My Newsletter: West Nile Virus, Gen Probe testing, and new building name

Click here to read the October 2012 issue of The Laboratorian.

"Laboratory Testing Key in West Nile Virus Surveillance" was one of the most difficult articles that I have written for The Laboratorian — mostly because of the dearth of interview subjects. I don't really blame them. Being involved in outbreak response makes for long, intense days. Even though I felt like I was extracting material one tiny grain at a time,  information did gradually trickle in. A couple of people even agreed to be quoted. They were duly interviewed on the phone, via email and in person. Their contributions made a significant improvement by allowing me to include more than "just facts," for which I am extremely grateful. Writing about West Nile turned out to be a great learning experience, and the result is one of my favorite newsletter articles to date.

In comparison, the article titled "Laboratory Building Named for Former Legislator" came together quickly. My sources were willing and very helpful in providing information and verification via email.

The article on "Gen Probe Testing for Gonorrhea and Chlamydia" is the result of hard work by a member of my newsletter committee. Jan persevered in tackling a subject that often makes people squeamish. According to an old adage, “What you don’t know can’t hurt you.” As much as those of us who don’t like going to the doctor would like to argue, this is certainly not true in Public Health where diseases left undetected and untreated often lead to severe health problems.

Another member of my newsletter committee stepped out of his comfort zone to write the editorial on water testing. Andrew also willingly served as the photographer for many of the photos in this issue. I am extremely grateful for his help, which allowed me time to coordinate the numerous other details that go into a completed publication. Each issue brings its own behind-the-scenes challenges, and I couldn't do it without my dedicated group of volunteer committee members.

The layout of the publication is still lacking — due to limitations imposed by the work-in-progress that is our Web Content Management System — but the information is what really matters. I doubt that there are many out there scrutinizing it with my critical artistic eye.

New face mask inactivates flu viruses

Not much blogging has been happening amidst the rush of preparations for my son's birthday (how can he be turning two already?!), but I have been keeping an eye on flu-related news.

Yesterday a company called Medline put out a press release advertising their new face mask; it inactivates 99.99 percent of flu viruses. After a brief smile at the name, BioMask (which brings to mind the original working title of my novel: Biomass), I focused on the really interesting part. Instead of just filtering particles, the BioMask actually kills flu viruses. The following is a quote from the press release about how this works.

The Curad® BioMask™ works by using a combination of citric acid, zinc and copper — all powerful but safe ingredients. A hydrophilic coating on the outside quickly wicks droplets into and away from the outer surface. Viruses are inactivated on this outer layer by exposure to citric acid, which creates a low pH environment. The droplet then lands on the mask’s inner blue layer where influenza viruses are inactivated by copper and zinc, which are toxic to pathogens.

Testing included at least nine strains of flu, which were all inactivated within five minutes of contact. The makers also tout the minimization of cross-contamination. Cross-contamination is a big consideration in viral spread. If you touch a door knob after coughing or sneezing into your hand, others who follow can pick up whatever nasty surprises you left behind. And we all touch our face—most notably for transmission our eyes, nose, or mouth—an estimated 3,000 times a day. (As scarily illustrated in the movie Contagion.) Consider this another plug to wash your hands.

I can't really see the public adapting to constant mask-wearing, particularly without an imminent threat, but the BioMask should make a lot of medical personnel happy. 

All of this germ talk is yet another reason I'm happy to be escaping the child birthday party for one more year. We are going to to the zoo with family (no one can live in a bubble), and then we’ll head home for dinosaur cake (I'm baking/decorating) and quality time playing on son's new swing set. Of course, this proud mom plans to snap even more pictures of her growing boy.

The secret (and amazing) world of public health laboratories

My job position is so much of a mouthful that I am often met with blank stares when I answer a question about my work. Even the shorter version, my title of Information Specialist, doesn't have quite the same level of recognition as teacher or nurse.

In my case, Information Specialist means that I translate highly technical information in order to create and revise web pages and publications related to the work of our laboratory. For a look at the work I support, read the blog post from which I borrowed my blog title. This is one of those pieces of writing that immediately tweaks a sense of "why didn't I write that?" In this case I think that I'm a bit too close to the work, but I'm totally tickled that Kim Krisberg toured our laboratory and took the time to write an excellent blog post.

