Immunize For Good | Respect the Facts. Protect Your Child. Immunize for Good.

Tuesday marks Rotary International's fifth annual World Polio Day, co-hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and there is much cause for celebration: It is very possible that 2017 may see the end of the wild poliovirus — nearly two years earlier than Bill Gates predicted. [+] more

No vaccine is perfect, and it can take many years to find out how well a new vaccine works and how long it lasts. Sometimes, health officials have called for an additional dose when it became clear the first round wasn't cutting it. But disappointing performance is also prompting drugmakers to pursue new vaccines for older patients, using new additives to boost effectiveness. [+] more

California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Friday due to a lack of vaccines in a deadly hepatitis A outbreak in several California counties, CBS Los Angeles reports. The declaration allows the state to "increase its supply of hepatitis A vaccines in order to control the current outbreak," Gov. Brown said in a statement. [+] more

As the flu season gets underway in Colorado, a state health official is warning that it is especially important for people this year to get the flu vaccine — because the specific flu strain seen most so far is especially nasty. The first statewide flu report, released Wednesday by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, shows that six people have been hospitalized for influenza since Oct. 1, the official start of flu season. About 20 people have been hospitalized since August. Both numbers are higher than average for this time of year, state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said, adding that such numbers could signal a wicked flu season. [+] more