News | Infectious diseases

News

Hepatitis C ‘micro-eliminated’ at UK’s largest prison

The test-and-treat programme is part of a plan from Welsh government to micro-eliminate hepatitis C in the community and in all Welsh prisons.…

Published: 8 April 2024

Feature

Whooping cough resurgence as vaccination rates slump

Official data on whooping cough show that reports of suspected cases are at a 15-year high in the first three months of 2024, as vaccination rates continue to fall.…

Published: 28 March 2024

News

Community pharmacies to take part in pilot scheme to administer catch-up MMR vaccines

The scheme has been launched in the north west of England to improve MMR vaccination rates, following the measles outbreak at the beginning of 2024.…

Published: 25 March 2024

Opinion

PJ view: Private COVID-19 vaccines should be welcomed with caution

As pharmacies prepare to offer private COVID-19 vaccinations, cost considerations must be made to ensure this does not become a step towards wider health inequality.…

Published: 22 February 2024

News

Pilots to provide PrEP via pharmacies only ‘possible future opportunities’, report warns

A report from the HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group said it was “concerning that the current proposal for PrEP pilots is marked as ‘possible future opportunities’”.…

Published: 15 February 2024

Feature

Changing the culture of fluoroquinolone prescribing

Despite repeated warnings about disabling and irreversible side effects from fluoroquinolones, prescribing of these broad-spectrum antibiotics remains “stubbornly stable”.…

Published: 15 February 2024

News

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to be made available privately through community pharmacies

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has approved a change of licence for the Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine, which will allow it to become the first to be available privately in the UK.…

Published: 9 February 2024

News

NHS England wrote off nearly £5m for unused COVID-19 vaccinations in 2022/2023

In its annual report and accounts, NHS England said that keeping the vaccines in storage would not equate to value for money owing to running costs.…

Published: 6 February 2024

Feature

Measles: the vaccination rate slump fuelling an outbreak

As the NHS launches a catch-up campaign for missed MMR doses amid a surge in measles cases across England, we look at vaccine coverage as well as measles transmission and symptoms.…

Published: 25 January 2024

News

MMR vaccines should be delivered through community pharmacy, says health and social care committee chair

UK Health Security Agency data show that almost 3.5 million children aged under 16 years are unprotected from measles.…

Published: 23 January 2024