Public Health Roundup: Ventura Among Counties That Will Offer Only Flu Shot, Not Spray
Media outlets also cover public health developments related to the penicillin shortage and the debate over providing costly hepatitis C drugs to prison inmates.
Ventura County Star:
Flu Vaccine Options Limited To Shots
A federal agency and a national pediatric association are pushing pediatricians and other doctors not to provide the nasal spray influenza vaccination, FluMist, and instead to rely only on shots. ... This means the Ventura County Public Health Department, private pediatricians and many other providers will offer only the pin cushion option this year. Some doctors say the impact will be minimal because few people asked for the nasal option. Others say FluMist was the vaccination for choice for children not quite ready to bare their arms. (Kisken, 9/13)
Modern Healthcare:
Penicillin Shortage Threatens Syphilis Patients
Pharmacists are concerned that several forms of penicillin are in shortage, including one used as the primary treatment for syphilis. Penicillin G Benzathine, which comes in a pre-filled syringe known by the brand name Bicillin L-A, has been in shortage since spring. The medicine is the first-line treatment for syphilis, meaning that, although there are alternatives, it is highly preferred over other treatments. (Rubenfire, 9/13)
The Wall Street Journal:
High Cost Of New Hepatitis C Drugs Strains Prison Budgets, Locks Many Out Of Cure
David Maldonado, an inmate at a Pennsylvania state prison, is one of thousands of convicted criminals with hepatitis C, an infectious disease that is one of the country’s biggest killers. Powerful new drugs on the market could help Mr. Maldonado and cut the chances of it spreading outside prison walls. The medicines, however, are so expensive, and the problem so widespread, that to treat all sufferers would blow up most prison budgets. List prices for the newer drugs range from $54,000 to $94,000 a person for a typical 12-week course. (Loftus and Fields, 9/12)