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| Experts Unanimously Recommend New Policy
To Protect Children Against Serious Disease (NAPSI)-The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recently voted to recommend universal hepatitis A vaccination to all children in the United States in a single age cohort between 12 to 35 months, with catch-up vaccination through the pre-school years. The new unanimous recommendation encourages pediatricians to vaccinate infants and toddlers against hepatitis A in addition to the already-scheduled vaccinations against hepatitis B, polio, measles, mumps, and whooping cough, among others. "Comprehensive immunization policies are essential to our nation's health," said David Neumann, PhD, Executive Director of the National Partnership for immunization. "Our ability to reduce the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases, like hepatitis A, requires constant vigilance. This ACIP recommendation is an important step in reducing the incidence of hepatitis A nationwide." Despite the availability of effective vaccines, hepatitis A remains one of the most commonly reported vaccine-preventable diseases in the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hepatitis A incidence rates in children have been among the highest reported because they often come in close contact with other children and easily spread the disease. They can also pass it on to other family members. Expanding childhood vaccination requirements to include hepatitis A can protect communities from the disease through "herd immunity," i.e., the protection extended to family members and the general community when a large portion of a population is vaccinated. ACIP's decision to recommend including hepatitis A vaccination for children in the childhood immunization schedule reinforces the need to improve children's health by reducing the burden of this disease in our country. About Hepatitis A Hepatitis A is a serious liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. This virus is spread by close personal contact and by eating food or drinking water contaminated with the hepatitis A virus. About one in five people with the disease have to be hospitalized and up to 100 people with the disease may die each year. Symptoms of the disease can be debilitating and include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal discomfort, jaundice and dark urine. Fortunately, hepatitis A can be prevented through a vaccine that is given in two doses. The first dose can be given starting at 12 months of age or older and the next can be given six to 12 months later. About the National Partnership for Immunization The National Partnership for Immunization (NPI) is a non-profit organization that was created in 2000 to encourage greater awareness, acceptance and use of immunization by people of all ages through partnerships with public and private organizations. NPI brings together private and public sector partners, including healthcare provider professional associations, community-based organizations, policymakers, vaccine manufacturers, insurance companies, managed care corporations, hospitals, major employers, healthcare and social service professionals, medical and scientific researchers and public health advocates to improve the effectiveness of public and professional educational and outreach efforts to reduce the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases among children, adolescents and adults. For more information, go to www.partnersfor immunization.org. High Blood Pressure Treatment Can Now Help Heart Attack Survivors (NAPSI)- Each year, 1.2 million Americans suffer a heart attack, putting them at greater risk of repeat attacks or death. Within six years, nearly one-third of heart attack survivors will be disabled with heart failure, a condition in which the heart's muscle weakens after injury from other types of heart disease such as a heart attack or high blood pressure. A heart attack can be a wake-up call for many people. That's what Phyllis Rosenzweig Gertzis discovered when she had her first attack at the age of 74. Now she considers herself lucky to be alive. The grandmother of seventeen has been following doctors orders by taking blood pressure medication as well as exercising and watching her diet. Phyllis is not alone. "Every day, more than 3,000 patients suffer a heart attack in the United States. While we've made significant advances in recent years, death following a heart attack remains unacceptably high," said Marc Pfeffer, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Interim chair of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Now patients and physicians have a new treatment. The FDA has recently approved a new use for Diovan®-also known as valsartan-to help reduce death in people who have suffered a heart attack and who remain at high risk. Diovan has also been approved by the FDA to treat those patients who suffer from heart failure. Diovan is already a popular high blood pressure medication and has helped millions of people manage their high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a leading contributor to heart attacks, heart failure and other types of heart disease. More than 65 million Americans-one in three adults-suffer from the condition. Although high blood pressure can be successfully treated, nearly 70 percent of people who have this condition do not have it under control. Many patients will need to change their lifestyle and take medication to help manage their high blood pressure. Some tips to help keep your heart and your blood pressure healthy include:
It is important for patients with high blood pressure to work with their doctor to set a blood pressure goal, develop a treatment plan and work together to reach that goal and stay there. A new educational initiative called the BP Success Zone can help them do this. To learn more about this new educational program, visit www. BPSuccessZone.com or call 1-888-277-9095. For more information about Diovan, visit www.diovan. com or www.pharma.us.novartis. com. Phyllis Rosenzweig Gertzis changed her lifestyle after a heart attack, including managing her high blood pressure. Note to Editor: Patients who are pregnant should stop taking Diovan as it can harm an unborn baby causing injury and even death. Patients allergic to any of the ingredients of the product should not take Diovan. The most common side effects of Diovan used to treat people with high blood pressure are headache and dizziness. Low blood pressure (hypotension) may happen if you also take water pills (diuretics) or are on a low salt diet. The most common side effects of Diovan used to treat people with heart failure include dizziness, low blood pressure, and diarrhea. The most common side effects of Diovan used to treat heart attack survivors that caused them to stop taking the drug include low blood pressure, cough, rash and high blood creatinine (decreased kidney function). Because of the risk of low blood pressure, care should be taken when starting treatment for heart failure or post-heart attack patients. Kidney function should be checked before prescribing Diovan in patients with heart failure or have had a heart attack. |
Most Americans Do Not Treat Stroke as an Emergency (NAPSI)-A new study by the National Stroke Association (NSA) shows most Americans do not treat stroke as an emergency. Sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body, is the most common symptom of stroke, the third leading cause of death in America. Unfortunately, when a stroke or brain attack first hits, many people do not recognize the symptoms and often do not call 9-1-1. In fact, the NSA survey reports one in three Americans cannot name a single symptom a person might experience while having a stroke. ACT F.A.S.T. Worried about remembering the symptoms of stroke and what to do? It's easy, just remember to act F.A.S.T. FACE-Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop? ARMS-Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? SPEECH-Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Are the words slurred? Can the patient repeat the sentence correctly? TIME-If the person shows any of these symptoms, time is important. Call 911 or get to the hospital fast. Brain cells are dying. Every minute counts for stroke patients and acting F.A.S.T. to treat stroke can lead to more patients getting the treatments they so desperately need. The most effective stroke treatments are only available if the stroke is recognized and diagnosed within the first three hours of the first symptoms. In fact, more than 30 percent of Americans are not aware that stroke patients may not be eligible for stroke treatments if they arrive at the hospital after the three-hour window. "Understanding the warning signs is important because there are treatments we can give for stroke. If you understand the warning signs and get to the hospital quickly, we can even possibly reverse the stroke itself," says Dr. Dawn Kleindorfer, assistant professor of neurology at University of Cincinnati School of Medicine. What is a stroke? A stroke is a brain attack. It occurs when a clogged artery stops the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain or when a blood vessel bursts in the brain. Without oxygen-rich blood, brain cells die, resulting in physical problems such as difficulty moving or speaking and mental problems such as memory loss. Women and stroke Learning to act F.A.S.T. is especially important for women. While women are much more worried about dying from breast cancer, few realize that stroke kills twice as many women as breast cancer. To reduce their stroke risk, women and men can take some simple steps such as quitting smoking, eating healthy or exercising more, to reduce their chance of having a stroke. The most common risk factors for stroke include: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, atrial fibrillation as well as being overweight, smoking, consuming too much alcohol and previous TIA or mini strokes. Prevention The good news is 80 percent of strokes are preventable and there are many things you can do to help lower your risk. The NSA has developed the Women in Your Life program to teach men and women about preventing stroke and the importance of recognizing stroke symptoms in each other. Brochures, wallet cards and a special portion of the NSA Web site are available to help teach people about stroke symptoms, risk factors and preventative care. Dr. Kleindorfer says stroke causes special problems for women. "Stroke uniquely impacts women because they tend to be older when they have their stroke and, because of that, more women die from stroke than men. Women tend to have more disability and have trouble doing the activities of their daily living after their stroke." Women also outnumber men as caregivers to stroke survivors. So the impact of stroke is not only felt by women who have a stroke, but by the women who take care of the stroke survivor. Take Action Make a commitment today to ask your doctor about ways to control risk factors for stroke. NSA is providing physicians with information and tools to guide lifestyle changes that could significantly reduce your stroke risk and possibly even extend your life. It is time for you to learn to recognize a stroke, take F.A.S.T action, and save the lives of the men and Women in Your Life. For additional information and to order a free Women in Your Life booklet, visit www.stroke.org or call 1-800-STROKES. Women in Your Life is sponsored by AstraZeneca. |
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