The secret (and amazing) world of public health laboratories

Walking around a public health laboratory is seriously cool.

Giant humming machines, rows of test tubes and small, round dishes containing specimens with hard-to-pronounce names, biohazard warnings and emergency shower stations, an egg incubator and liquid nitrogen generator, people in protective gear with bulky white hoods and face shields. Oh, and boxes with severed animal heads inside.

Click here to read more.

Cocooning: A vaccine strategy to protect infants

Son after immunizations (4 months old)

I just learned a new way to use a familiar word. Cocooning is the strategy where close family members of infants are vaccinated to protect infants who are too young to get shots themselves. Babies have to be at least six weeks old to get vaccines like TDaP and six months old to get the flu shot.

My husband and I tried to institute a smaller version of cocooning when our son was born. We asked that all family members make sure that they were current on their vaccines, with particular note paid to more rare immunizations, like the one for pertussis (whooping cough). Our request was only partially successful.

Cocooning is backed by the CDC, as evidenced in many of their vaccine recommendations that adults who have close contact with infants should also get a dose of _____ (recommended vaccine). However, not much research has been done on the practice.

One barrier to the use of cocooning is the hefty price tag. Canadian government researchers estimated that preventing one infant death would require vaccination of at least one million parents. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reports on cocooning, released in the journal Pediatrics, do not directly recommend that pediatricians start offering shots to parents. "What it says is, if you choose to do it, this is OK," said the AAP's Dr. Herschel R. Lessin, who worked on the report.

"The goal here is to get everyone immunized," said Lessin. "As pediatricians, we think immunization is the greatest thing in the history of mankind."

Lessin acknowledged that there isn't much evidence on how effective cocooning really is. "It's a relatively new concept," he said. "I don't know that anyone has looked at whether it works." The Canadian study, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, takes a stab at that, although it's based on calculations instead of an actual experiment.
From past research, Skowronski and her colleagues estimated that whooping cough in infants could be blamed on parents passing the disease along some 35 percent of the time. (from "Cocooning: Doctors Divided on Vaccine Strategy to Protect Babies")

I think it's a simple enough thing to add myself and my family to the ranks of the well-vaccinated. Each person vaccinated creates a small but important measure of protection for themselves and those around them.

Shop healthy: Combatting the eight germiest places in the mall

Here's my contribution to your safe and healthy holiday season. 

Avoiding viruses and bacteria that cause colds, stomach bugs, and flu starts by arming yourself with knowledge. Stashing a few sanitizers helps too. During this hectic time of year, it pays to slow down and pay attention to a few small steps that can save you a lot of recovery time.

CNN Health ran a story on the "8 germiest places in the mall." Below are the highlights:

1. Restroom sinks - The filthiest area in the restroom is the bathroom sink. Stay aware of the type of soap dispensers (are they refillable?) and wash your hands thoroughly. Use a paper towel to turn off the water and open the door. If any of these things are not available, follow up with at least a tablespoon of alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
2. Food court tables - Stash a pack of hard-surface disinfecting wipes so that you can clean the table before you sit down.
3. Escalator handrails - Avoid touching handrails. If you absolutely have to, follow with hand sanitizer.
4. ATM keypads - Knuckle ATM buttons to avoid getting germs on your fingertips, where they are more likely to transfer to your nose and mouth, and follow with hand sanitizer.
5. Toy stores - If you make a purchase, wipe down any toy not in a sealed package with soap and water, alcohol, or vinegar before giving it to your child. Also, use your hand sanitizer after touching things in the toy isle; that goes for your child too.
6. Fitting rooms - The clothes you try on are the germ culprit here. When trying on clothes, always wear full-coverage underwear and bandage cuts or scrapes before trying on clothes. Be sure to wash new clothes before you wear them.
7. Gadget shops - Avoid transferring germs from the people who tested the new smartphone before you by quickly wiping it down with a disinfecting wipe. Once again, use a hand sanitizer when you're done.
8. Makeup samples - Avoid public makeup samples. Ask for a single-use unit. If that's not available, use a tissue to wipe off the sample and then apply the product to the back of your hand. Even better, buy the product before you try. Returning is more hassle but also a lot safer.

