Issue Number 107
August 30, 1999
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- CDC publishes article about health
intervention for U.S.-bound Kosovar refugees
- CDC publishes update on global wild
poliovirus type 2 eradication
- Remember to register for CDC's
satellite broadcast, "Immunization Update," Sept. 16, 1999
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August 27, 1999
CDC PUBLISHES ARTICLE ABOUT HEALTH INTERVENTION FOR U.S.-BOUND KOSOVAR REFUGEES
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published an article entitled "Health
Status of and Intervention for U.S.-Bound Kosova Refugees -- Fort Dix, New Jersey,
May-July 1999" in the August 27, 1999, issue of the MMWR.
Featured in this MMWR article is the table, "Recommended vaccinations for Kosovar
refugees resettling in the United States - 1999." The table lists the vaccines
recommended for specific age groups of Kosovar refugees.
As part of an accelerated effort to prevent disease, immunizations were offered at Fort
Dix because of reports of inadequate vaccination programs in Kosovo during the 2 years
preceding the mass exodus. According to the article, "approximately 10,600 vaccines
were administered to refugees from a set of recommended vaccines (unless vaccination
documentation was provided)."
The fact that the refugees were generally in good health underscores the need for a
tailored intervention program targeted at the health conditions of the specific
population. The editorial note states: "The health status of refugee populations
varies considerably depending on 1) the demographics of the migrating population; 2) the
prevalence of health conditions and quality of health services before displacement and in
the country of first refuge; 3) the length of time the population was deprived of health
care; and 4) the harshness of their living conditions during displacement. Despite these
variations, screening for U.S. immigration purposes has been the same for all refugee and
immigrant populations. To provide more timely interventions, CDC is tailoring health
assessments to specific migrating populations."
To read the text version of the entire MMWR article, and to download Table 1
("Recommended Vaccinations for Kosovar Refugees Resettling in the United States
1999"), please click here: http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4833a1.htm
For information on how to obtain a free electronic subscription to the MMWR, see the
instructions that follow article two below.
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August 27, 1999
CDC PUBLISHES UPDATE ON GLOBAL WILD POLIOVIRUS TYPE 2 ERADICATION
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published "Progress Toward the Global
Interruption of Wild Poliovirus Type 2 Transmission, 1999" in the August 27, 1999,
issue of the MMWR.
Since 1988, when the World Health Assembly resolved to eradicate poliomyelitis globally by
the year 2000, substantial progress has been made in attaining this goal. This report
summarizes progress toward interrupting transmission of wild poliovirus type 2,
which appears to be on the threshold of extinction.
According to the MMWR article, "During the prevaccine era, the three poliovirus
serotypes were distributed worldwide... By the mid-1960s, the incidence of cases
associated with wild poliovirus type 2 had declined rapidly in areas with high vaccination
coverage rates... The last indigenous wild poliovirus type 2 isolates were found in Egypt
in 1990, in Afghanistan and Pakistan in 1997, and in Nigeria in 1998. Although no wild
poliovirus type 2 isolates have been reported from Africa for >1 year, inadequate
surveillance in some African countries, particularly Angola, the Democratic Republic
of Congo, and Ethiopia, makes these data difficult to interpret. By 1999, the only known
reservoir for wild type 2 polioviruses was in the Ganges valley of India."
The editorial note concludes: "Within the next year the only type 2 polioviruses
found in nature probably will be OPV-derived. However, intensification of vaccination and
surveillance activities will be needed to meet the 2000 goal for the eradication of all
wild poliovirus serotypes."
To obtain the complete text version of this MMWR article, click here:
http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4833a3.htm
HOW TO OBTAIN A FREE ELECTRONIC SUBSCRIPTION TO THE MMWR To obtain a free electronic
subscription to the MMWR (delivered weekly), go to the MMWR website and sign up. When you
sign up, you will also automatically begin to receive all new ACIP statements which are
published as MMWR's "Recommendations and Reports." To go to the MMWR
website, click here: http://www2.cdc.gov/mmwr/
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August 30, 1999
REMEMBER TO REGISTER FOR CDC'S SATELLITE BROADCAST, "IMMUNIZATION UPDATE,"
SEPT. 16, 1999
You still have time to register! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will
sponsor "Immunization Update," a live, interactive, satellite videoconference on
September 16, 1999. The broadcast will provide the most current information
available in the constantly changing field of immunization. Continuing education credits
will be offered for a variety of professions.
Topics covered will include new recommendations for polio vaccination in the United
States, expanded recommendations for the use of hepatitis A vaccine, characteristics and
use of Lyme disease vaccine, and recent vaccine safety issues. Each 2.5 hour
broadcast will feature a question and answer session in which participants nationwide can
interact with the course instructors via toll-free telephone lines.
William L. Atkinson, MD, MPH, and Sharon G. Humiston, MD, MPH, medical epidemiologists at
the National Immunization Program, will host the broadcast along with other guest experts
from CDC.
Two broadcasts of "Immunization Update" are schedule on September 16th, 1999.
The first broadcast will run from 9:00-11:30 a.m. (ET), and the second from 12:00-2:30
p.m. (ET).
For more information, call 888-232-3299 and request fax document #130022, or click here: http://www.cdc.gov/phtn/fact-sheets/Imm-99/130022.htm
To register for the course, or to find out viewing locations, contact your state
immunization program manager. Find his/her phone number at: http://www.cdc.gov/phtn/stcoords.htm |
