid-19 vaccines.

Read more at Forbes.

A case of measles has been confirmed in Kentucky, according to state, although the specific location is unknown.

In a release from the Louisville Department of Public Health and Wellness, the case is connected to an outbreak in Columbus, Ohio, where 85 children got sick. The outbreak in Columbus started in October.  

Currently, there are no confirmed cases in Jefferson County. 

Measles can be very dangerous to babies and children. Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose or red and watery eyes. Children can also suffer complications from measles including pneumonia and encephalitis. 

Read more at WDRB.

The global network led by the Oxford Maternal and Perinatal Health Institute (OMPHI) at the University of Oxford has today published, in the Lancet, the results of the ‘2022 INTERCOVID Study’ conducted in 41 hospitals across 18 countries.

To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 Omicron variant on maternal and neonatal outcomes the researchers studied 1,545 pregnant women diagnosed with the variant and 3,073 non-diagnosed, concomitant pregnant women as controls. The study was conducted between 27 November, 2021, and 30 June, 2022, during which time Omicron was the variant of concern. Vaccine effectiveness against the variant was also assessed.

Read more at News Medical.

The Covid vaccine is here to stay after a development process that broke the record books at both Moderna and Pfizer, but a new golden age ofvaccines may only be at its beginning.

Both companies have released results from RSV vaccine trials with efficacy results strong enough to expect expedited approval from the FDA. The latest was Moderna, which on Tuesday night share results from its RSV vaccine trial of over 37,000 individuals in 22 countries, effective at preventing lower respiratory tract disease.

Pfizer, whose RSV vaccine is focused on pregnant women able to transfer the antibodies to the fetus and offer protection for the first six months of life, previously released efficacy results of approximately 82% for the first 90 days of a child’s life.

Read more at CNBC.

Vaccine rates for measles, polio, diphtheria and other diseases are decreasing among US children, according to a new study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The rate of immunizations for required vaccines among kindergarten students declined from 95% to approximately 94% during the 2020-21 school year. It dropped further — to 93% — in the 2021-22 school year.

That’s still a high number, so why is this drop in immunization significant? What accounts for the decline? What might be the consequences if these numbers drop further? If parents are unsure about vaccinating their kids, what should they do? And what can be done on a policy level to increase immunization numbers?

Read more at CNN.

Effective now, parents of elementary school-aged children can expect a text message from the Colorado health department if their kids are due for COVID vaccine.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) announced Friday it would be texting and emailing parents of kids 5-11 years old.

“While children are at a lower risk of severe COVID-19, they can still get sick and have serious and long-lasting symptoms,” CDPHE said in news release. “The COVID-19 vaccine is the protection against severe infection and can help children stay healthy while protecting their loved ones and communities. COVID-19 vaccines are free. Parents and guardians are entitled to paid time off from work while they take their children to get vaccinated.

Read more at KKTV.