Drug Topics - October 27, 2008 - (Page 4) 4 DRUG TOPICS OCTOBER 27, 2008 www.drugtopics.com Of Interest to Pharmacists Pharmacists to play larger role in pediatric immunization Fred Gebhart ecent updates to pediatric immunization recommendations will boost business in pharmacies, physician offices, and other immunization sites. The most important changes include universal vaccinations against rotavirus for infants between 2 and 6 months of age and annual influenza vaccination for everyone between the ages of 6 months and 18 years. “Vaccination in pharmacies is going to become much more important in coming years,” Doug Campos-Outcalt, associate Doug Camposhead of the Phoenix campus of University Outcalt, University of Arizona of Arizona College of Medicine, told Drug Topics in San Diego during the recent annual Scientific Assembly of the American Academy of Family Physicians. “More pharmacies are giving immunizations almost every month. It’s really going to take off as minute clinics become more common.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issues national guidelines for immunizations. Campos-Outcalt is the AAFP liaison to CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which writes and updates CDC immunization schedules for infants, children, adolescents, and adults. The use of vaccination has increased dramatically in recent years. Campos-Outcalt said when he was a resi- R dent in the 1980s, the only common immunizations were diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DTP), oral polio, and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). “We didn’t have a lot of controversies about vaccines or vaccination and not a lot to remember,” he said. “That has all changed.” The growing number of vaccines, immunization schedules, and catch-up schedules are impossible to remember, Campos-Outcalt said. He recommended frequent visits to the CDC vaccine website, www. CDC.gov/vaccines. One of the most important changes for 2008–2009 is the extended recommendation for annual influenza vaccination. Earlier schedules called for universal vaccination between the ages of 6 months and 6 years. Starting this year, the pediatric recommendation was expanded from 6-months to 18-years old. The new recommendation was published after most pharmacies and other immunization sites had already ordered influenza vaccine for the current season, Campos-Outcalt said. The CDC is allowing an additional year, until the 2009–2010 flu season, for implementation of the new schedule. “Within a very few years, influenza is going to be a universal vaccine,” he predicted. “We are moving away from age and risk factors in vaccination. When you look at the evidence, we have never stopped a disease by vaccinating only selected populations.” The other major change this year is universal pediatric vaccination against rotavirus. The current rotavirus vaccine (RotaTeq, a live, oral, pentavalent vaccine from Merck) is given at 2, 4, and 6 months old. The CDC is crediting the new vaccine with a marked delay in rotavirus activity in the current season as well as less extreme disease, compared to previous years. Photo: CDC/Judy Schmidt/James Gathany http://www.drugtopics.com http://www.CDC.gov/vaccines http://www.CDC.gov/vaccines
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Drug Topics - October 27, 2008 Drug Topics - October 27, 2008 Contents Significant Tax Savings For Capital Investments by Year-End Pharmacists to Play Larger Role in Pediatric Immunization Drug Topics - October 27, 2008 Drug Topics - October 27, 2008 - Contents (Page 1) Drug Topics - October 27, 2008 - Contents (Page 2) Drug Topics - October 27, 2008 - Significant Tax Savings For Capital Investments by Year-End (Page 3) Drug Topics - October 27, 2008 - Pharmacists to Play Larger Role in Pediatric Immunization (Page 4) Drug Topics - October 27, 2008 - Pharmacists to Play Larger Role in Pediatric Immunization (Page 5)
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.