Current Drug Safety - Volume 10, Issue 1, 2015

It has been a long journey starting from the beginnings of variolation [3] leading up to the greatest success in the history of immunization: the eradication of smallpox [39]. Today, vaccines are an acknowledged important medical advance [40]. Nevertheless, immunization has been the subject of public controversy on several occasions [15, 24, 31]. This article shall provide a short overview of some aspects of the early st Read More

Highly publicised vaccine scares and recent debates about the risks suggest that public trust in immunisation programmes is fragile. For instance, the recent outbreak of Measles in Wales was the direct result of almost fifteen years of distrust for the MMR vaccine in the UK. This article shows how the latest science on risk communication will help critical actors, especially policy-makers, to build trust when they communicate ris Read More

In times of declining immunization rates among children in many countries and an increasing threat of potentially vaccine-preventable diseases, there is a strong need for new strategies to improve trust in vaccinations and acceptance of recommendations, especially in parents of infants and children. A survey to evaluate vaccination acceptance has been conducted in Vienna, Austria, based on a US CDC survey, applying a cro Read More

Not only the general public, but also those studying to become health professionals, are struggling to keep up with a growing body of evidence and increasingly complex information about the many different types of vaccines available to date. At the same time, a number of increasingly complex subjects of study are competing for their attention during undergraduate and graduate education. In many medical school curricula in G Read More

When reporting adverse events following immunisation, information about which vaccine was given, how it was administered, and if it was administered within the expiry date is often incomplete. To improve immunisation practice, a standardised uniform procedure is needed. Examples are given, where immunisations were given beyond the expiry date or were wrongly administered. These examples include proposals to Read More

The highly complex and controversial topic of vaccine safety communication warrants innovative, user-centered solutions that would start with gaining mutual respect while taking into account the needs, concerns and underlying motives of patients, parents and physicians. To this end, a non-profit collaborative project was conducted by The Vienna Vaccine Safety Initiative, an international think tank aiming to promote va Read More

Any ambiguity in texts used in the communication about vaccines can not only interfere with comprehension, but also generate safety and liability issues. Within a survey on the quality of written protocols for at-risk interventional procedures and sanitary crises, we analyzed documents relating to vaccination, and among them, the “package-leaflet” of an anti-H1N1 influenza vaccine, widely disseminated to the public in 2009-201 Read More

The risk of severe disease outcomes and complications of infectious diseases remains markedly increased in children and adolescents with chronic conditions. Specialized pediatric healthcare aims to improve quality of life in this high-risk group. One of the most important measures to achieve this goal is to improve immunization rates in this vulnerable population. This article aims to provide insight into models for the integratio Read More

Vaccines are the best defense available against infectious diseases. Vaccine safety is of major focus for regulatory bodies, vaccine manufacturers, public health authorities, health care providers and the public as vaccines are often given to healthy children and adults as well as to pregnant woman. Safety assessment is critical at all stages of vaccine development. Effective, clear and consistent communication of the risks an Read More

Only few health intervention programs have been as successful as vaccination programs with respect to preventing morbidity and mortality in developing countries. However, the success of a vaccination program is threatened by rumors and misunderstanding about the risks of vaccines. It is short-sighted to plan the introduction of vaccines into developing countries unless effective vaccine safety monitoring systems are in p Read More

Vaccines are effective in preventing infectious diseases and their complications, hence reducing morbidity and infectious disease mortaity. Successful immunization programs, however, depend on high vaccine acceptance and coverage rates. In recent years there has been an increased level of public concern towards real or perceived adverse events associated with immunizations, leading to many people in high- as well Read More

Vaccination has been shown to be the most successful measure in preventing millions of mortalities and morbidities related to infectious diseases. Higher rates of vaccination lead to a greater number of protected individuals in the community. While vaccine safety is a primary concern, misinformation accessed through various communication channels can lead to misconceptions about vaccination that are often hard to Read More

Vaccines are among the most effective measures to control and prevent infectious diseases. Yet, the topic of vaccination is difficult to communicate, as it bears upon individual versus common good. The efficacy and safety of vaccines can only be shown by the absence of undesired events, such as vaccine-preventable diseases or adverse events following immunization. The authors of this paper view accurate, transp Read More

Modern health protection generally affords vaccination against infectious diseases along with other environmental health threats. However, with the increase both in development of new vaccines and in making more and more vaccines available to the general public comes an increase in health scares, mainly in the media. In the wake of health scares, we often find government and health organizations launching campaig Read More

We report a case of isoniazid induced convulsions in 35 years old male alcoholic and smoker patient receiving intensive phase therapy for pulmonary tuberculosis. A case was confirmed by accidental positive de-challenge and rechallenge as well as ruled out other conditions. Use of isoniazid in alcoholic and smoker patient required a caution for prevention of neurological adverse reactions. Pyridoxine should always b Read More