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Read our latest stories on the people and scientific innovations making a difference in patients’ lives.
Vaccine Schedules for Infants, Children and Adults
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends vaccination as a way to control and prevent disease outbreaks in the United States. Vaccine schedules include immunizations against contagious diseases such as measles, mumps, and pertussis, to name a few. You may have wondered how these recommendations are developed. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is a group of medical and public health experts that develop recommendations on the routine administration...
Acute vs. Chronic Cough: What Is It Really Trying To Tell You?
Want to be the least popular person in a crowd? Start coughing. You will surely draw the attention of everyone within earshot—and probably not in a good way. You may even notice people inching away from you and your perceived germs, (whether real or not). But, if strangers can interpret the signs and symptoms of a cough so quickly, why are we sometimes last to pay attention to it? Here’s what’s true: A cough is an important symptom that’s trying to tell you something. The Anatomy of a Cough...
Preventing Accidental Poisonings at Home
It’s always important to be aware of unintentional poisonings and to learn about poison prevention. Though many adults may not think a poisoning could happen to them or their children, many parents may not even be aware of what the dangers could be! According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every 13 seconds, a poison control center in the United States answers a call about a possible poisoning with more than 90% of these exposures occurring in the home. Additionally...
Adult Vaccination in Communities of Color
Each year, thousands of adults suffer from serious infectious diseases that in severe cases can result in hospitalization or even death. Even though there are vaccines available to help prevent a number of these potentially serious diseases, vaccination rates among U.S. adults remain low—lagging well behind federal goals and expert recommendations. Older African Americans and Hispanics are less likely than white adults to be vaccinated, leaving them at greater risk. And, with chronic diseases...
Cold vs Allergies: Which Is It?
You find yourself coughing, sneezing, and with a runny nose. At first you may think it’s a cold, but how do you know it’s not a seasonal allergy? Colds and seasonal allergies are both common, and they share some of the same symptoms. But they are very different conditions. What’s the difference? Colds and seasonal allergies both affect the respiratory system (i.e., nose, throat, lungs), but beyond that they are very different. The common cold is caused by viruses. Most people with a...
Vaccines During Pregnancy
Women who get the vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during pregnancy can help protect themselves from some diseases—and they can give their babies some early protection as well. This happens because pregnant women who are vaccinated can pass along some of the antibodies (proteins that fight disease) they get from the vaccines to their babies. These antibodies can give the baby some protection against certain diseases during the first months of life—when...
Understanding COVID-19 Testing Methods
With COVID-19 cases on the rise around the country, and the holiday season here, many people are considering whether to get a coronavirus test. Diagnostic testing is a critical tool in helping to understand and control the spread of the virus. And for indviduals, test results help to guide their medical treatment and whether they need to self-isolate. While testing is an important tool, making sense of the testing landscape has been complex and confusing for many, says Renee Yura, who...
Real People
An Early Passion for Science and Public Health Inspires Adriana’s Work
Meet Adriana. She leads a team that manages the samples collected from Pfizer’s ongoing clinical trials. For her, Pfizer is more than just the company she works for, it’s family. Adriana first got her start in high school as a summer student worker – and since then, has had the opportunity to work on a number of “major vaccines that really have had an impact on public health.” A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ADRIANA AND HER TEAM Today, Adriana and her team of about 30 colleagues receive...
Real People
Sandy Focuses on Diversity in Our Clinical Trials
Meet Sandy. She is responsible for managing diversity in Pfizer’s clinical trials, striving for statistically diverse participant pools. For those who are unfamiliar with what clinical trials are, Sandy explains that a clinical trial is a “research study where we are recruiting participants to evaluate the safety or efficacy of a medicine or vaccine before it’s readily available.” As part of these research studies, it’s incredibly important to include people who are affected by...
How Do Viruses Mutate and What it Means for a Vaccine?
As SARS-CoV-2 spreads around the globe, it is mutating, in other words it is acquiring genetic changes. While the idea of “viral mutation” may sound concerning, it’s important to understand that many of these mutations are minor, and don’t have an overall impact on how fast a virus spreads or potentially how severe a viral infection might be. In fact, some mutations could make the virus less infectious. Much of our knowledge of how viruses change to escape natural or vaccine-elicited...
Real People
“The Ice Man” - The Pfizer Colleague & Dad Who Keeps Our Medicines and Vaccines on Ice
Meet James. He is responsible for developing the packaging and distributions strategies needed to move our medicines and vaccines directly from manufacturing sites down to various points of use globally (i.e. hospitals, long term care facilities, pharmacies, etc.). Unbeknownst to most people, all medicines and vaccines require some type of temperature control. Some need to be kept at room temperature, others refrigerated, and some must be frozen. The packaging that James specifically works on...
Living & Wellbeing
Chronic Stress and How to Manage It
Everyone seems stressed these days. From the current pandemic to economic pressures, racial unrest, political tensions and natural disasters, the start of the new decade has seemed to throw one stressor after another. At some point, that stress may become something you can’t simply shake off: Experiencing stress over an extended period may indicate that stress is chronic. Chronic stress can take a toll on your mind and body. Fortunately, there are things you can do to back on the path to mental...
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