The 2018 Recommended Immunization Schedule for Adults Aged 19 or Older from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) includes a couple of key changes especially relevant to urgent care providers who offer immunization services. As of now, among other updates, ACP recommends: Recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV; Shingrix) to prevent shingles in adults as follows: Two doses of RZV 2 to 6 months apart to adults …
Read MoreMumps Cases Among College Students Are Climbing—Probe for Vaccine Status
Summer vacation just started, but it won’t be long before college students are getting ready to head back to campus. With mumps cases continuing to be reported at Harvard University, among other schools, reminders that patients need to ensure they’re up to date on vaccinations should be considered in every patient who comes into your urgent care center. Harvard has seen a resurgence in mumps cases over the past year. In spring 2016, there were …
Read MoreUpdate: Urgent Care Needs to Get the Mumps Message Across
You’ve read here that mumps has been spreading like wildfire in certain states, especially on college campuses and among school-aged children. Instead of winding down, however, outbreaks are actually picking up steam in multiple states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, underscoring the need for urgent care centers to help raise awareness about prevention in their communities. The CDC says cases of mumps has been confirmed in 37 states and the District …
Read MoreMumps Continues to Spread in Four States
Oklahoma is the latest state to report an outbreak of mumps, joining Washington, New York, Arkansas, and Missouri in what’s become the heaviest season for confirmed cases in years. Washington, New York, and Arkansas continue to report new cases in multiple counties, while Missouri’s case load seems to have leveled off, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Not surprisingly, most cases in every state are clustered around school populations, though …
Read MoreCan You Help Stem Nationwide Outbreak of Mumps?
Just weeks ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed there had been more than 2,300 cases of mumps confirmed around the country—more than twice the number that occurred in all of 2015. Today there are over 2,000 under investigation in Arkansas alone, with several other states still reporting higher-than-average outbreaks. Urgent care clinicians in college towns should be aware that campuses in affected areas have been especially hard hit. The University of Missouri …
Read MoreChild with Lymphedema of the Neck and Parotid Glands
This image was taken of a 3-year-old boy who presented with history of 3 days of fever and headache and 1 day of diffuse lymphedema of his neck and parotid glands. The area surrounding each parotid gland was tender to palpation. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be.
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