Mumps and Rubella: Stepchildren of the MMR?
The number of US cases of mumps in recent years may surprise you. What's behind the rise and why don't we hear about it?
Vaccine Acronyms: Where to Look when You're Stumped
Vaccine shorthand can simplify or confuse. Test your knowledge of the alphabet soup and get valuable CDC links to help decode.
Vaccine Education Websites: Which Ones Offer Truth?
Not all vaccine information websites were created with evidence-based medicine in mind. Which of these would you recommend to patients?
Immigration and Vaccination: Do you Know What's Required?
The list of mandatory immunizations for legal immigration status has changed over the years. Are you up-to-date?
When to Give Tdap During Pregnancy
The optimal window for administering the Tdap vaccine during pregnancy is later rather than earlier in the third trimester. How much later?
Flumist - What Went Wrong and Can it be Fixed?
There are 4 possible answers offered here as to what compromised the vaccine's efficacy. What's your pick?
Flulaval: With New Age Indication, One Vax Now "Fits All"
FDA changed Flulaval's indication from age ≥3 years to age ≥6 months. The advantage? Now one size, 0.5 cc, fits all.
New Gardasil 2-Dose Series: A Pair Equals 3-of-a-Kind
"My child won't be intimate before marriage," is a common parental refrain. The CDC says, don't bet on it. Do you know the odds?
State Fairs, Swine Flu, and the Next Flu Pandemic
Do you know how flu pandemics get their names? Find out here, as well as how the CDC is working hard to prevent the next one.
Influenza and Eggs: Don't Lose Face
What is the CDC's new guidance on influenza vaccination and egg allergy? Make sure you don't find out from a patient.
Can a Vaccine Myth Harbor a Truth?
Achilles was a Greek warrior, but did he have a vulnerable heel? Vaccines were once preserved with a type of mercury, but was it linked to autism?
The Anti-Vaxxers: Do You Discharge Them? Should You?
What are your personal pros and cons on "firing" families for vaccination refusal? See if Dr Brenneman's comments resonate with you.
An Unimmunized Young Adult: What Now?
The patient is 19, was home-schooled, and is referred to primary care by the local emergency department. Where to start?
Vaccination: Where Does Your Candidate Stand?
Where does your preferred candidate for POTUS stand on vaccination issues? Would you recognize his/her tweet on the topic?
Vaccines News: Under your Radar?
In recognition of National Vaccine Awareness Month, test your own awareness of vaccines present and past.
Zoster Vaccine Quiz: How are We Doing?
We are 10 years into the Zostavax life cycle. Find out how the shingles vaccine is performing and what you know about it.
Could Zostavax use a Booster?
Who gets the best protection from Zostavax and how long does it last? Is that enough?
RSV Vaccine: Not Just for Kids?
Respiratory syncytial virus may account for up to 5% of adult community acquired pneumonias. We may need more than one RSV vaccine.
RSV: Hunt for a Vaccine, Inactivated?
Respiratory syncytial virus is common and most babies will have had it by age 2 years. Why can't we make a vaccine?
Vaccines and Lotteries: Part II
Imagine a US lottery where the prize money funds an NIH flu program. Now imagine, as the NIH head, you get to choose the program.
Weighing Vaccine Risk vs Benefit
What is the acceptable balance between benefit and risk to prevent a vaccine's being pulled from the market? See what you recall about these 3 cases.
Measles and Zika: The Known and Unknown
The mysteries of Zika persist but the tragic similarity between the measles and this virus is that both are devastating to a fetus.
Ten-day Measles, 3-day Measles, German Measles, and More
Rubeola, roseola, rubella -- oh my! See what you know about traditional lay terms for these diseases and how they are similar and different.
Vaccines and the Lottery: Winners and Losers at Disneyland
Why is receiving a vaccination a bit like entering a lottery? Our author uses the 2014 measles outbreak in California to illustrate.
Vaccines and Purpura: Possible Cause and Effect?
A 5 y/o boy bruises easily. Mom thinks he has leukemia. On exam he does have purpura. So, where do vaccines fit in?
Vaccinations for an Indian Vacation: Quiz Part II
A family of 4 will vacation in India. None has received a flu shot. Mom is pregnant; Dad takes Flovent; one son has acne. What do you tell them?
Vacation Vaccinations Quiz: Typhoid Mary and the Taj Mahal
A family of 4 plans a vacation to India; typhoid vaccination is needed. Who can receive it? When? And is the pill or injection indicated?
Gardasil and our Dirty Little Secret
Universal coverage with the HPV vaccine would save thousands of lives in the US each year. Why are we at ~40%?
Vaccines and Primary Colors
Yellow, Pink, Purple, Red. Each color is in the title of a stellar medical reference book, all of which books should be on your office shelf.
Origins of the Antivaccine Movement
Anti-vaxx sentiment is as old as the smallpox vaccine but modern parental refusal began in the early 1900s. Do you know what the trigger was?