William Schaffner, MD, is professor of preventive medicine and medicine (infectious diseases) at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn. Additionally, he serves as a hospital epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University Hospital and is immediate past-president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
January 10, 2014
Despite well-documented evidence regarding effectiveness and safety, overall adult vaccination rates in the United States fall short of national public health goals…
January 30, 2013
Each year in January, the CDC publishes an adult immunization schedule, updating information relating to the vaccines that are relevant to the adult population in the…
June 26, 2012
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has provided us an opportunity to do a better job in providing protection from invasive pneumococcal disease…
November 18, 2011
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice’s recent vote in favor of hepatitis B vaccination for all patients with diabetes aged younger than 60 years is a giant…
November 11, 2011
Saturday, Nov. 12 is the Third Annual World Pneumonia Day. Again this year I urge you to consider the enormous impact of pneumonia on children across the world and to…
October 4, 2011
I had the pleasure of hosting NFIDs’ Influenza/Pneumococcal news conference this year. Every year, NFID brings together leaders from public health and the private sector…
September 16, 2011
I’ve long been a strong supporter of vaccinations in pharmacies, the workplace, senior centers and any other reasonable place that makes it easier for adults to follow…
April 5, 2011
As I was writing my last blog about the ongoing pertussis outbreak in California, I couldn’t help wondering why the Hispanic community is being so hard hit there…
March 29, 2011
Oh, for the good old days! I’m not thinking about the 1950s and greasers or the 1960s and bell bottom pants. I’m thinking about the 1980s — and no, it’s not the fashion…
March 18, 2011
Jeffrey I. Cohen, MD, chief of the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Health, tells about his father’s bout with shingles and…