The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today revised its recommendations for rotavirus vaccines for the prevention of the disease in infants and has determined that it is appropriate for clinicians and health care professionals to resume the use of Rotarix and to continue the use of RotaTeq.
The agency reached its decision based on a careful evaluation of information from laboratory results from the manufacturers and the FDA’s own laboratories, a thorough review of the scientific literature, and input from scientific and public health experts, including members of the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee that convened on May 7, 2010 to discuss these vaccines.
The FDA also considered the following in its decision:
Both vaccines have strong safety records, including clinical trials involving tens of thousands of patients as well as clinical experience with millions of vaccine recipients.
The FDA has no evidence that PCV1 or PCV2 pose a safety risk in humans, and neither is known to cause infection or illness in humans.
The benefits of the vaccines are substantial, and include prevention of death in some parts of the world and hospitalization for severe rotavirus disease in the United States. These benefits outweigh the risk, which is theoretical.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
AT&T* today announced an update on the availability of its third generation (3G) mobile broadband network in Vermont
"Vermonters are keenly aware of the value and importance of having access to high speed voice and data networks within the state and the news of AT&T's introduction of 3G capabilities to their network is welcome, indeed," said Thomas E. Murray, Executive Director of the Vermont Telecommunications Authority. "The VTA values the investments of partners like AT&T in Vermont as the VTA works toward fulfilling its mission to make broadband and wireless coverage available across the state."
AT&T’s third generation (3G) mobile broadband network opens the door to a new era of mobile services and feature-rich audio and video content for AT&T customers. As part of AT&T’s initial network upgrade plan, 3G will go live on a rolling basis starting in Bennington, Brattleboro, Brownsville, Killington, Vernon, Warren, West Dover and White River Junction sometime this week. By December 31st, 3G will be added in Burlington, Colchester, Essex Junction, Fayston, Hartford, Jamaica, Jeffersonville, Middlebury, Rutland, South Burlington, St. Albans, Stowe, Waitsfield, West Rutland, West Townshend, West Wardsboro, Williston and Winooski.
This year’s 3G expansion is the first part of an ongoing network upgrade in Vermont. Additional coverage enhancements, including early first quarter 3G expansions in Barre, Montpelier and Northfield are already planned for 2010.
The network extension is part of AT&T’s ongoing efforts to drive innovation and investment to deliver the benefits of smartphones and mobile broadband for customers. More smartphone customers have chosen AT&T over any other U.S. competitor, and AT&T is committed to driving continual enhancement of network capabilities to meet these customers’ ever-growing mobile broadband needs.
AT&T’s third generation (3G) mobile broadband network opens the door to a new era of mobile services and feature-rich audio and video content for AT&T customers. As part of AT&T’s initial network upgrade plan, 3G will go live on a rolling basis starting in Bennington, Brattleboro, Brownsville, Killington, Vernon, Warren, West Dover and White River Junction sometime this week. By December 31st, 3G will be added in Burlington, Colchester, Essex Junction, Fayston, Hartford, Jamaica, Jeffersonville, Middlebury, Rutland, South Burlington, St. Albans, Stowe, Waitsfield, West Rutland, West Townshend, West Wardsboro, Williston and Winooski.
This year’s 3G expansion is the first part of an ongoing network upgrade in Vermont. Additional coverage enhancements, including early first quarter 3G expansions in Barre, Montpelier and Northfield are already planned for 2010.
The network extension is part of AT&T’s ongoing efforts to drive innovation and investment to deliver the benefits of smartphones and mobile broadband for customers. More smartphone customers have chosen AT&T over any other U.S. competitor, and AT&T is committed to driving continual enhancement of network capabilities to meet these customers’ ever-growing mobile broadband needs.
Governor Douglas Announces Record $120 Million Paving Season
More than 300 miles of road to be paved this summer and fall
Sheldon, Vt. – Governor Jim Douglas this morning announced that the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will conduct a record amount of paving this construction season. VTrans will invest more than $100 million on paving this season for the first time in its history. Governor Douglas made the announcement in Sheldon, where VTrans is paving nearly 10 miles of Route 105 between Sheldon and Enosburg.
“I am proud of the increased investment we’ve made in our transportation infrastructure in recent years,” the Governor said. “This year’s paving budget is a great example of our commitment. VTrans’ paving expenditure for the 2010 construction season will total about $120 million – a record sum as no other paving season has ever topped $100 million.”
To put this season’s effort in perspective, last year VTrans’ paving program totaled $75 million as the agency resurfaced 142 miles. This year, the Agency’s investments will result in the resurfacing of more than 300 miles of road.
