ARCHIVED - Infectious Diseases News Brief - January 14, 2011

Most Seniors Don't Get Shingles Vaccination, CDC Finds

Although a vaccine to prevent shingles has been available since 2006, less than 7 percent of U.S. seniors - the demographic most frequently affected by the disease - chose to receive the vaccination as of 2008, finds a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The vaccine reduces the risk of getting shingles by half and the risk of developing painful complications by two-thirds, according to Gary Euler, study co-author. Since the chance of contracting shingles increases with age and especially is high by age 80, when seniors are frail, he believes the value of the vaccine is incontestable. Specifically, the vaccine protects against the herpes zoster virus, which causes chicken pox at first infection. The body never rids itself of the virus and it can show up again decades later as shingles. Up to 10 in every thousand seniors develop shingles every year. Without the vaccination, 10 percent to 14 percent of them will suffer from neuralgia. In the new study appearing online and in the February 2011 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers found that estimated coverage levels were low among all seniors and lowest among minority groups. Surprisingly, 95 percent of younger seniors had missed at least one opportunity to be vaccinated, even though they had seen their physician at least once, been hospitalized or visited an emergency department that year. The people most likely to have received vaccinations were older, white, female seniors who were more highly educated and who had received a flu shot. From the results of an earlier study, the researchers can see that uptake is growing, but at a snail's pace. The study authors gave possible reasons: While most insurance and Medicare plans cover the cost of vaccination, other costs might be out-of-pocket and upfront. Physicians could be reluctant to recommend the vaccine because of this cost burden, especially if the patient has no insurance. A downside exists for the physicians, too. Euler, an epidemiologist with the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said that the vaccine must remain frozen until the last minute, which presents an added burden on two counts. First, there is a time lapse if the physician writes a prescription for the patient to buy the vaccine at a pharmacy and bring it back to the office to have it administered. Second, if a physician writes a prescription for the patient to receive the vaccine at the pharmacy, patients often do not make that additional trip.

Source: Medical News Today 11 January 2011
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/213358.php

Scientists Explain Link Between Chlamydia And Ectopic Pregnancy

Women who have had chlamydia are at greater risk of an ectopic pregnancy because of a lasting effect of the infection. A new study provides evidence for the first time of how chlamydia can increase the risk of an ectopic pregnancy - which occurs when an embryo implants outside the womb, in the Fallopian tube. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh found that women who had had the sexually transmitted infection were more likely to produce a particular protein in their Fallopian tubes. Increased production of this protein - known as PROKR2 - makes a pregnancy more likely to implant in the Fallopian tube. The study follows on from research, also at the University of Edinburgh, which showed that production of a similar protein increased the likelihood of smokers having an ectopic pregnancy. Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the UK. It can be treated but often goes undiagnosed because it can occur without symptoms. The infection is known to cause infertility as it can lead to scarring and blockages in the Fallopian tube. This research shows, however, that chlamydial infection linked to ectopic pregnancy causes much more subtle changes in the Fallopian tube, without evidence of severe scarring. The study, published in the American Journal of Pathology, was funded by the Wellbeing of Women and the Medical Research Council.

Source: Medical News Today 12 January 2011
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/213387.php