Marshfield Clinic Physician Selected to Serve on Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
Wednesday, July 16th, 2014 -- 1:27 PM
-A Marshfield Clinic physician and global expert on flu vaccine effectiveness has been selected to serve on a national committee tasked with developing recommendations on how to use immunizations to control disease.Dr. Edward Belongia, director of the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Population Health at Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, will serve a four-year term beginning this month on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
As part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 15-member ACIP provides expert guidance for vaccine use. ACIP?s recommendations have a major impact on vaccine priorities and usage in both children and adults. Although the role of the ACIP is advisory, its recommendations are almost always adopted by CDC and become national policy.
Based on his expertise, Belongia has been asked to participate on the ACIP flu workgroup to study flu vaccine research that may be important for new recommendations. He will also serve as the chair of the herpes zoster workgroup. The zoster vaccine currently is recommended for U.S. adults at age 60, and the workgroup will evaluate new studies on effectiveness, length of protection, and safety.
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