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Immunization Works! February 2005 issue
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Immunization Works Monthly Update is provided to national health care provider and consumer groups for distribution to their members and constituencies. The immunization information provided is non-proprietary and is encouraged to be widely disseminated and shared.
Meningococcal Vaccine Recommended for Adolescents and College Freshmen
Immunization Practices (ACIP) to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that children 11-12 and teens entering high school, as well as college freshman living in dormitories receive a newly licensed meningococcal vaccine.
Meningococcal disease is caused by bacteria that infect the bloodstream, lining of the brain and spinal cord, often causing serious illness. Every year in the U.S., 1400 to 2800 people get meningococcal disease. Ten to 14 percent of people with meningococcal disease die, and 11-19 percent of survivors have permanent disabilities (such as mental retardation, hearing loss, and loss of limbs). The disease often begins with symptoms that can be mistaken for common illnesses, such as the flu. However, meningococcal disease is particularly dangerous because it progresses rapidly and can kill within hours.
The ACIP has an existing recommendation for a routine doctor’s visit for 11-12 year olds, at which they may receive a tetanus-diphtheria booster shot. With the new recommendation, 11-12 year olds will also receive the meningococcal vaccine at this routine visit. In order to foster the most rapid reduction of meningococcal disease following this recommendation, the committee also recommended that for the next 2-3 years teens entering high school also be vaccinated. College freshman who live in dormitories are at higher risk of meningococcal disease than other college students and should also be vaccinated. Meningococcal vaccine may also be provided to college students who do not live in dormitories and adolescents who want to reduce their risk for meningococcal disease.
The vaccine is highly effective. However, it does not protect people against meningococcal disease caused by “type B” bacteria. This type of bacteria causes one-third of meningococcal cases. More than half of the cases among infants less than 1 year of age are caused by “type B,” for which no vaccine is licensed or available in the United States. The new meningococcal vaccine was licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 14, 2005 for use in people 11-55 years of age. It is manufactured by sanofi pasteur and is marketed as Menactra.
Other Immunization News
Influenza Vaccination on Seasonal Mortality among the Elderly
This week, a study published in Archives of Internal Medicine, "Impact of Influenza Vaccination on Seasonal Mortality in the US Elderly Population" by Simonsen et al. (2005), reports that vaccination of the elderly population against influenza may be less effective in preventing death among the elderly than previously assumed. This study's findings have caused some confusion about whether people 65 years old and older should receive an influenza vaccination.>
CDC and NIH continue to support the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation that people aged 65 and older get vaccinated against influenza each year. People aged 65 and older are at highest risk for complications, hospitalizations, and deaths from influenza. Vaccination remains the best protection from influenza available for people 65 and older and their loved ones. Numerous studies have shown that influenza vaccination works- including to help protect the elderly from serious illness and hospitalizations- but the degree to which it works varies from year to year and can be difficult to measure. For example, influenza seasons differ each year in length and severity, and the health status of individuals also matters. In the current study by Simonsen et al, the authors in no way imply that the elderly should not receive influenza vaccine. Rather, the study concludes that the vaccine may prevent fewer deaths among the elderly than previous studies would have suggested. Therefore, the authors note that there is room for improvement in influenza prevention efforts, including research into developing more effective vaccines for the elderly and the increased use of medicines to treat flu.In addition, recently published studies raise the possibility that it may be beneficial to vaccinate larger numbers of healthy persons, including children, to prevent transmission of influenza viruses to high-risk persons such as the elderly. Expansion of groups for whom influenza vaccination is recommended is under discussion by the ACIP and CDC, and is partly contingent on adequate vaccine supply in the future.The CDC and ACIP continually review their influenza vaccine recommendations as well as studies and published research in order to develop the best recommendations for protecting all Americans from influenza. This study is a reminder that there is room for improvement in how we protect the elderly from influenza, and CDC and NIH encourage research that strengthens our ability to do so.
Survey Indicates Influenza Vaccine Used for Priority Groups
The CDC announced last week that influenza vaccine was used during the first part of the 2004-2005 flu season to vaccinate those at highest risk of serious complications for influenza, including young children, the elderly, those with chronic health conditions, and health-care workers.Data collected during the first three weeks of January by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) indicated that 57.3 percent of children aged six to 23 months were vaccinated during September through December 2004, the first year that influenza vaccination was added to the childhood immunization schedule. A 2002 survey indicated only 7.7 percent in the same age group were vaccinated for influenza. Influenza vaccine has a higher first year vaccination coverage than the pneumococcal vaccine (PCV) at 40.9 percent in 2002 or the varicella vaccine at 16 percent in 1996.The BRFSS survey results show that influenza vaccination continued during the month of December and was concentrated in the vaccination priority groups outlined for the 2004-2005 season. Vaccination coverage among adults in priority groups was 43.1 percent compared with 8.3 percent vaccination coverage for adults not in priority groups. To date in this influenza season, nearly 59 percent of persons aged 65 years and older reported influenza vaccination through December 2004 compared to 65.5 percent in persons in this age group who reported influenza vaccination in the 2003 National Health Interview Survey.
National Infant Immunization Week
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) will be held April 24-30, 2005. This week is an annual observance to promote the benefits of immunizations and highlight the importance of vaccinating children by the age of two through various events held throughout the country. This year, NIIW will again be held in conjunction with the Pan American Health Organization’s Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA), April 23-30, 2005. The U.S. will join together with 35 countries in the Western Hemisphere to concurrently promote the need for routine vaccinations for infants and children during the last week in April. Communities from across the United States are expected to participate in NIIW-VWA by planning community awareness and media events to promote infant immunizations to parents, caregivers, healthcare providers, and their communities. Bi-national awareness and education events in sister city sites along the US-Mexico border are being planned this year to celebrate NIIW and VWA in partnership with PAHO US-Mexico Border Health Commission (USMBHC), CDC, state and local health departments, and other immunization partners. Special NIIW kick off events will be held in Las Cruces, New Mexico and Louisiana.
To assist communities in promoting infant immunization, CDC has web-based technical assistance materials. Visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw/ for ideas on creating an NIIW event for parents, providers and community leaders, as well as sample planning tools, campaign materials, and public relation materials.
Meetings, Conferences, and Resources
39th National Immunization Conference
The 39th National Immunization Conference is scheduled in Washington, DC, March 21-24, 2005 at the Washington Hilton and Towers. The goals of the Conference are to help participants provide comprehensive immunization coverage for all age groups and explore innovative strategies for developing programs, policy and research to promote immunization coverage for all age groups. For more information about the conference visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/nic
Eighth Annual Conference on Vaccine Research
The 8th Annual Conference on Vaccine Research will be held May 9-11, 2005 at the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor Hotel. Conference highlights will include a keynote address by Dr. David Heymann of the World Health Organization on Lessons Learned, Responding to the First Global Outbreak of SARS. Other conference sessions will focus on conjugate vaccine issues, influenza and vaccine for emergency pandemics, therapeutic vaccines and vaccinology impact of recent advances in immunology. For the first time, the conference will offer a reduced registration fee for Physicians-in-Training. For additional information visit www.nfid.org/conferences/vaccine05
Job Openings within the National Immunization Program NIP is committed to recruiting and hiring qualified candidates for a wide range of positions. Researchers, Medical Officers and Epidemiologists as well as other specialties are often needed to fill positions within NIP. We encourage all interested parties to apply for these positions. For a current listing of positions available at NIP, please visit www.cdc.gov/hrmo/hrmo.htm
Once at the site, conduct a search for “National Immunization Program".
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Content last reviewed on February 16, 2005
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