Due to the unusually mild winter, VTrans finished the year with a surplus in its winter maintenance budget. A large portion of that surplus, $2.6 million, will be redirected to paving so that more than $6 million can be used by the Agency’s nine Maintenance Districts to “level” more than 55 miles of roadway this spring and summer in the same spirit of the Agency’s very successful Operation Smooth Ride program of 2008. Unlike the Agency’s main paving program, which provides road surface treatments that can last up to 20 years, District leveling is designed to only provide a thin layer of surface treatment with an expected lifespan of three-to-five years.
As the Agency did in 2008 for Operation Smooth Ride, VTrans’ pavement management team joined forces with Maintenance District personnel to identify some of the worst roadways statewide that were not scheduled to receive a major repaving effort in the near future.
This team identified 55 miles of roadway in 40 different towns spread all over the state,” said VTrans Secretary David Dill. “These full-width pavement overlays will range in size from as long as 4.7 miles of Route 126 in Pownal to as short as six-tenths of a mile of Route 17 in Addison. On average, these Smooth Ride leveling efforts will cover just shy of two miles each.”
In 2003, the state had a paving budget of just $21.9 million. Since then, Governor Douglas and the Legislature steadily increased the paving program and with the help of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Vermont is able to dedicate $120 million to a single paving season.
The recent attention to pavement is beginning to show progress. In 2008, 36 percent of Vermont roads were listed in very poor condition. That percentage in 2009 fell to 34 percent. With $120 million expected to be spent this coming construction season, this percentage is expected to drop to somewhere close to 30 percent by the end of 2010.
“No where is this more prevalent than on our critical Interstate system,” Governor Douglas said. “This spring, summer and fall VTrans will resurface about 90 miles of Interstate. By the time the construction season is finished, we will have resurfaced 50 percent of Vermont’s entire Interstate highway system over the past five years.”
This emphasis on paving will continue. The new fiscal year 2011 Transportation Budget that was passed last week by both the Vermont House and Senate contains $93 million for paving. Some of this money will be put to work this construction season, but some is also targeted for next year. This continued commitment to the paving program means Vermont’s percentage of very poor roadways will continue to fall.
Sheldon, Vt. – Governor Jim Douglas this morning announced that the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will conduct a record amount of paving this construction season. VTrans will invest more than $100 million on paving this season for the first time in its history. Governor Douglas made the announcement in Sheldon, where VTrans is paving nearly 10 miles of Route 105 between Sheldon and Enosburg.
“I am proud of the increased investment we’ve made in our transportation infrastructure in recent years,” the Governor said. “This year’s paving budget is a great example of our commitment. VTrans’ paving expenditure for the 2010 construction season will total about $120 million – a record sum as no other paving season has ever topped $100 million.”
To put this season’s effort in perspective, last year VTrans’ paving program totaled $75 million as the agency resurfaced 142 miles. This year, the Agency’s investments will result in the resurfacing of more than 300 miles of road.
Due to the unusually mild winter, VTrans finished the year with a surplus in its winter maintenance budget. A large portion of that surplus, $2.6 million, will be redirected to paving so that more than $6 million can be used by the Agency’s nine Maintenance Districts to “level” more than 55 miles of roadway this spring and summer in the same spirit of the Agency’s very successful Operation Smooth Ride program of 2008. Unlike the Agency’s main paving program, which provides road surface treatments that can last up to 20 years, District leveling is designed to only provide a thin layer of surface treatment with an expected lifespan of three-to-five years.
As the Agency did in 2008 for Operation Smooth Ride, VTrans’ pavement management team joined forces with Maintenance District personnel to identify some of the worst roadways statewide that were not scheduled to receive a major repaving effort in the near future.
This team identified 55 miles of roadway in 40 different towns spread all over the state,” said VTrans Secretary David Dill. “These full-width pavement overlays will range in size from as long as 4.7 miles of Route 126 in Pownal to as short as six-tenths of a mile of Route 17 in Addison. On average, these Smooth Ride leveling efforts will cover just shy of two miles each.”
In 2003, the state had a paving budget of just $21.9 million. Since then, Governor Douglas and the Legislature steadily increased the paving program and with the help of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Vermont is able to dedicate $120 million to a single paving season.
The recent attention to pavement is beginning to show progress. In 2008, 36 percent of Vermont roads were listed in very poor condition. That percentage in 2009 fell to 34 percent. With $120 million expected to be spent this coming construction season, this percentage is expected to drop to somewhere close to 30 percent by the end of 2010.
“No where is this more prevalent than on our critical Interstate system,” Governor Douglas said. “This spring, summer and fall VTrans will resurface about 90 miles of Interstate. By the time the construction season is finished, we will have resurfaced 50 percent of Vermont’s entire Interstate highway system over the past five years.”
This emphasis on paving will continue. The new fiscal year 2011 Transportation Budget that was passed last week by both the Vermont House and Senate contains $93 million for paving. Some of this money will be put to work this construction season, but some is also targeted for next year. This continued commitment to the paving program means Vermont’s percentage of very poor roadways will continue to fall.
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