PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Immunization Programs”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,729 records · Page 96Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

A multi-hospital hepatitis B vaccine program: prevalence of antibody and acceptance of vaccination among high-risk hospital employees.

In July 1982, five Hartford hospitals embarked on a joint hospital-sponsored program to immunize high-risk employees against hepatitis B virus (HBV). The program included a questionnaire to characterize relative risk, serology for anti-HBs, vaccination and a follow-up survey of vaccine non-recipients. Of 2,065 employees who were considered to be at high-risk for infection with HBV, 1,894 (91.7%) responded to the screening questionnaire and 1,279 (67.5%) were tested for anti-HBs serology. The prevalence of antibody varied from hospital to hospital; the highest prevalence (10.9%) was observed at one of the urban university-affiliated community hospitals and the lowest prevalence (4.1%) was reported from the smaller, rural hospital. The prevalence of antibody also varied greatly within the high-risk groups; the highest prevalence of antibody was seen among surgical house officers (15%). The rate of acceptance of vaccine among hospitals ranged from 57.5% to 23.7%. Reasons for vaccine non-acceptance included fear of as yet unknown side effects, perceived low risk of hepatitis acquisition and possible effects on present or future pregnancies. Our experience illustrates some of the epidemiologic and practical aspects that must be addressed in administering a hospital-based HBV vaccine program. Among the five hospitals, we saw marked inter- and intra-hospital variations in the prevalence of anti-HBs among high-risk employees. More significantly, we observed unexpectedly low rates of vaccine acceptance among high-risk personnel.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2003

[Prevalence of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis in female sex workers in Venezuela].

OBJECTIVE: In Venezuela, female sex workers are submitted to a preventive control of syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, other very important sexually transmitted infections are not evaluated. A study was carried out to identify the sociocultural background of a group of sex workers and its association with the seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C markers, in addition to routine evaluation. METHOD: A total of 212 female sex workers who attended the control center of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in the city of Los Teques, Venezuela, were evaluated. Women were asked their age, educational background, use of contraceptive methods and condoms. Blood was drawn to determine the prevalence of syphilis, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibodies to hepatitis B core (anti-HBc), hepatitis C (anti-HCV) and HIV. RESULTS: The prevalence of syphilis was 2.4%, seroprevalence of anti-HCV was 0.5%, HBsAg 3.8% and anti-HBc 13.8%. No cases of HIV were observed. Higher prevalence of hepatitis B markers was associated with a lower level of education (p<0.05) and higher age (p<0.05). It was found that 38.5% of participant women never used condoms and 25.6% did not use any contraceptive method. CONCLUSION: It could be necessary to implement preventive programs to immunize sex workers against hepatitis B virus as well as education programs on condom use for their protection against sexually transmitted infections.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Effect of duration of a moderate exercise program on primary and secondary immune responses in mice.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Moderate exercise conducted over a 4- to 8-week period enhances secondary antibody response and is mediated, in part, by endogenous opioids. Because changes in circulating levels of endogenous opioids occur after each exercise session, the researchers in this study tested the hypothesis that a shorter exercise program of 2 weeks may be sufficient to enhance secondary antibody response. Another purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a moderate exercise program completed prior to the primary immunization on the secondary antibody response in mice. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Young (8- to 10-week-old), syngeneic, female C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to exercise (2 or 8 weeks) and sedentary intervention protocols. Mice were immunized against human serum albumin (HSA), and serum anti-HSA antibody levels were measured (in micrograms per milliliter) using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The secondary antibody response was comparable in mice exercising for 2 or 8 weeks and was enhanced over sedentary controls. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: A moderate exercise program of 2 weeks may be sufficient to improve secondary antibody production and may be a useful strategy to enhance antibody response to vaccinations in humans. Furthermore, an exercise program that includes exercise prior to the primary immunization in addition to exercise following primary immunization may not provide additional enhancement of secondary antibody response.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

The effectiveness of assessment and referral on immunization coverage in the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children.

