Issue Number
114
September 27, 1999
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- CDC releases data on national vaccination coverage levels among
young children
- CDC publishes article on polio eradication efforts in Afghanistan
- CDC publishes erratum on Lyme disease vaccine recommendations
- CDC offers satellite broadcast course on vaccine-preventable
disease surveillance in December
- CDC and Emory University offer course on epidemiology
in November
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(1)
September 24, 1999
CDC RELEASES DATA ON NATIONAL VACCINATION COVERAGE LEVELS AMONG YOUNG CHILDREN
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published "National Vaccination Coverage Levels Among
Children Aged 19-35 Months -- United States, 1998" as a "Notice to Readers" in the September 24, 1999, issue of
the MMWR. The notice in its entirety reads as follows:
Sustained high vaccination coverage levels in the United
States are necessary to decrease rates of vaccine-preventable diseases. Therefore, an important
component of the U.S. vaccination program is the assessment of vaccination coverage. To assist in this assessment, in
1993, the Childhood Immunization Initiative (CII) was begun to increase vaccination coverage levels among
children during the first 2 years of life to greater than or equal to 90% by 1996
for universally recommended childhood vaccinations and to monitor trends in vaccination coverage.
Vaccination objectives also were included in the national health objectives for 2000 initiative. Except for hepatitis
B vaccine, the 90% coverage goals were achieved and maintained through implementation of
CII by public- and private-sector organizations and health-care providers at
the national, state, and local levels.
CDC's National Immunization Survey (NIS) provides ongoing estimates of vaccination coverage in the United States. In
1998, the NIS assessed vaccination coverage levels among children born during February 1995 - May
1997 (i.e., aged 19-35 months; median age: 27 months).
National vaccination coverage achieved was greater than or equal to 90% each for three doses of poliovirus vaccine,
three doses of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine, and one dose of measles-containing vaccine.
Coverage with four doses of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis
vaccine/diphtheria and tetanus toxoids (DTP/DT) and three doses of hepatitis
B vaccine was the highest ever reported (84% and 87%, respectively). Varicella vaccine, first
recommended for use in 1996, also had the highest coverage ever reported (43.2%). State-specific coverage estimates
for each recommended antigen and for two combined series of vaccines and coverage
estimates by state among children living in poverty will be published in "CDC
Surveillance Summaries."
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This MMWR report, complete with references and a table of year-by-year vaccine coverage levels for young children
listed according to individual vaccine, can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4837a2.htm
For information on how to obtain a free electronic subscription to the MMWR,
see the instructions that follow article five below.
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(2)
September 24, 1999
CDC PUBLISHES ARTICLE ON POLIO ERADICATION EFFORTS IN AFGHANISTAN
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published an article entitled "Progress Toward
Poliomyelitis Eradication -- Afghanistan, 1994-1999" in the September 24, 1999, issue of the MMWR. The report
describes the current status of polio eradication in Afghanistan, a country with
ongoing civil conflict where eradication efforts began in late 1994. The "Editorial
Note" of this article reads in part:
"Polio remains the leading cause of permanent disability in Afghanistan, a country with civil strife for
approximately 20 years. Poliovirus transmission must be interrupted in Afghanistan both to prevent morbidity,
mortality, and permanent disability and to reach the 2000 global polio eradication target.
"...Continued public health efforts are essential to eradicate polio in Afghanistan. End-stage acceleration of
polio eradication in Afghanistan will require extra rounds of NIDs (National Immunization Days) and
house-to-house vaccination activities to administer OPV, which will require substantial additional external funding. In the
final phase of polio eradication, increased efforts are necessary. Unless polio eradication succeeds even
under the most challenging circumstances, polio will remain endemic in some countries, resulting in exportation of
poliovirus into neighboring and distant polio-free areas, and delaying regional and global polio eradication."
To read this MMWR article in text version (HTML format), go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4837a1.htm
For information on how to obtain a free electronic subscription to the MMWR,
see the instructions that follow article five below.
