Issue Number
195
September 29,
2000
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- CDC issues press release on influenza vaccine supply
- CDC issues notice of workshop on cytomegalovirus vaccine
development
- CDC reports on progress toward polio eradication in
Ethiopia
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(1)
September 28, 2000
CDC ISSUES PRESS RELEASE ON INFLUENZA VACCINE SUPPLY
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a press release on September 28, 2000, giving an update on
the influenza vaccine supply. The press release is reprinted below in its entirety:
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UPDATE: FLU VACCINE SUPPLY
Important Actions Taken to Reach High Risk Persons with Flu Vaccine Despite Delays This Season
Today public health officials announced that flu vaccine supplies should be approximately what was distributed last
year; however, they also noted a substantial amount of vaccine will reach providers later than usual. In June,
influenza vaccine manufacturers told federal public health officials to expect
delays in flu vaccine shipments this flu season and possible shortages.
Flu vaccine is the best tool to prevent severe illness and death related to influenza among the elderly and
chronically ill in the United States. CDC's overriding public health concern has been to prevent hospitalizations
and deaths, especially among high risk persons, that could result from an insufficient supply of flu vaccine.
Therefore, since June, CDC has been developing contingency plans and if needed, CDC has guaranteed the
production of up to 9 million doses of additional influenza vaccine to make up
for possible shortfalls experienced by some of the vaccine manufacturers.
The Food and Drug Administration estimates that 66 million doses will be available from manufacturers through normal
production plus 9 million doses to be guaranteed by CDC for a total of 75 million doses. The 75 million doses
this flu season should meet the expected usual annual demand. During last year's flu season in the United States, an estimated
74 million doses were distributed to providers from the 80 to 85 million doses produced. Although a
severe flu vaccine shortfall is no longer expected, the vaccine delays will continue to challenge influenza vaccination efforts this
flu season in the United States.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met Sept. 28, by teleconference, to review recommendations
about the timing and priority of flu vaccination in the United States for this upcoming flu season. The first
public health priority is to help ensure high risk persons who choose to be vaccinated can obtain vaccine to help
prevent the flu and complications related to influenza illness. The ACIP recommended the following:
- As vaccine first becomes available, vaccination efforts
should be focused on persons at high risk of complications associated with
influenza disease and on health care workers (Health care workers should be vaccinated to stop
the potential spread to vulnerable persons). These efforts should continue into December and later, as long as
influenza vaccine is available.
- Mass vaccination campaigns should be scheduled later in
the season as availability of vaccine is assured.
- Special efforts should be undertaken in December and
later to vaccinate persons 50-64 years of age who are not at high risk and are not
household contacts of high risk persons.
- Immunization efforts for all groups (e.g., high risk
persons, health care workers, household contacts of high risk persons, other persons 50-64
years of age, and other people who wish to decrease their risk of influenza) should
continue into December and later, as long as influenza vaccine is available.
- Assuring pneumococcal vaccination of high risk persons
early in the influenza season, in accordance with ACIP recommendations, will
confer substantial protection from a major complication of influenza, secondary bacterial
pneumonia, but is not a substitute for influenza vaccine.
The degree of delay for individual providers will vary,
depending on the vaccine manufacturer, distributor, and when vaccine was ordered. Officials
urge high risk persons to remain patient but persistent as they work with their
health care provider to obtain their annual flu vaccination. At the same time,
CDC will be working with states, industry and health systems to help providers
obtain vaccine for high risk persons. For example, this fall a new CDC Internet
website will help providers and distributors make contact about where to obtain
additional influenza vaccine supplies.
In previous flu seasons, although the number has been increasing, only about
half of the 70 to 76 million persons CDC estimates are at high risk for complications from flu
have received vaccine. The high risk populations include approximately 35 million persons aged 65 years or older, 33
to 39 million persons less that 65 years of age with high-risk medical conditions,
and 2 million pregnant women.
Although the vaccine supply this year should be sufficient to meet the usual
demand, the situation remains fluid and some questions about supply and demand will remain
unanswered until much later into the flu season. All influenza vaccine for use in the United States is produced
in the private sector and virtually all flu vaccine is distributed in the United States through
private-sector distributors for use by health care providers.
The public and private communities will continue to work closely together to
ensure the availability of influenza vaccine for the season and to minimize the
adverse impact of delays. For more information about influenza disease and influenza vaccine visit CDC at
http://www.cdc.gov
Note: Additional information about the ACIP recommendations and HHS activities for this flu season will be reported in
CDC's Oct. 6 "Morbidity Mortality Weekly Report" (MMWR).
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To view this press release online, visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r2k0928.htm
To obtain copies of the current influenza VIS in ten languages, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis
Note: If you are having problems printing or downloading these VISs, go to
Tips on Downloading and Printing Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) Files:
http://www.immunize.org/nslt.d/tips.htm
Special thanks to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for providing
the Haitian Creole translation; to the California Department of Health Services
for the translations in Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese; and to the Minnesota Department of Health for translations
in Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, Russian, and Somali.
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(2)
September 29, 2000
CDC ISSUES NOTICE OF WORKSHOP ON CYTOMEGALOVIRUS VACCINE DEVELOPMENT
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a notice in the September 22, 2000, issue of the
MMWR announcing a workshop on cytomegalovirus vaccine development. The notice is reprinted in full below.
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Notice to Readers: Workshop on Cytomegalovirus Vaccine Development
The National Vaccine Program Office and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee will co-sponsor a Workshop on
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Vaccine Development during October 25-27, 2000, in Decatur, Georgia. The workshop
will include a review of the background and a discussion of the rationale, obstacles, and progress of CMV vaccine
development. Also discussed will be the public health strategies for CMV vaccine administration. Additional
information is available from the National Vaccine Program Office, telephone
(404) 687-6672; World-Wide Web site, http://www.cdc.gov/od/nvpo/calendar.htm
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To view this notice online, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4937a4.htm
For information on how to obtain a free electronic subscription to the MMWR,
see the instructions that follow article three below.
For a detailed list of additional upcoming immunization and hepatitis conferences and events, visit IAC's "Calendar of
Events" at: http://www.immunize.org/calendar/
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(3)
September 29, 2000
CDC REPORTS ON PROGRESS TOWARD POLIO ERADICATION IN ETHIOPIA
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published "Progress Toward Poliomyelitis Eradication--Ethiopia, 1997-August 2000" in the
September 29, 2000, issue of the MMWR.
According to the Editorial Note, "Rapid progress has been achieved in implementing polio eradication strategies in
Ethiopia, one of the major polio reservoirs in the African Region." National Immunization Days and
Subnational Immunization Days, along with house-to-house delivery of vaccines in hard-to-reach areas, have resulted in increased
vaccination coverage.
To view the full text of this article online, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4938a3.htm
HOW TO OBTAIN A FREE ELECTRONIC SUBSCRIPTION TO THE MMWR:
To obtain a free electronic subscription to the "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
Report" (MMWR), visit CDC's MMWR website at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr
Select "Free MMWR Subscription" from the menu at the left of the screen. Once you have submitted the required
information, weekly issues of the MMWR and all new ACIP statements (published as MMWR's
"Recommendations and Reports") will arrive automatically by e-mail.
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