Influenza Virus Vaccines Commons^™

The Impact Of Age, Health, And Education On Public Attitudes Towards Covid-19 Vaccines In Ireland, Kate Buckley, Aisling Burke, Chloe Holland, Clodagh O'Flynn

International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

Abstract:

Introduction: Studies have revealed that age, health status and 3^rd level education influence public attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccination during the pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that influence the public’s attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine two years post-pandemic.

Methods: Ethical approval was obtained for the study. A total of 241 participants who provided informed consent were surveyed anonymously using closed-ended, open-ended and Likert Scale questions. Associations between specific demographics and vaccination attitudes were established using SPSS software.

Results: A higher percentage of 25–34-year-olds and 35–44-year-olds regretted receiving COVID-19 vaccines (46.6% and 37.5% …

Full Issue: The International Undergraduate Journal Of Health Sciences, Volume 6, Issue 1, July 2026

International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

Full Issue: The International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences, Volume 6, Issue 1, July 2026.

What Covid-19 Taught Extension: Experiences Of Extension County Engagement Specialists Promoting Vaccinations In Meat Processing Plants In Rural Missouri., Wilson Majee, Ifeolu David, Lynelle Phillips, Rachel Buenemann, Kassandra Maturino

Journal of Extension

Extension played a significant role, in collaboration with other key community organizations, by disseminating information that debunked COVID-19 myths, and promoting vaccinations at the community level. In this article we present insights from the experiences of Extension faculty at the University of Missouri who were engaged in promoting COVID-19 vaccinations for meat processing plant workers. Findings from this quality improvement project highlight opportunities for leveraging Extension field faculty, and challenges to consider in future public health promotion efforts.

Enhancing Healthcare-Associated Infection Prevention: The Role Of Hand Hygiene, Ppe, Isolation, And Vaccination Education, Kaitlyn N. Rollo

Aurora

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) represent a significant threat to patient safety in hospital environments. These infections are often linked to lapses in infection prevention protocols, including inadequate hand hygiene, improper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and insufficient isolation procedures. This project aimed to evaluate compliance with infection control policies and identify areas for improvement at Lima Memorial Hospital. By focusing on auditing, education, and data analysis, the goal was to reduce HAI rates and strengthen overall infection prevention practices.

Methods included a comprehensive review of existing hospital infection prevention policies, followed by hand hygiene and PPE audits across the hospital’s …

Characteristics And Outcomes Of Adults Hospitalized With Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Brian S. Shaw, Cara Slaton, Ian P. Murphy, Michael Mcalister, Daniel Egan, Kwabena Ayesu

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a negative sense single-stranded RNA virus (ssRNA) that primarily causes respiratory infections in both children and older adults. We examined clinical characteristics and outcomes of hospitalized adult patients who tested positive for RSV.

Methods: This was a multicenter, retrospective, descriptive study that examined adult patients admitted with a positive RSV test over two years across eight hospitals in Orlando, Florida.

Results: A total of 120 patients were included, of which 88 (73%) were 60 years old and older. Overall, patients with RSV infection were caucasian (62%) with a median age of 70 years and …

Perspectives On Flu Vaccination Advertisement Messaging In The Era Of Covid-19: Thematic Analysis Centering Adult Black Voices, Krissy Moehling Geffel, Stephanie N. Christian, Andrea D. Casas, Harika P. Dyer, Tiffany L. Gary-Webb, Hannah E. Hardy, Roderick Harris, Dara D. Mendez

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Influenza (flu) is an infectious, respiratory disease that causes substantial burden and mortality, and Non-Hispanic Black people experience profound disparities in flu disease burden in the United States. One contributor to flu disease disparities is lower flu vaccination rates among Black populations. This qualitative study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and used the Public Health Critical Race Praxis framework to center and elicit Black adults’ perspectives of desired flu vaccine messaging. This work builds upon efforts to increase access to flu vaccinations and recommendations are provided to aid in tailoring flu vaccine messaging via a health equity lens. Recommendations …

