Infectious diseases

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.…

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.…

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.…

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’”.…

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”.…

How to diagnose and manage Trichomonas vaginalis

Trichomonas vaginalis, also known as trichomoniasis, is a curable sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by a parasite, Trichomonas vaginalis. The majority of infected individuals are asymptomatic or have non-specific symptoms, making diagnosis difficult. Therefore, appropriate treatment a…

Community pharmacy expected to play ‘greater role’ in delivering vaccines under new strategy  

NHS England’s vaccination strategy delegates responsibility for commissioning vaccination services from NHS England to integrated care boards by April 2025.…

Almost a third of community pharmacies providing COVID-19 jabs during autumn booster season

More than 3,500 pharmacies in England are registered to provide COVID-19 vaccinations for the 2023 autumn booster programme.…

Test yourself: the 2023 CPD and Learning quiz

Assess your knowledge on topics ranging from infectious diseases, to professional skills, to cardiology, in our end-of-year CPD and learning quiz.…

European regulator’s committee recommends new safety measures for medicines containing pseudoephedrine

The European Medicines Agency's risk assessment committee has recommended that medicines containing pseudoephedrine should not be used in patients with severe or uncontrolled high blood pressure, or people with severe acute or chronic kidney disease or failure.…