I'll add my own tip: Shop online from the comfort and safety of your own computer. If you can't do that, or if you prefer the hustle and bustle of the holiday shopping mall experience, take a deep breath, grab your sanitizer wipes and hand sanitizer, and enjoy. Above all, don't forget to slow down enough to enjoy quality time with your family; that's what the holidays are all about.

Add tea to your Thanksgiving: Green tea prevents flu in children

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm posting this first thing in the morning so that you can make a slight modification to your Thanksgiving menu. Consider adding green tea alongside your eggnog. If you don't like drinking green tea, there are plenty of recipes, like Green Tea Lime Pie or Green Tea Cake. It might seem a bit much to make a new recipe this late in your feast preparations, but think of all the available family sous chefs you could put to work.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, green tea can help fight the flu. I just came across information on another study: Green Tea Consumption Is Inversely Associated with the Incidence of Influenza Infection among Schoolchildren in a Tea Plantation Area of Japan. How's that for a catchy title?

This study explored whether school-age children (6-13 years old) who regularly drank green tea would have fewer cases of influenza. For four months, during flu season, 2,050 children participated in the study. Those who drank green tea approximately five times per week had significantly fewer cases of flu compared to those who drank almost no green tea. Those who drank the most green tea (about one cup per day) also had significantly fewer sick days.

Less time being sick is certainly a good thing, particularly around the holidays. I think I'll see if my son would like to join me in a cup of the decaf mango green tea that I have at home.

World's first simulation of complete H1N1 influenza virus

Happy 11/11/11 and happy Veteran's Day! Here's some food for thought, before you head off to whatever activities you have planned to celebrate the occasion.

Scientists in China have created the first computer simulation of the complete H1N1 influenza virus, down to the atomic level. This is a major break-through was announced just yesterday. Until now, studying viruses in the laboratory has been challenging because reactions occur too quickly to observe. 



Supercomputer

Simulating billions of particles in the correct conditions was no small feat. The researchers, at the Institute of Process Engineering of Chinese Academy of Sciences, used over 2,200 Tesla GPUs to power the Mole-8.5 supercomputer.

I suspect that the technology will need fine-tuning, but the possibilities are exciting. Using the H1N1 simulation, and others like it, scientists will be able to perform new research—an important step in developing more effective ways to control epidemics and create anti-viral drugs.

With this kind of detail for a virus, I can imagine a future where computers will have enough processing power to create a realistic simulation of places and even people. Perhaps someday my son will visit a real holodeck.

Deadly Black Death bacteria hasn't changed, but we have

This is a follow-up to my previous blog, Black Death revealed and how research leads to preparedness. I recommend that you use the link above to read that blog first, for more details on the topic of this blog. If you have already done so, please proceed with your reading.

According to a journal article published earlier this month in Nature, the first genome sequence of an ancient bacterial pathogen has been completed. Yersinia pestis was extracted from the teeth of victims buried in a medieval cemetery. The results of the sequencing are really interesting.... Y. pestis, which caused the bubonic plague called the Black Death, hasn't really changed. There are only a few dozen changes among the more than 4 million DNA building blocks.

Before you get scared, you might want to refer to the title of this blog. The bacteria hasn't changed, but we have. Whew! Apocalypse averted, right?

The Black Death was deadly because of a combination of circumstances. In 1348, the climate was getting colder, the world was in the midst of a long war and horrible famine, and people were moving into closer quarters. All of these factors contributed to give the disease easy reach for infection and spread. In addition, people did not have any innate immune response; this was the first time the disease had attacked humans.

Today, simple antibiotics, such as tetracycline, can beat the bacteria. Interestingly, Y. pestis does not seem to have properties that enable other germs to become drug-resistant. Combine that with improved medical treatment, preparedness, and response by the health community, and we're set to avoid another plague-driven apocalypse...at least where the Black Death is concerned.

Other possibilities, both bacterial and viral, remain open for speculation by science fiction writers with vivid imaginations. Take the flu, for example....

Debunking flu myths: Why you should get your vaccination now

I hope that you'll allow me to step back onto my vaccination soapbox for a moment.