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, Andrew N. Rowan, Kathleen Rowan

WellBeing News

The avian flu virus was the agent that caused the devastating worldwide influenza pandemic in 2018 that killed an estimated 50-100 million people, and health authorities continue to pay close attention to periodic outbreaks of avian flu. Currently, an H5N1 influenza virus is leading to millions of wild birds and domestic poultry deaths. Recently, this virus spread in a mink farm in Spain, raising the stakes that it might be able to spread among humans. While the current avian flu pandemic is a major economic problem for global farms and a major animal welfare concern for domestic poultry and wild …

On Efficacy And Effectiveness Of Vaccines: A Mathematical Approach Based On Conditional Probability With Applications To The Covid-19 Context, Flavius Guias

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

This paper presents a mathematically formalized approach which points out the relation between efficacy and effectiveness of vaccines. The first term denotes the relative degree of protection in clinical trials or under ideal conditions, while the latter is based on observed real-life data. We define the efficacy by a similar formula to the effectiveness, but the probabilities involved in the relative risk are conditional with respect to the exposure to the virus. If exposure and vaccination status are independent, the two quantities are equal. Otherwise, the observed value of the effectiveness is a biased one, as it could be seen …

Covid-19 Vaccine Disparities And Attitudes, Deonne Cartwright, Meryem Saygili

Pursue: Undergraduate Research Journal

The past couple of years have caused so much uncertainty and grief amidst the global pandemic. The goal of this study is to explore the attitudes behind COVID-19 vaccination to address the cause for vaccine disparities and help minimize health disparities in the United States. The study considers two multivariable regressions in SPSS of the social factors on vaccination status and vaccine confidence. This model studies the relationship between one’s ethnicity, race, education level, education specialization, household income, political ideology, and media source on vaccine confidence and vaccination status on an East Texas college campus. A campus-wide survey was conducted …

Determinants Of Vaccine Hesitancy In Indonesia: A Scoping Review, Nuril Hanifah, Ike Herdiana, Rahkman Ardi

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia

Complete children immunization coverage in Indonesia declined from 59.2% in 2013 to 57.9% in 2016. Therefore, a study on understanding the vaccination barrier is necessary to improve future coverage. This scoping review aims to identify the determinants of vaccine hesitancy using the model of the World Health Organization-Strategic Advisory Group of Expert (WHO-SAGE) working group and to map them on the basis of region, target population, and vaccine. This research used publications from seven databases (Science Direct, Wiley, Scopus, SAGE, PubMed, Springer, and Taylor & Francis) from 2015 to 2020. A total of 10,212 publications were identified and filtered by …

H1n1 Influenza Virus (Swine Flu): A Comprehensive Insight Into Escalating Catch-22 Scenarios, Muhammad Shahzaib, Ehsan Ul Haq

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Introduction: Viruses have always been a major cause of various disastrous pandemics in mankind’s history. H1N1 became a threat when its original strain was first discovered back in the swine flu pandemic of 2009. It became highly catastrophic on a large scale because none of the therapeutic interventions and methodologies that were already present at the time were effective against the virus.

Methods: A vast amount of literature and research is available regarding H1N1 influenza from different reputable sources online. The data were gathered with the contrasting and relative situations of 1918 and 2009 pandemics in mind. The overall extracted …

Winners And Losers In The American Political Debates Of The Nation’S Health: An Ethical And Moral Dilemma, Dr. Sheila P. Davis

Journal of Health Ethics

The third and final issue of the Online Journal of Health Ethics for 2020 presents two poignant articles that are rankled with current health ethics and moral issues as the world races to a resolve for the COVID pandemic. There appears to be no easy, quick-fix solutions to the pandemic that has claimed over 1.11 million lives worldwide in this first wave. The Gellert article addresses his view of the U.S. government’s political response and the Gunn article presents an ethical perspective of the emerging promised vaccine to halt the virus.

