Influenza vaccine: awareness and barriers to immunization in families of children with chronic medical conditions other than asthma.

Objectives: Children with chronic medical conditions (CMCs) are considered to be at increased risk for influenza and its related complications. Despite this, influenza immunization rates in the United States for children with CMCs in the primary care setting remain between 7-10%. This was a survey study looking at the barriers to influenza immunization among children with CMCs other than asthma.

Increase in invasive pneumococcal disease in children associated with shortage of heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

The authors investigated the impact of heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) shortage on the rate of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). Vaccination status and number of doses delivered was determined. Regression analysis using an exponential decay model was used to predict the expected rate of IPD in the shortage period if IPD continued to decline at the same rate as in the availability period.