I just read a news story that chilled this mother's heart. Four-and-a-half-year-old Amanda Kanowitz was healthy until she began to show her first symptoms—cough, low fever, and vomiting. Her doctor suspected a common childhood bug and recommended fluids and rest. Three days later, her parents found her lifeless in her bed.

Amanda had the flu. Seven years ago, when she died, doctors did not recommend shots for kids her age. That has changed. Now the CDC recommends flu shots for everyone over 6 months old.

I hate to be the one to pass along such a sad story, but I am doing so in the hope that it will help save lives. Only 43% of Americans got a flu shot last year, and that was a record year. The article that I read, on how to "Separate the facts from flu fiction," ran through several common flu myths. I'll highlight two, but I urge you to read the article for more information.

Myth 2: The flu shot causes the flu.

About 35% of consumers think the flu vaccine can cause flu, CVS found. But that's impossible, CDC says, because the viruses in the flu shot are dead. Its most common side effect is a sore arm. Mist nasal spray contains weakened viruses, so they don't cause severe symptoms, either. Side effects in kids can include a runny nose, wheezing and headache.

Myth 4: Only sickly people need a flu shot.

Half of consumers think flu shots are only for kids or sick people, CVS found. Actually, the most vulnerable members of society, such as newborns or those with weak immune systems, often can't get flu shots. The only way to protect them is to vaccinate everyone around them, keeping flu viruses out of circulation, Bergen says. Because babies can't be vaccinated until they're 6 months old, they depend on vaccinated friends and family members to create a "cocoon" of protection, Bergen says.

I'm sure that you have already read my past blogs on the flu and vaccines (right?), but on the off chance that you haven't, here's a link to my posts on vaccination. If you still need to get your flu shot, please go to your nearest pharmacy (many of them are located in your local grocery store) and take a few minutes to protect yourself and your loved ones. If you have already received your flu shot, here's a big THANK YOU from me and my family.

My newsletter: Rabies testing, flu surveillance, handwashing, and more

I just finalized another of my quarterly newsletters. While it would be hard to create a lead article as dear to my heart as the one in the July 2011 issue that featured my son's photo, I still found it fascinating. I had to ask a lot of questions to write the lead article; a couple of Rabies laboratorians were very helpful.

The second article features an ongoing influenza surveillance project. While it delves into more technical details, I hope the opening shows you why this kind of analysis is so important.

Countless times throughout the day, I reach for the Camelbak bottle perched to the right of my monitor. As I suck down a long swig of icewater, I take the safety of the contents for granted. Fortunately our Environmental Laboratory is watching out for me, as illustrated in the third article.

For those who submit specimens, we also highlighted our online results reporting, but my readers here might want to skip to the handwashing article. (Incidentally, the simple word "handwashing" was quite the topic of research during the editing process: handwashing, hand washing, hand-washing...? Which is it? We settled on the version used by the CDC in their handwashing tutorial.) I believe strongly in handwashing, as highlighted in a previous blogs. Please read the article to find out more about why it is so important.

• The Laboratorian, October 2011

The beginning of the end for the flu virus?

Vaccines have been the weapon of choice against viruses, and I have talked about them here on several occasions. Now research is exploring a new therapy: an antiviral drug called Double-Stranded RNA Activated Caspase Oligerizer (DRACO). Catchy name aside, what does DRACO do? It targets cells that have been infected by a virus, hunting the signature mechanism by which viruses reproduce.

The majority of viruses reproduce in four steps:

1. Fixation and entry of the virus into the targeted cell.
2. Copy the genes of the virus using the cell’s power.
3. Bundling of virus particles.
4. Emergence of many copies of the new virus to spread the infection to other cells.

Dr. Todd Rider and his colleagues from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, are targeting the second step in the viral reproductive process. When their genetic material is copied inside the cells, the virus produces a structure called “double-stranded RNA”; because this unique structure is missing in non-infected cells, a protein tied specifically to the double-stranded RNA allows for the specific targeting of the cells containing the virus. By combining this protein with another protein that triggers cell death through apoptosis, it becomes possible to eliminate the infected cells without any side effects on the healthy cells.

