Arthritis: Not just for grown-ups
   Adderall use in children
      and adolescents

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Modest support for a whooping cough booster

Despite childhood vaccination rates being at all-time highs, pertussis (whooping cough) has re-emerged over the past two decades, especially among adolescents, adults and young infants. Two booster shots are pending FDA approval: Boostrix for 10 to 18 year olds and Adacel for patients between 11 and 64. Using computer simulation, a study in the June issue of Pediatrics compared six vaccination strategies, ranging from no vaccination after age 6 to adolescent and adult vaccination with 10-year boosters. The models incorporated existing data on pertussis incidence, disease outcomes, vaccine efficacy, vaccine costs and side effects. The researchers, led by Grace Lee, MD, MPH, in Children's Hospital Boston's Division of Infectious Diseases, concluded that one-time adolescent vaccination "would result in significant net health benefits and may be reasonably cost-effective," preventing 36 percent of projected pertussis cases at a cost of $1,100 per case. These estimates were less favorable than those for Hib or measles vaccination, but similar to those for pneumococcal vaccination.