The Booster Bulletin: Your Weekly Dose of Immunization News

We’re committed to sharing news and information from local and national media about COVID-19, available vaccines, and immunization-related topics. Each week we’ll continue to review clips from across the U.S., from various news outlets and platforms, and bring you ten timely and relevant links. 

In honor of International HPV Awareness Day, we’d like to start this week’s bulletin with some information about the Human Papillomavirus from cancerworld.net

“HPV currently causes about 5% of all cancers worldwide, resulting in almost half a million deaths a year. In Europe, the proportion is lower – HPV causes around 2.5% of cancers – but that’s still some 87,000 cases annually. Cervical cancer is the best-known cancer caused by HPV but it also causes vaginal, vulval, anal, penile, head and neck cancers. Up to 30% of HPV cancer cases are in men.  Almost all of these cancers can be prevented through vaccination, ideally given to all boys and girls in adolescence. The vaccines are typically given to 11-13 years olds as this age-group is unlikely to have been exposed to HPV, which is a sexually transmitted infection.”

“Scientific Leaders Signal Major Breakthroughs in Elimination of Cervical and Anal Cancers” PR Newswire (March 3, 2022) – “To mark International HPV Awareness Day March 4th 2022, the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS) has warmly welcomed two major advances in the elimination of cervical and anal cancers. HPV (human papillomavirus) is associated with 630,000 cancer diagnoses around the world. Almost all cases of cervical and anal cancers are caused by HPV. These cancers lead to 470,000 deaths, over 300,000 of which are due to cervical cancer.  Current tools for the prevention of HPV-related cancers are: vaccination for girls and boys; cervical screening and the treatment of cervical pre-cancers in women.”

For additional information about HPV and how to reduce your risk of HPV related cancers, please visit Ask About HPV and help to make HPV #onelessworry for future generations. To find a vaccine provider, please visit Immunize Nevada’s Find a Vaccine Provider page.

Pivoting now to Women’s History Month, Immunize Nevada would like to start our month-long spotlight series by introducing you to women in vaccine history with an article from Gavi, “The women who made modern vaccines work”, featuring inspiring women from Lady Mary Wortley Montague and her efforts with smallpox inoculation in the 18^th century, to Drs Pearl Kendrick and Grace Eldering and their initially self-tested pertussis vaccine.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program…

“Women’s History Month: Sandra Lindsay, 1st in Us to Get Vaccine, Helps Native Jamaica Fight COVID” ABC New York (March 3, 2022) – “March is Women's History Month, a time to honor the generations of women who have helped build this country and shape our lives. Northwell Health critical care nurse Sandra Lindsay made history when she was the first person in the United States to get the COVID-19 vaccine on December of 2020.”

“As Rates Lag Due to Pandemic, Essentia Health Urges Childhood Immunizations” The Pilot-Independent (Walker, MN) (March 3, 2022) – “Essentia Health pediatricians are encouraging parents to seek recommended vaccines for their children as childhood immunization rates have dropped precipitously during the COVID-19 pandemic. A significant number of youngsters have fallen behind schedule and aren’t receiving sufficient protection against preventable diseases such as influenza and measles. Many people have opted to avoid hospitals and clinics the past two years, leading to a decline in preventive care. That includes well-child visits during which routine vaccinations are administered…”

“Booster restores vaccine protection lost against omicron, U.K. study finds” NBC (March 2, 2022) – “Two doses of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna Covid-19 vaccines provide minimal protection against symptomatic illness caused by the omicron variant of the coronavirus, but a booster shot was able to restore protection, new research finds. The study, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that the Pfizer vaccine’s effectiveness against symptomatic disease plummeted to about 8 percent from about 65 percent six months after the second dose of a primary vaccination series.”

“Pfizer Shots Protect Kids from Severe COVID Even in Omicron” Modern Healthcare (March 1, 2022) – “Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine gave children 5 and older strong protection against hospitalization and death even during the omicron surge that hit youngsters especially hard, U.S. health officials reported Tuesday. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention come a day after a study of New York children suggested the vaccine may not be as effective in 5- to 11-year-olds as in older kids––especially at blocking milder infections. That data raised the question of whether kid-sized doses given to those under 12 might be too low.”

“Prepare to Prevent the Next ‘Disease X’” Precision Vaccinations (March 1, 2022) – “‘Vaccines are at the heart of how modern societies counter infectious disease threats. They are our most potent tool against pandemic risks and will be critical to any future response,’ wrote Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). ’The faster an effective vaccine is developed, the faster an incipient pandemic can be contained and controlled.’”

“Influenza and the Holy Grail Vaccine” Technology Networks (February 28, 2022) – “Those at high risk of flu complications are children younger than two years and adults aged 65 years and above, as well as pregnant women and people with certain chronic medical conditions. The best strategy for avoiding flu is to get a vaccine shot, with current vaccines offering protection against four strains of the virus: two type B and two type A strains. The WHO recommends vaccination as the main measure for preventing the disease and advises that healthcare workers receive a flu jab.”

“Will We Get a Single, Variant-Proof Vaccine for COVID?” The Guardian (February 26, 2022) – “This week the government announced additional vaccine booster jabs for the over-75s and suggested a further shot is likely to be needed in the autumn. But imagine if the next Covid vaccine jab you have were the last you would ever need. That’s a dream being actively pursued now by researchers, who feel it could be possible to make a ‘universal’ vaccine against the Sars-CoV-2 virus that would work well not only against all existing variants but any that the virus could plausibly mutate into in the future.”

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