GSK's hep A/B vax stays effective for a decade; Drop in ear infections could be due to vaccines;

> According to a GlaxoSmithKline-funded study, a combined Hepatitis A and B (HAB) vaccine maintained immunity to both strains of the virus. All of the children, who were vaccinated in 1998, were positive for anti-hepatitis A serotypes for 10 years, and 80 percent were positive for anti-hepatitis B serotypes. Article

> Researchers at Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland and the University of Massachusetts Medical Center have found a mutant vaccine antigen that could lead to better meningitis vaccines. By changing a protein in the vaccine--by one amino acid--researchers achieved greater efficacy and say the antigen could be used to fight more bacterial infections. Report

> Merck vaccine subsidiary MSD has launched the rotavirus vaccine RotaTeq in India. The vaccine will be distributed in three doses between 30 weeks and 6 years of age. News

> Physicians have noticed an almost 30 percent drop in children's ear infection cases in the past 15 years. While some credit the reduction in parents smoking around their children, others believe a strep bacteria vaccine may have contributed to the decline. Story

And Finally... A New Jersey bill to allow parents the right to reject children's vaccinations has been held back from a vote. Assemblyman Herb Conaway refused to put A243 to a vote, citing the possibility of infectious outbreaks if children do not receive required vaccinations. Children receiving religious exemptions in NJ have risen from 452 in 2005-2006 to 3,865 in 2009-2010. Item