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(3)
September 24, 1999
CDC PUBLISHES ERRATUM ON LYME DISEASE VACCINE RECOMMENDATIONS
In the September 24, 1999, issue of the MMWR, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published an
erratum concerning the ACIP's Lyme disease recommendations which were originally published in the June
4, 1999, MMWR, Vol. 48, No. RR-7. The complete text of this erratum entitled "Erratum: Vol. 48, No. RR-7" reads as follows:
In "Recommendations for the Use of Lyme Disease Vaccine: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices (ACIP)," in the section "Effect of Vaccination on the Serologic Diagnosis of
Lyme Disease," on page 9 the statement that "anti-OspA antibodies do not develop after
natural infection" is incorrect. Although antibody to OspA in patients with early Lyme disease is rarely evident, this
antibody can be found in increasing amounts in patients with later stages of Lyme disease,
particularly those with Lyme arthritis. Therefore, the paragraph should read:
"Care providers and laboratorians should be advised that vaccine-induced anti-rOspA antibodies routinely cause
false-positive ELISA results for exposure to Borrelia burgdorferi. Experienced laboratory workers, through
careful interpretation of the results of immunoblots, can usually discriminate
between B. burgdorferi infection and previous rOspA immunization. Although vaccination is
expected to elicit antibody to OspA only, natural infection results in the production of antibody to additional
diagnostic antigen bands in immunoblots."
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This erratum can be obtained in text version (HTML format) at: http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4837a8.htm
To read the original camera-ready publication (PDF format) of "Recommendations for the Use of Lyme Disease Vaccine:
Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP)" from the June 4,
1999, MMWR, visit: ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Publications/mmwr/rr/rr4807.pdf
To obtain a text version (HTML format) of this ACIP statement, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr4807a1.htm
For information on how to obtain a free electronic subscription to the MMWR,
see the instructions that follow article five below.
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(4)
September 24, 1999
CDC OFFERS SATELLITE BROADCAST COURSE ON VACCINE-PREVENTABLE DISEASE SURVEILLANCE IN DECEMBER
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a "Notice to Readers" entitled "Satellite
Broadcast on Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases" in the September 24, 1999, issue of the MMWR.
The complete notice reads as follows:
CDC's National Immunization Program and the Public Health Training Network will cosponsor a live satellite
broadcast, Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPDs), on December 2, 1999, from 12 noon to 3:30 p.m.
eastern time. The broadcast is intended for physicians, infection control practitioners,
epidemiologists, nurses, laboratorians, sanitarians, and others involved in
surveillance of VPDs. The program will present guidelines for surveillance, case investigation, and
outbreak control for diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type b, hepatitis A, influenza, measles, pertussis,
rubella, and varicella, and will provide an in-depth discussion of several other issues
related to VPD surveillance.
Continuing education credit for a variety of professions will be offered based
on 3.5 hours of instruction. Additional information about the broadcast is
available on the World-Wide Web at http://www.cdc.gov/phtn/surveillance/vpd.htm
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A text version (HTML format) of this MMWR notice can be found at:
http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4837a6.htm
For information on how to obtain a free electronic subscription to the MMWR,
see the instructions that follow article five below.
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(5)
September 24, 1999
CDC AND EMORY UNIVERSITY OFFER COURSE ON EPIDEMIOLOGY IN NOVEMBER
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a "Notice to Readers" in the September 24, 1999,
issue of the MMWR announcing the upcoming continuing education course, "Epidemiology in Action." The full text
of this notice reads as follows:
CDC and Emory University's Rollins School of Public
Health will cosponsor a course, "Epidemiology in Action," during November 8-19, 1999, in Atlanta.
The course is designed for state and local public health professionals.
The course emphasizes the practical application of epidemiology to public health problems and will consist
of lectures, workshops, classroom exercises (including actual epidemiologic problems), and roundtable discussions.
Topics covered include descriptive epidemiology and biostatistics, analytic epidemiology, epidemic
investigations, public health surveillance, surveys and sampling, Epi Info software training, and discussions of
selected prevalent diseases. There is a tuition charge.
Deadline for application is October 8, 1999. Additional information and applications are available from Emory
University, International Health, Dept. (PIA), 1518 Clifton Rd., N.E., Room 742, Atlanta, GA 30322;
telephone (404) 727-3485; fax (404) 727-4590; or on the World-Wide Web,
http://www.sph.emory.edu/EPICOURSES/
or e-mail pvaleri@sph.emory.edu
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This MMWR notice can be found in text version (HTML format) at:
http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4837a7.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 automatically begin to receive all new ACIP statements which are published as MMWR's
"Recommendations and Reports." To go to the MMWR website, visit: http://www2.cdc.gov/mmwr |