Still with me? In short, DRACO targets cells with long strings of double-stranded RNA, causing them to commit cell suicide while ignoring the other healthy cells.

Dr. Rider's research has been tested on 15 different viruses, including H1N1 influenza, and it was effective against them all. The possible catch is that this research was primarily conducted on mammalian cells cultured in a lab, which leaves the possibility that the drug might not work on living animals. More recent work on the drug's effect on mice infected with influenza has continued to yield promising results.

If perfected, DRACO could revolutionize the treatment of viral diseases. Vaccines are effective, until the virus mutates. An antiviral drug could continue to work when vaccines fail. More research and time is needed to determine whether the new treatment is safe and effective for treating viral infection in humans.

Sneak peak at real life public health virus prevention projects

I'm hard at work on finalizing the next issue of my public health newsletter, so I thought I'd make the most of my creative energy and post a couple of opening paragraphs that I wrote for included articles. Both deal with viruses.

Influenza Incidence Surveillace Project: Preventing the Next Pandemic

The deadly 1918 “Spanish” flu circulated silently in the United States for four months before anyone noticed it. As frightening as that sounds, given what we know now about the strain of influenza that killed up to 50 million people worldwide, it is actually good news. Better surveillance now means that we will have enough notice to stop the spread of a novel flu strain before it becomes a pandemic. That is why the Laboratory is working on a national surveillance project with the Emerging & Acute Infectious Disease Branch. This project will monitor the age-specific incidence of medically attended influenza-like illness and influenza.

The Rabies Laboratory: Never a Dull Day



Micrograph with numerous rabies virions
(small, dark-grey rod-like particles) and
Negri bodies (cellular inclusions)

 With 8,000-10,000 specimens received per year, work in the Rabies Laboratory is never dull. However, some days are more interesting than others. Laboratorians well remember receiving a tiger head for testing. Most specimens submitted are dogs and cats. Bats come next, in order of decreasing appearance, followed by skunks and just about everything else, including cows, horses, squirrels, armadillos, and raccoons. All mammals are accepted for testing, but everyone takes notice when the specimen is a zebra, gazelle, wildebeest, or nilgai.

What is a nilgai? The rabies team here had to look that one up too.

Get your flu vaccination now

It's time to schedule your flu vaccination.

Most of us think of flu clinics as we head into October and the weather cools, if we think of them at all. It's still in the triple digits here, but I already have my flu vaccination scheduled (September 27). Unlike the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, this year flu vaccine stocks are plentiful and health departments are urging early vaccination.

The CDC recommends that everyone six months and older should get the flu vaccine each year. I most definately agree. At the forefront of my memories are the last time that I was sick with the flu (in college I was so weak after that I couldn't walk to my class across campus) and my personal experience of what happens when vaccine is not available. My son will be getting his vaccination at the end of the month, during his Well Child visit.

Please help contain this preventable disease by making vaccination a priority. A simple shot or nasal spray can protect your family, friends, and acquaintances, particularly the little ones who can't make this important health decision for themselves.

Black Death revealed and how research leads to preparedness

Yersinia pestis

The 1348 Black Death plague was one of the worst pandemics in human history; it killed about a third of Europe's population (30-50 million) in only five years. Recent scientific advances have allowed anthropologists to identify and study the bacteria responsible, a now extinct strain of Yersinia pestis.

DNA testing on the skeletons of 109 plague victims, unearthed in a medieval London mass grave, reveals part of the same gene sequence as the modern bubonic plague, despite its different attributes. The modern strain still causes about 2,000 new cases of bubonic and pneumonic plague each year.

Rather than using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the common genetic technique used for forensics and DNA testing, scientists used very new techniques: targeted enrichment and high-throughput sequencing. These techniques allow researchers to reconstruct long sequences of ancient, damaged DNA that have degraded over time. It's like creating a window back in time, though on a miniscule scale.

Science has taught us much about transmission and containment methods, but this does not answer all of the questions about why the 14th century Black Death plague was so virulent. Fleas commonly carry Y. pestis from host to host, and the jump from rats to humans is often a short one. However, that transmission method doesn't account for such rapid spread, despite lack of public health knowledge. Could the strain have combined with another pathogen to achieve such remarkable virulence? Researchers are hoping to tackle the answer to that question next. To do so, they will attempt to sequence the entire Black Death Y. pestis genome.

