The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Advisory Committee in Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended a booster dose of the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine in people between the ages of 11 and 64 years and in those older than 65 years if they come in close contact with infants.

In 2005, ACIP voted to recommend routine use of a single dose of Tdap for adults 19 to 64 years of age to replace the next booster dose of tetanus and diphtheria toxoids vaccine (Td). ACIP also recommended Tdap for adults who have close contact with infants younger than 12 months of age.

Tdap Safe in Adults Aged 65 Years and Older

Yesterday, ACIP built on those recommendations by voting that Tdap can replace Td in adults aged 65 years and older in those who have not previously received Tdap. In addition, adults aged 65 years or older who anticipate contact with children aged 12 months or younger should also be vaccinated to protect both themselves and the infant.

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The use of low-dose aspirin reduced the long-term incidence of and mortality related to colorectal cancer, according to British researchers.

Notably, the benefit was greatest for cancers of the proximal colon, which are not prevented effectively by screening with sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy, say the researchers, led by Peter Rothwell, MD, PhD, from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom.

Their study, which is the first to assess the long-term effectiveness of lower doses (75 to 300 mg daily) of aspirin on colorectal cancer, was published online October 21 in the Lancet.

The same investigators have previously shown that high-dose aspirin (≥500 mg daily) reduces the long-term incidence of colorectal cancer, but with the spectre of adverse effects, especially increased bleeding.

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