Enhancing Immunization Rates In Two Urban Academic Primary Care Clinics: A Before And After Assessment, Zeeshan Yacoob, Christopher Cook, Fabiana Kotovicz, Jessica J.F. Kram, Marianne Klumph, Marisa Stanley, Paul Hunter, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Immunization rates in many cities in the United States remain suboptimal compared to Healthy People 2020 Goals and are lower than national averages. This study aimed to determine whether a lecture-based educational intervention targeted at nurses and medical assistants would improve vaccination rates.

Methods: We conducted a quality improvement study in two urban academic family medicine clinics serving a predominantly Medicaid patient population as well as a sizable proportion of refugees. The intervention consisted of 3 lectures that were delivered to clinic nurses and medical assistants. Vaccinations in 1689 patients — 872 in the 3-month preintervention period, 817 in …

A Pharmacist's Guide To Vaccinations, Amy Gillman, Jessica Beck, Vincent Wu

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

No abstract provided.

Immunization Guidelines For Pregnant Women, Kelly Dye, Maria Laikos, Tristan Maiers, Eric Stack, Natalie Dipietro

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

There are many misconceptions among the general public regarding the administration of vaccinations during pregnancy. It is imperative for pharmacists to be current regarding guidelines and updates about recommended vaccines. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that while some vaccines are highly recommended during pregnancy, others have limited safety data or are contraindicated. As new data emerges on the safety and efficacy of immunizations during pregnancy, pharmacists should continue to review the literature to stay up-to-date on vaccination recommendations. The CDC also has information available for pharmacists and other health care professionals regarding the use …

Assessment Of Pneumonia Severity Indices As Mortality Predictors, Connor L. English, Thomas Chandler, Brian E. Guinn, Stephen P. Furmanek, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

BACKGROUND

The leading cause of infectious disease death in the United States is community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Several pneumonia severity indices exist and are widely used as tools to assist physicians regarding site of care based on risk of death. However, limited data exists that discerns which of the most commonly used severity scores is the best predictor of mortality across multiple time points. The objective of this study is to determine the best mortality predictor at different time points between four of the most commonly used pneumonia severity scores.

METHODS

This was a secondary analysis of a prospective, multicenter, population-based, …

Towards Multi-Lingual Pneumonia Research Data Collection Using The Community-Acquired Pneumonia International Cohort Study Database, William A. Mattingly, Kimberley A. Buckner, Senen Pena

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Although multilingual interfaces are preferred by most users when they have a choice, organizations are often unable to support and troubleshoot problems involving multiple user languages. Software that has been structured with multiple languages and data interlinking considerations early in its development is more likely to be easily maintained. We describe the process of adding multilingual support to the CAPO international Cohort study database using REDCap.

Methods: Using Google Translate API we extend the supported Spanish language version of REDCap to the most recent version used by CAPO, 8.1.4. We then translate the English data dictionary for CAPO to …

Clinical Research In Pneumonia: Role Of Artificial Intelligence, Timothy L. Wiemken, Robert R. Kelley, William A. Mattingly, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Beta-Lactam Plus Macrolide Vs Fluoroquinolone For Empiric Therapy Of Hospitalized Patients With Cap: Results From The University Of Louisville Pneumonia Study, Vidyulata Salunkhe, Stephen P. Furmanek, Forest W. Arnold

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background

Current guidelines recommend a β-lactam plus a macrolide or fluoroquinolone monotherapy as initial empiric antibiotic therapy for treatment of patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Multiple studies have shown different results comparing the two regimens for the treatment of CAP. Our objective, in a city-wide prospective study, was to compare outcomes among hospitalized patients with CAP who received empiric treatment either with a β-lactam plus a macrolide or fluoroquinolone monotherapy.

