Some vaccine news I missed in the past few days…
1) A pertussis outbreak in California has already killed two infants. This event resonates with what happened in Australia a year ago; vaccination rates are low, and the victims are too young to be vaccinated themselves. With herd immunities compromised, the littlest and most defenseless reap the effects. This is not necessarily caused by the antivaxxers, but it’s worth noting.
2) There is apparently a small outbreak of polio in Tajikistan. Vaccinations are critical, but so is sanitation.
3) PBS airs a documentary called “The Vaccine Wars” tonight. It’s about what you think it’s about. Check your local listings.
4) H1N1 is still out there, and still hurting and killing kids.
5) A bunch of kids got pretty sick after vaccinations in Australia. It’s unclear what happened, and officials are investigating it.
6) The good news? At least for Finland, it’s good: 97% of kids there are vaccinated. For everything. Amazing.
Tip o’ the needle to Antti Säämänen, Doug Troy, William Mount, and Greg Stitz.