I am constantly amazed at how rapidly expanding scientific technologies allow us to gather information that would not have been accessible a mere handful of years ago. For example, when I started researching the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, scientists had not yet reconstructed the virus. In an effort to advance preparedness, CDC scientists completed the reconstruction in 2005.

Why is it important to reconstruct a virus from the past? The work provides information about the properties that contributed to the exceptional virulence of that particular virus strain. This information is critical to evaluating the effectiveness of current and future public health interventions, which can be used when a 1918-like strain reemerges, either naturally or through deliberate release. To gain a sense of what could happen in such a flu pandemic scenario, you might want to read Dormant, which is still scheduled for release in early 2012.

Good news for toddlers getting their flu vaccine

Nasal spray vaccine
Nati Harnik/Associated Press

Good news for children under three years! Toddlers receive the same protective antibody response from the recommended two doses of licensed seasonal flu vaccines administered through any of these methods:

• Injected by needle
• Inhaled through nasal spray
• Provided through one dose of each, in any order

The goal of the study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was to determine whether giving two types of vaccines works just as well.

Even better, the researchers found that the toddlers who received at least one dose of the nasal spray vaccine—a live, attenuated influenza virus vaccine (LAIV)—made a wide array of immune T cells. Stimulating broad T-cell responses may be important for protection against many diverse flu strains.

This is good news for parents as well. My son seems to bring home every bug that goes through his daycare, so it's good to know that we can help prevent at least one. Getting your little one vaccinated also protects their playmates, teachers, parents, and other caregivers. Please make sure that you talk to your doctor about immunizations. If in doubt, feel free to read some of my blogs on vaccines, particularly the one titled "Vaccines are a victim of their own success."

Homeopathic flu remedies top the list of "12 Things You Should Stop Buying Now"

Here's an interesting flu tidbit that caught my eye today. Homeopathic flu remedies top the TIME's list of "12 Things You should Stop Buying Now." The CDC's recommendations on Preventing Sesional Flu Illness includes the following statement: "There is no scientific evidence that any herbal, homeopathic or other folk remedies have any benefit against influenza."

While I don't know if green tea is used in homeopathic remedies, I believe that the studies are focusing on tea as a preventative versus a treatment. If nothing else, drinking tea can lend a certain comfort factor to help you feel better. That said, I wonder if the ongoing research into green tea as a flu preventative will be included in future recommendations.

Meanwhile, it would certainly be worth your time to review the CDC's guide on Good Health Habits for Preventing Seasonal Flu.

Green tea can help fight the flu

A list of ways to avoid the flu: get the flu shot, wash your hands, cover your cough, eat healthy, drink green tea.... What?

Yes, drinking green tea can help fight strains of influenza that vaccines miss. Green tea accounts for only 20 percent of world tea consumption, but it has many health benefits. Green tea is produced by pan-frying or steaming the leaves of Camellia sinensis, to inactivate an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase. This process preserves the molecules epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), and epicatechin (EC), which are collectively called catechins and are powerful antioxidants. A typical cup of green tea contains approximately 200 to 300 mg of catechins. Black tea, which accounts for 78 percent of world tea consumption, is produced from leaves of the same plant; however, its different preparation process causes oxidation and polymerization of the catechins.

A study on the effects of green tea catechins plus theanine—another tea component—on healthcare workers exposed to the influenza virus, was performed by Dr. Keiji Matsumoto and colleagues at the University of Shizuoka, Japan. From November 2009 to April 2010, 98 workers were assigned to the catechin/theanine group and 99 were assigned to the placebo group. All worked with elderly patients, and 92.9 percent were vaccinated against influenza. The catechins and theanine were supplied in capsules that provided a 378 mg catechins and 210 mg theanine per day.

The catechin/theanine group had significantly fewer cases of flu than the placebo group—four cases in the catechin/theanine group and 16 cases in the placebo group. Flu was diagnosed as fever plus any two of the following symptoms: cough, sore throat, headache, muscle aches.