Methods

This was a propensity score matched case-control study of the University of Louisville Pneumonia Study. It was a prospective population-based cohort study of all hospitalized adults with CAP. …

Characteristics And Clinical Outcomes Of Hospitalized Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia Who Are Active Intravenous Drug Users, Vidyulata Salunkhe, Paula Peyrani, Leslie A. Beavin, Stephen P. Furmanek, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Intravenous drug users (IVDU) have a 10-fold increased risk of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) compared to the general population. There is scarce data available evaluating the clinical outcomes of IVDU hospitalized patients with CAP and that data mostly focuses on mortality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics, incidence and outcomes of hospitalized patients with CAP in active intravenous drug users in Louisville, Kentucky.

Methods: This was a secondary data analysis of the University of Louisville Pneumonia study. IVDU patients were propensity score matched to a non-IVDU group. Study outcomes were time to clinical stability (TCS), …

Pulmonary Histoplasmosis In A Patient With Cough, Dyspnea, Pulmonary Nodule And Rheumatologic Manifestations: Case Report And Review, Johnson Britto

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

In this case report we describe a case of pulmonary histoplasmosis in a healthy adult female living in Kentucky. The patient presented with two months history of poly-arthralgia and myalgia, intermittent dry cough, chest tightness, exertional dyspnea, malaise, fatigue and one week history of skin rash. She did not respond to broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy and she also had extensive endocrine and rheumatologic work up that was negative. A diagnosis of histoplasmosis was established based on radiological findings as well as endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration cytology (EBUS-TBNA) of mediastinal lymph nodes demonstrating necrotizing granuloma with fungal stains positive for Histoplasma. …

Pulmonary Aspergillosis: A Review On Diagnosis And Management, Bilal A. Jalil, Juan M. Galvis, Karim A. El Kersh, Mohamed Saad, Mostafa M. Fraig, Juan J. Guardiola Ii

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Aspergillosis is acquired by inhalation of spores of Aspergillus, a ubiquitous species in the environment. In normal hosts, spore inhalation rarely causes lung disease.

Pulmonary aspergillosis covers a wide spectrum of clinical syndromes depending on the interaction between Aspergillus and the host (immune-status, prior bronchopulmonary disease). It runs the gamut from invasive aspergillosis to Aspergillus bronchitis and colonization.

Invasive aspergillosis occurs in severely immunocompromised patients, typically with neutropenia. Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis affects patients with chronic structural lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mycobacterial lung disease, but without significant immunocompromise. Aspergillus bronchitis affects patients with bronchial disease such …

A Continuum Of Disease From Community-Acquired Pneumonia To Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Lemierre’S Syndrome, A Case Report And Review Of Literature, Casmiar I. Nwaigwe, Jason Greenwood

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Lemierre’s syndrome is a suppurative thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein. In this paper we describe a case of severe Lemierre’s syndrome in a healthy 18 year-old woman. She initially presented with sore throat, and failed outpatient antibiotic therapy. She quickly progressed to septic shock, internal jugular vein septic thrombophlebitis, septic pulmonary emboli, empyema and respiratory failure. Successful treatment included intravenous antibiotics and thoracotomy. It is a rare disease that has been kept at bay with the widespread use of antibiotics for upper respiratory infections. However in recent years there seems to be an increase in number of cases being …

Adult Patients Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Hospitalized For Community-Acquired Pneumonia In The United States: Incidence And Outcomes, Leslie A. Beavin, Stephen P. Furmanek, Paula Peyrani, Anupama Raghuram, Forest W. Arnold, Mark Burns, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common infectious reason for hospitalization of adults in the United States (US), including those with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). While there are studies detailing the incidence and outcomes for all adults with CAP we are not aware of a recent study detailing incidence and outcomes in adult HIV patients hospitalized with CAP. The objectives of this study were (1) to define the current incidence and outcomes of adult HIV patients hospitalized with CAP in Louisville, Kentucky, and (2) to estimate the burden of CAP in the US HIV adult population.

