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With Sanofi now tasked with negotiating approval of Tamiflu to be sold over-the-counter, and with the 2019–2020 influenza season off to an early start, urgent care providers need to put on their health educator hats to both ensure patient safety and protect profitability during one of the busiest times of the year. It’s likely patients will think they have fewer worries than ever about the flu, but nothing could be further from the truth. First …

While most Americans may not consider the 2019–2020 flu season even underway yet, federal health officials are warning that the first death of the season—a 4-year-old California child—could be a warning sign of just how bad it’s going to get. The child, who did have underlying health problems, tested positive for influenza earlier this month. That case may indicate this flu season will be picking up steam fast—a notion supported by the just-concluded Australian flu …

Measles and chicken pox, soon to be joined once again by influenza, seem to get all the headlines but right now there’s a less talked-about infectious organism wreaking havoc literally from coast-to-coast. As we speak, nearly 1,700 new cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in 33 states since May 1. Worse, the pace of the outbreak is picking up steam as the weeks fly by. As recently as July 23, there were “only” 580 cases …

It may seem like we just finished the last flu season, but the statistical reality is that the next one is upon us. That means it’s time for you to start beating the vaccination drum again. You can expect the same misinformed objections from patients—the vaccine doesn’t work or can actually give you the flu; vaccines cause autism in children; the flu is no worse than a bad cold…. That last one may be the …

It likely wasn’t by design, but Prevention magazine just ran an article that could drive countless patients into their nearest urgent care centers in search of vaccines they might have missed getting. The article certainly is blunt about the possible consequences of not getting those vaccines, telling readers that “Vaccines save lives, and not just young ones.” With the guidance of consulting physicians, Prevention lists vaccines for influenza, tetanus, shingles, human papillomavirus (HPV), and varicella …

Cases of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) have not matched recent outbreaks of influenza and measles in numbers or potential for fatalities, but may be more confounding for physicians and public health officials for one simple reason: While we understand flu and measles and have a bead on why more cases are occurring, AFM continues to be somewhat of a mystery. With the peak season (late summer into early autumn) for new cases of AFM approaching, …

The recently concluded meeting of the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) resulted in a few major developments on the vaccine front: Serogroup B Meningococcal (MenB) Vaccine ACIP has recommended MenB vaccine boosters in the past for patients between 16 and 23 years of age. However, recent outbreaks prompted discussion of whether that was adequate; ultimately, the committee decided it is not and now says children 10-years-old and up should receive …

In a flu season that has been classified as the worst in decades, influenza vaccinations prevented anywhere from 40,000 to 90,000 hospitalizations according to data just released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The effectiveness data are less straightforward; the 2018–2019 vaccine was 29% effective overall. That figure is deceptively low, however, in that the CDC says this year’s vaccine offered “no significant protection” against H3N2 influenza, but lowered the risk of H1N1 …

Warmer weather means a lot of things in the United States—putting away the heavy coats, longer daylight hours, more time outside—but not necessarily the end of flu season, especially this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just issued a new warning that even though the H1N1 strain of influenza that has dominated the 2018–2019 season is on the wane, there’s been a recent uptick in cases of the stronger H3N2 strain. During the …