Remember the terror you felt as a child when you went to the doctor for a vaccination? These days, doctor visits are worse for children. Added to the standard list of measles, mumps, and rubella (often given as one combination injection); diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (given as a single DTP vaccine); and polio; now Haemophilus influenzae b, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and varicella are preventable by vaccination. "In 1989, it took just eight shots to fully immunize a child against the recommended diseases; now, it takes a minimum of 14," says Bruce G. Weniger, assistant chief for vaccine development at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Immunization Program. To avoid upsetting a child with large numbers of shots given during a single visit, medical personnel often reschedule some injections-but some parents don't bother taking the child back for rescheduled or booster shots. These are good reasons to develop ...
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RECORD DONORS: U.S. Healthcare founder Leonard Abramsom and his wife, Madlyn, a cancer survivor, donated $100 million to create a new cancer research center at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. Photo: Courtesy Bruce Wemger INJECTION INNOVATION: A young patient shows some apprehension as a needle-free injector device is placed against her arm prior to firing. Remember the terror you felt as a child when you went to the doctor for a vaccination? These days, docto
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