Methods: This was a …

Bacteremic Pneumococcal Pneumonia: A Longitudinal Study In 279 Adult Patients From A Single Center, Jorge H. Gentile, Claudia Hernandez, Monica D. Sparo, Edgardo M. Rodriguez, Carolina Ceriani, Florencia Bruggesser

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia (BPP) is the most common clinical presentation of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). Although it has been extensively studied, there is little knowledge in our region in relation to burden of disease, demographic and outcome features.

Methods: We conducted a prospective, longitudinal, observational study from 1989 to 2015 in adult patients with BPP, in order to deepen our knowledge of the characteristics of this disease in our community hospital in Tandil, Argentina.

Results: 279 patients were included. The mean incidence was 2.8/1000 admissions with a sharp decrease in the last two years, reaching 0.8/1000 admissions. Mean patient …

Real-Time Pcr Detection Of Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, Chlamydia Pneumoniae And Legionella Pneumophila In Respiratory Specimens Using The Aries® System, Subathra Marimuthu, Leslie A. Wolf, James T. Summersgill

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mpn), Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn), and Legionella pneumophila (Lpn) can cause both epidemic and endemic occurrences of acute respiratory disease and are responsible for up to 22% of cases of community acquired pneumonia. Due to the limited availability of FDA-approved molecular diagnostic assays, we developed and evaluated a multiplexed Real-time PCR assay for the detection of these agents in two respiratory specimen types on the Luminex ARIES® instrument. The instrument provides for nucleic acid extraction plus PCR amplification and target detection in the same cassette. The ARIES® instrument generates a cycle threshold value and a confirmatory melt curve …

Mycobacterium Kansasii As The Primary Etiology Of Pulmonary Infections Due To Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterium (Ntm) In Patients Without Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv): Experience From A Center In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Gabriel Yusti, Marcela Heres, Alejandra González, Mariano Fielli, Adrian Ceccato, Alejandra Zapata

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Introduction: Pulmonary diseases due to non-tuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) lung infection in HIV-negative patients are rarely described in the literature. Currently, NTM consist of more than 150 species, and they are globally ubiquitous in both natural and man-made environments.The objective of this study was to define the most frequent species of NTM causing pulmonary disease in HIV-negative patients in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The prevalence of pulmonary diseases caused by NTM is difficult to determine since the isolation of NTM does not necessarily indicate disease.

Methods: A retrospective review of all the respiratory cultures positive for NTM in the …

A Software Tool For Automated Upload Of Large Clinical Datasets Using Redcap And The Capo Database, William A. Mattingly, Christopher Sinclair, Danna Williams, Matthew Grassman, Stephen Furmanek, Kimberley Buckner, Mohammad Tahboub

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Introduction: Obtaining clinical data from healthcare sources is necessary for conducting clinical research. New technologies now allow for connecting a research database to Electronic Medical Records remotely, allowing the automatic import of clinical research data. In this paper we design and evaluate a REDCap extension to import clinical records from an external health database.

Methods: Many hospital EHRs are designed to use secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) repositories for data communication. We develop a REDCap plugin to connect to an external SFTP file repository for the import of clinical record data. We use the CAPO instance of REDCap and a …

Effectiveness Of The Influenza Vaccine In Preventing Hospitalizations Of Patients With Influenza Community-Acquired Pneumonia, Thomas Chandler, Stephen P. Furmanek, Connor L. English, Connor Glick, Wesley Trail, Lara Daniels, Ugochukwu Owolabi, Ruth Carrico, Julio A. Ramirez, Timothy L. Wiemken

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Introduction: Influenza vaccination is the primary strategy for prevention of influenza infection. Influenza infection can vary from mild or even asymptomatic illness to severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Although many national and international investigators and organizations report annual estimates of influenza vaccine effectiveness for prevention of influenza infection in the community, few studies report estimates for the prevention of hospitalizations due to influenza CAP, the most severe form of the infection. The objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine for prevention of hospitalization in patients with influenza-associated CAP.

Methods: This was a test-negative study using …