BACKGROUND: The use of immunization assessment and referral (A/R) in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has been shown to produce dramatic improvements in vaccination coverage when coupled with parental incentive; however, data are lacking to support the use of A/R alone. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of A/R in increasing immunization coverage among WIC participants. DESIGN: Participating WIC centers were assigned to1 of 3 interventions that delivered A/R of varying frequency or a control group. SETTING: Twenty of the largest Public Health Foundation Enterprises-WIC centers in Los Angeles County. PARTICIPANTS: Children continuously enrolled in participating WIC centers from 6 to 24 months of age. INTERVENTION: Assessment of child's vaccination status followed by referral to a health care provider for those lacking indicated vaccinations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Up-to-date (UTD) status at 24 months of age for all recommended vaccines. RESULTS: Baseline coverage rates were similar among all study sites (overall, 77% UTD). After the study period, compared with the controls (88% UTD), we found no differences in immunization coverage among WIC centers that administered A/R at every visit (every 2 months) to all children (90% UTD; adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.54-1.94), every 6 months to all children (89% UTD; OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.62-1.56), or every visit to children found to be behind at 8 months of age (89% UTD; OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.48-1.68). CONCLUSION: In this urban population of WIC children with high baseline immunization coverage, A/R was not effective in increasing immunization coverage.

Child Health Services↗
PubMed1993

Women and children first. A Catholic provider reconnects with its communities by offering programs for women and children.

To help persons in their communities, especially women and children, overcome barriers to healthcare, subsidiaries of Bala Cynwyd, PA-based Mercy Health Corporation of Southeastern Pennsylvania sponsor programs that reach out to area residents. After a 1990 community needs assessment, Misericordia Hospital became more aware of the poor state of maternal and infant healthcare services in West Philadelphia. Today a revamped obstetrics/gynecology department offers a range of outpatient clinical and support services. The certified nurse midwife program, Misericordia on Motherhood, offers prenatal care, nutrition counseling, parenting classes, and social services. The WeeCare program, launched by Mercy Health Plan in 1991, is a perinatal risk-reduction program to help change the perception that pregnancy does not require medical intervention. Misericordia Hospital is meeting children's healthcare needs through a school-based primary care center at the Samuel B. Huey Elementary School, West Philadelphia. Mercy Health Plan's Immunization Outreach Program ensures children receive necessary immunizations. To prevent breast cancer, women can turn to Misericordia Hospital and Mercy Health Plan's Breast Cancer Screening and Outreach Program. The program's goal is to ensure that women recognize the importance of their own health and to educate them about early breast cancer detection.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Immunization services for adolescents within comprehensive school health programs.

Every school day, more than 95% of the nation's five- to 17-year-olds attend one of almost 110,000 elementary and secondary schools where they receive instruction in how to avoid major health-threatening behaviors. School is also the place where children and adolescents can be given preventive health care services, including administration of vaccines and monitoring of immunization levels. This article addresses how expanding school health services could improve immunization levels of school-aged youth.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

A rubella outbreak among dental students: description of the outbreak and analysis of control measures.

From February to April 1982, rubella was diagnosed in 17 Washington University dental students. The affected students represented 4.8% of all dental students and 21% of susceptible students. Because a high likelihood of rubella transmission was perceived, three adjacent university hospitals undertook an emergency program to ensure immunity to rubella in all personnel. The program reached 84.6% of all target personnel, but only 36% of physicians (p less than 0.001). We estimated that the program increased the level of rubella immunity from 92.2% to 98.1%, at a total cost of $140,274 of which $29,990 was in excess of ordinary expenditures. Our experience indicates that schools training health professionals face the possibility of rubella outbreaks unless they ensure rubella immunity in all students. The experience also supports the value of ongoing programs to ensure rubella immunity in hospital personnel. Without such programs, hospitals may be forced to undertake emergency programs that are likely to be disruptive and expensive and may have relatively little immediate measurable impact.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1999

[The concept of herd immunity applied to the evaluation of vaccination programs].

