FDA Approves Expanded Use of Gardasil 9 HPV Vaccine

In late 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced expanded approval of the Gardasil 9 human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine. Previously approved for administration to males and females between the ages of 9 and 26, Gardasil 9 is now an approved HPV vaccine for men and women through 45 years of age.

According to the FDA’s press release:

“[The] approval represents an important opportunity to help prevent HPV-related diseases and cancers in a broader age range. . . . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that HPV vaccination prior to becoming infected with the HPV types covered by the vaccine has the potential to prevent more than 90 percent of these cancers, or 31,200 cases every year, from ever developing.”

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CDC: Flu Shot Reduces Pregnant Women’s Risk of Hospitalization Due to Infection by 40 Percent

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend an annual flu shot for everyone beginning at six months of age, subject to limited exceptions for individuals who present certain risk factors. The general recommendation to get vaccinated includes women who are pregnant. According to the CDC:

“Getting a flu vaccine is the first and most important step in protecting against flu. Pregnant women should get a flu shot and not the live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV), also known as nasal spray flu vaccine. Flu vaccines given during pregnancy help protect both the mother and her baby from flu. Vaccination has been shown to reduce the risk of flu-associated acute respiratory infection in pregnant women by up to one-half… Pregnant women who get a flu vaccine are also helping to protect their babies from flu illness for the first several months after their birth, when they are too young to get vaccinated.”

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