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Main » 2010 » January » 25 » News From Annals Of Internal Medicine, January 5, 2010
19:19
News From Annals Of Internal Medicine, January 5, 2010
Expert Panel Releases 2010 Adult Immunization Schedule, Stresses Importance of Vaccination

Each year, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) reviews the recommended Adult Immunization Schedule to ensure that the schedule reflects the most current scientific knowledge of vaccines and vaccine preventable disease. Vaccines have been demonstrated to be among the most effective strategies for preventing illness in individuals as well as for protecting the health of the public. The ACIP recommends several important changes to the adult immunization schedule:
  • HPV - ACIP recommends the bivalent vaccine that protects against the two strains of HPV associated with 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. The ACIP also includes a permissive recommendation for HPV vaccine in men, as the quadrivalent vaccine has been demonstrated to reduce HPV-associated genital warts in this population.

  •  Influenza - APIC added the term "seasonal" to differentiate current recommendations from those for pandemic flu such as H1N1.

  • Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) - clarifications regarding appropriate vaccination age and frequency were added to the footnote.

  •  Hepatitis A - A vaccination is now recommended for unvaccinated persons who will be providing home or day care for an international adoptee.

  • Meningococcal - Footnote clarifications were made regarding vaccination age and frequency.

  • Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) - there is no recommendation for persons older than five years.
According to researchers, the importance of vaccines cannot be overemphasized. A complete summary of the new schedule is available at http://www.annals.org and at the CDC website. The schedule was approved by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American College of Physicians.

Antiretroviral Adherence Associated with Lower Health Care Costs

The advent of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) has significantly reduced morbidity and mortality from HIV/AIDS. Combination therapy usually consists of taking several drugs with different mechanisms of action at the same time. Adherence means taking the drugs exactly as prescribed, which can be challenging with this type of regimen. Research shows that patients who take ART exactly as prescribed do better than those who miss doses. However, it is not known whether good adherence also lowers health care costs. Researchers studied pharmacy data for 6,833 HIV-infected adults enrolled in a special AIDS program in South Africa who started ART between 2000 and 2006. They found that high adherence to ART was associated with lower mean monthly direct health care costs, particularly reduced hospitalization costs. The researchers suggest that timely and practical ART adherence monitoring and interventions are needed for all HIV/AIDS programs, as higher adherence is associated with lower health care costs and better patient outcomes.

Source: Angela Collom
American College of Physicians
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