The article concerns the definition and ways of estimation of indicators of herd immunity as applied to the analysis of the efficiency of vaccination programmes. Some important factors are discussed which determine the proportion of vaccinated individuals in the population necessary for decrease of incidence and eventually for elimination of the disease from a population. The problems related to definition and calculation of herd immunity in populations non uniform in terms of individual risk of infection are discussed.

Communicable Disease Control↗
PubMed1995

[Tetanus vaccination. Evaluation of a program of health promotion in a family medicine unit].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a tetanus immunization poster at a medical clinic in encouraging patients to request immunization against tetanus with d2T5. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental study. SETTING: The Family Medicine Unit (F.M.U.) at the Centre hospitalier de l'Université Laval (C.H.U.L.), a tertiary hospital in the region of Quebec City. PARTICIPANTS: All patients over 7 years of age at CHUL's FMU between February 22 and March 19, 1993. INTERVENTIONS: Poster promoting tetanus immunization displayed in waiting room during test weeks 2 and 4 and withdrawn during control weeks 1 and 3. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Proportion of patients vaccinated with d2T5. RESULTS: The proportion of patients vaccinated during the test weeks was the same as the proportion vaccinated during the control weeks. Week 1: 1/507 (0.20); Week 2: 1/394 (0.25); Week 3: 1/441 (0.23); Week 4: 1/486 (0.21). CONCLUSION: The presence of the posters in the waiting room had no impact on tetanus immunization at CHUL's FMU.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Infant mouthing behavior: the immunocalibration hypothesis.

Avid mouthing, the propensity of infants to suck objects and put them in their mouths, is a pattern characteristic of the first 2-3 years of life, with its most intensive manifestation occurring during the first year. Although traditional accounts explain infant mouthing as a source of sensual gratification and/or environmental exploration, these proximate hypotheses are inconsistent with the high costs of mouthing, including choking, poisoning, and exposure to pathogens. We propose that mouthing serves to proactively expose the naive gastrointestinal tract to environmental antigens and commensal bacteria while under the sheltering umbrella of breastfeeding. Mouthing functions to accurately calibrate the developing immune system, including antibody production and mucosal immunity, to the local disease ecology. The critical exposure period is not open-ended, as failure to expose the gut to an adequate number of antigens early in life is associated with an increased risk of allergies, asthma, and atopy. Weaning initiates a number of immune changes that may program the neonatal immune system into certain life-long responses.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1998

Re-emergence of yellow fever in Senegal in 1995.

An outbreak of yellow fever (YF) occurred in the central part of Senegal during October 1995. Thirty-one probable cases were detected and 79 cases were confirmed either by IgM ELISA or by virus isolation (30 strains isolated). The case fatality rate was 18.9%. Incidence of the infection was evaluated by a serosurvey in the area. Males 10-29 years old belonging to the Peul ethnic group were more affected. Moreover, 28 YF virus strains were isolated from mosquitoes and larvae pools and vertical transmission of YF virus by Aedes aegypti was also demonstrated for the first time in the field. This outbreak occurred after the major amplification of the wild cycle of YF virus in 1993 in West Africa. This epidemic represented a typical example of intermediate transmission of YF: both humans and wild vertebrates are involved in the virus cycle through wild mosquitoes with semidomestic habits, mainly Ae. furcifer, Ae. luteocephalus, and domestic vector Ae. aegypti. It was controlled by a prompt immunization campaign. The impact of inclusion of YF vaccine in the Expanded Program of Immunization, which has been conducted in Senegal for eight years, is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Has bioterrorism preparedness improved public health?

In anticipation of future terrorist attacks, the nation has been focused on emergency preparedness, including threats to public health and the ability of communities to respond to them. The Center for Studying Health System Change's (HSC) recent site visits to 12 nationally representative communities found early benefits to public health due to heightened attention to bioterrorism preparedness: more visibility and credibility for public health, stronger public health infrastructure and improved communication and coordination across sectors. Modest negative effects included staff diversions and delays in some program implementation. As the site visits continued from fall 2002 into 2003, concerns grew that the federal smallpox vaccination program was diverting resources from such traditional public health activities as routine immunizations, health promotion and screening.

Bioterrorism↗