The author reports on a Republican presidential debate which revives the contention over requiring middle school girls to be vaccinated against the virus that causes cervical cancer. At the September 12 debate, U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann, of Minnesota, and Rick Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, attacked Texas Governor…

This article features school nurses from across the country who are championing for school-located influenza immunization within their communities. These nurses are: (1) Mary C. Borja; (2) Christine Amidon; (3) Diane Spellings; (4) Susan Franzetti; and (5) Mary Nasuta. (Contains 6 figures.)

School-located vaccination has a long history in the United States. The 2008 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation for annual influenza vaccination of all children 6 months through 18 years of age adds approximately 30 million individuals to the overall cohort recommended to have a yearly vaccination. The ability to…

Theories and practices in early childhood education continually evolve, and the same is true in the health field. Such change is especially apparent in the area of childhood immunizations. Since vaccination to prevent smallpox was first started in the late 1700s, recommendations for which immunizations to give and when to give them have been…

Many people, whether old or young, male or female, typically developing or living with a disability, become quite anxious at the idea of a needle. They anticipate the possibility of pain, however brief, and try to avoid the experience. The reality is that any discomfort is usually very brief, and the entire process only takes a minute or two from…

This project was designed to be used in a freshman calculus class whose students had already been introduced to logistic functions and basic data modeling techniques. It need not be limited to such an audience, however; it has also been implemented in a topics in mathematics class for college upperclassmen. Originally intended to be presented in…

Exposing American K-12 students to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) content is a national initiative. Game Design Through Mentoring and Collaboration targets students from underserved communities and uses their interest in video games as a way to introduce science, technology, engineering, and math topics. This article describes a…

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) annually publishes an immunization schedule for persons aged 0 through 18 years that summarizes recommendations for currently licensed vaccines for children aged 18 years and younger and includes recommendations in effect as of December 15, 2009. The changes to the previous schedule are…

"Research Connections" conducted a comprehensive search of its collection for resources focused on child care health and safety. This Key Topic Resource List includes an overview and listing of selected resources from the literature. Resources of various types- including reports and papers, fact sheets and briefs, summaries, and reviews…

Seasonal influenza is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. It also has major social and economic consequences in the form of high rates of absenteeism from school and work as well as significant treatment and hospitalization costs. In fact, annual influenza epidemics and the resulting deaths and lost days of productivity…

Flu is more dangerous than the common cold for children. Each year, flu places a large burden on the health and well-being of children and families. Children commonly need medical care because of influenza, especially before they turn 5 years old. Each year an average of 20,000 children under the age of 5 are hospitalized because of influenza…

Oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) causes 99.7% of all cervical cancers. HPV Types 16 and 18 are responsible for approximately 77% of cases, and peak prevalence occurs in females younger than 25 years of age. The recent implementation of HPV vaccination provides females with the opportunity to prevent infection. School nurses are advocates of…

The search for an AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) vaccine is truly a global effort, with university laboratories, biotech firms, pharmaceutical companies, nonprofit research organizations, hospitals, and clinics all working together to develop an effective vaccine as quickly as possible. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI)…

According to the 2008 recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, influenza vaccine should be administered on an annual basis to all children aged 6 months through 18 years. School-age children are more likely than any other age group to be infected with influenza, and…

The 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus vaccination campaign focused on use of school-located vaccination (SLV) clinics because of the ability of SLV to reach targeted populations. Large numbers of children are found in schools, and schools are conveniently located throughout communities. Communities are generally familiar with and trust schools, and…