Even as an ardent tea fan, I tend to drink green tea only about once a week. I plan to add it into my rotation more frequently, though it sounds like a daily dose would be ideal. This is the perfect excuse to try making Tea Jelly with green tea or baking the even more decadent Green Tea Cake.

Flu Vaccine Pill Designed by Teen

Formulation V720 is the world's first and only flu vaccine in pill form. The vaccine is the same as what would be used in vaccinations, but the delivery method is a hard-shelled, multi-component capsule designed to move through the digestive system and release only when it reaches the small intestine. From there, the vaccine can be absorbed into the lymphatic system, which then generates an immune response.

Grant Sparling

The vaccine pill was developed by Medicine for a Better Tomorrow, a 10-member team attending an enrichment program at a university. Eighteen-year-old Grant Sparling is the president of the team. They decided to develop the new vaccine delivery system in response to the challenge to develop a product for the aging population of Canada. People age 65 and older are more susceptible to influenza, but as age increases, so does the fear of needles.

Patents and research are still pending, but almost a dozen doctors have confirmed that the science behind the idea is sound enough for research to be done.

For more details, you can follow these links:

• MBT CEO Named One of "Canada's Top 20 Under 20" for 2011
• Blythe teen designs new vaccine
• Grant Sparling's School Profile (PDF)

Young people have a wonderful way of looking at common problems in a new way. The fact that they have fewer preconceptions about how something should be done, means that they can come up with deceptively simple but innovative solutions. I will be keeping an eye out for more news regarding a flu vaccine pill. Medical research is not a fast process—it is painstaking and thorough—but if the idea can be developed and approved for production, a vaccine pill would revolutionize immunization programs.

Vaccines are a victim of their own success

Preventable childhood diseases are on the rise. So far this year, twice the usual number of measles cases have been diagnosed. It is the biggest outbreak seen in 15 years. A CDC staff member compared measles to a canary in a coal mine; it is the first sign of issues with vaccine coverage.

My son just recovered from the Coxsackievirus, so I can tell you how hard it is to see your child suffer. As his mom, I fought just to get him to drink while I watchfully checked him for signs of complications, such as meningitis. He could not understand why he felt bad and why it hurt when he tried to eat or drink. All I could do was try to offer comfort. I would gladly have been sick in his place. This only reinforced the decision to vaccinate on schedule, which I had already based on my knowledge of medical science and public health.

So why do parents refuse or delay vaccines? Here is a short list of possibilities, which is discussed in more detail in the following article:

• Vaccines are a victim of their own success. When you have never seen the horror of a disease, it is easy to forget that it exists.
• Parents do not realize that they are gambling the lives of not only their own kids, but also the lives of all the children around them.
• Fear caused by myths about vaccines and autism. Today's media-driven society makes it very easy to scare people.
• Influential sources claiming that diseases are a minor threat.
• States granting exceptions to vaccinations for philosophical reasons.

Childhood diseases return as parents refuse vaccines

Landon Lewis, 4, was living in a Minneapolis homeless shelter when he fell ill, first with a fever of 104 degrees, then with a red rash on his forehead.

It took two visits to a doctor to diagnose a disease clinic staff hadn't seen in years: measles.

The rash spread into his mouth and throat, so swallowing was torture. He began vomiting and developed a cough that nearly choked him. He was rushed to the emergency room and hospitalized for five days.

Click here to read more of this USA Today article.

Lozenges to Cure the Flu

Here's a novel approach to curing flu outbreaks: a preventative lozenge. If you think you have been exposed, you pop a lozenge in your mouth and ready-made antibodies give you protection. The lozenge works by using the immune system of the stomach and intestines. The challenge with this approach is that the benefits are short-term. You are only protected for one day. A single flu shot for the year seems much more practical, particularly considering the fact that influenza is the only virus that requires a new vaccine every year; it is constantly changing.

There do seem to be benefits to the flu lozenge as an alternative therapy. If you haven't been able to get your flu shot yet, you can suck on a lozenge each day until you make it to your doctor or clinic for the vaccine. Researchers hope their lozenge can be sold over the counter, which would make it readily available.

For more details about the flu lozenge research, you can refer to the article Suckers for flu research go ferreting for a cure. Perhaps the journalist had a bit too much fun with puns.