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IAC Express 2008 |
| Issue number 707: January 28, 2008 |
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Contents
of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article. |
- New CDC
survey data show dismally low rates of adult immunization
- CDC's
QuickStats give overview of strategies nursing homes used to encourage
employee influenza vaccination in 2004
- AAP
toolkit gives clinicians an extensive array of resources for caring for
children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
-
Important: Be sure to give influenza vaccine throughout the influenza
season--including the spring months
- CDC
reports on influenza-testing and antiviral-agent prescribing practices in
four states during 2006-07 influenza season
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| Abbreviations |
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AAFP, American Academy of Family Physicians; AAP,
American Academy of Pediatrics; ACIP, Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices; AMA, American Medical Association; CDC, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention; FDA, Food and Drug Administration; IAC, Immunization
Action Coalition; MMWR, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; NCIRD,
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; NIVS, National
Influenza Vaccine Summit; VIS, Vaccine Information Statement; VPD,
vaccine-preventable disease; WHO, World Health Organization. |
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Issue 707: January 28, 2008 |
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1. |
New CDC survey data show dismally
low rates of adult immunization
On January 23, the National Foundation for
Infectious Diseases
(NFID) issued a press release reporting on CDC survey results
that indicate extremely low rates of immunization among U.S.
adults. Portions of the press release are reprinted below.
NEW DATA SHOW UNACCEPTABLY LOW ADULT IMMUNIZATION RATES AND THAT
ADULTS UNAWARE OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE THREAT
Experts Urge Integration of Adult Vaccines into Routine Care
to Save Lives, Reduce Needless Illness
New data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) paint a disappointing picture of adult
immunization against serious infectious diseases in the United
States. In addition, a new consumer survey shows the vast
majority of adult Americans lack awareness of vaccines and the
severity of infectious diseases.
An expert panel discussed the data at a press conference held by
the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), which
called for increased use of vaccines in adults to reduce
needless illness and deaths associated with infectious diseases.
CDC's National Immunization Survey shows only 2.1 percent of
adults 18 to 64 years of age are immunized against tetanus-diphtheria-whooping cough. Immunization to prevent shingles
among people 60 and over was only 1.9 percent. Vaccine coverage
for the prevention of HPV (human papillomavirus) among women 18
to 26 is about 10 percent. In addition, influenza and
pneumococcal vaccination rates for the elderly are well below
the 90 percent national target rates.
"Routine immunization of children in the United States has saved
hundreds of thousands of lives and prevented millions of cases
of disease, but vaccines are not just for children," said Anne
Schuchat, MD, director of the CDC's National Center for
Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. "These new data show
there are not yet very many adults taking full advantage of the
great advancements in prevention that have been made in the past
few years."
"There are now 17 diseases that can be prevented from vaccines
given to children, teens and adults. Several vaccines, including
three fairly new ones licensed since 2005, are recommended
specifically for the adult years. By skipping vaccination,
people are leaving themselves needlessly vulnerable to
significant illness, long-term suffering, and even death," said
Dr. Schuchat. "We are extremely fortunate in this country to
have safe and effective vaccines available, but we have to use
them better."
Immunization is recommended for U.S. adults to protect them
against chickenpox, diphtheria, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, humanpapillomavirus/cervical cancer (HPV), influenza, measles,
meningococcal disease, mumps, pertussis (whooping cough),
pneumococcal disease, rubella, shingles, and tetanus.
"Combined, these infectious diseases kill more Americans
annually than either breast cancer, HIV/AIDS, or traffic
accidents," said William Schaffner, MD, vice president of NFID
and chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine at
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
"A concerted effort is needed to raise adult immunization
rates," said Dr. Schaffner. "The important thing to remember is
that deaths and illness associated with these infections are
largely avoidable through vaccination."
National Survey Finds Low Awareness of Vaccines among Adults
Also released today were results of a new national survey
conducted by NFID that show most adults cannot name more than
one or two diseases that are vaccine preventable in adults. Each
vaccine for adults was identified by only 3 to 18 percent of
those polled; the only exception was the influenza vaccine,
which was named by just under half of respondents.
Also disconcerting is that half of those surveyed say they are
not concerned about whether they or another adult family member
gets a vaccine-preventable disease. When asked about specific
diseases, consumers expressed most concern about getting
influenza, which likely reflects the more frequent messages they
receive about influenza versus the other diseases. . . .
To view the complete press release from the website of
PRNewswire, click
here.
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2. |
CDC's QuickStats give overview of strategies nursing homes used to encourage
employee influenza vaccination in 2004
As part of its QuickStats series, CDC published
"Percentage of
Nursing Home Facilities Using Certain Strategies to Encourage
Influenza Vaccination of Their Employees, by Strategy Used--National Nursing Home Survey, United States, 2004" in the
January 25 issue of MMWR. Presented in graph format, QuickStats
provide updates on key indicators and important trends in public
health. They are based on survey data from the National Center
for Health Statistics. The text of the QuickStats that appeared
in the January 25 MMWR is reprinted below in its entirety.
In 2004, the majority (63%) of nursing homes reported <60%
employees had received an influenza shot last influenza season.
In 2004, nursing homes used different strategies to promote
influenza vaccination among employees. Three of these strategies
(offering free vaccinations, furloughing employees with
influenza-like illness, and requiring proof of vaccination) were
significantly associated with staff influenza vaccination rates
>60%. Only 1% of surveyed facilities did not use at least one of
the strategies.
SOURCE: National Nursing Home Survey; 2004. Available at
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nnhs.htm
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the January 25
QuickStats, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5703a6.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5703.pdf
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3. |
AAP toolkit gives clinicians an extensive array of resources for caring for
children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently
announced the
availability of a CD-ROM, "Autism--Caring for Children with
Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Resource Toolkit for Clinicians." A
multifaceted clinical resource, the toolkit has the following
practice tools and resources: (1) identification, (2) referrals,
(3) physician fact sheets, and (4) family handouts.
To view a detailed product profile with sample tools and
resources, go to: http://www.aap.org/publiced/autismtoolkit.cfm
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4. |
Important: Be sure to give influenza vaccine throughout the influenza
season--including the spring months
Influenza vaccination should continue from now
into the spring.
Visit the following websites often to find the information you
need to keep vaccinating. Both are continually updated with the
latest resources.
The National Influenza Vaccine Summit website at
http://www.preventinfluenza.org
CDC's Seasonal Flu web section at http://www.cdc.gov/flu
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5. |
CDC reports on influenza-testing and antiviral-agent prescribing practices in
four states during 2006-07 influenza season
CDC published "Influenza-Testing and
Antiviral-Agent Prescribing
Practices—Connecticut, Minnesota, New Mexico, and New York.
2006-07 Influenza Season" in the January 25 issue of MMWR. A
portion of a summary made available to the press is reprinted
below.
Primary care physicians (PCPs) from four states were surveyed
about influenza testing and treatment practices during the 2006-07 influenza season. Fifty-four percent of PCPs prescribed
influenza antiviral medications to patients, but approximately
20% of these PCPs prescribed amantadine or rimantadine,
antiviral medications that CDC, in January 2006, ceased
recommending because of influenza virus drug resistance. This
survey also found that approximately 70% of PCPs reported
testing patients with influenza-like illness for influenza. Of
these, almost 90% used rapid antigen tests. Rapid antigen tests
are an attractive diagnostic aid to PCPs, as testing can be
performed in doctors' offices and results can be available in as
little as 30 minutes. Rapid antigen tests, however, are only
moderately-to-reasonably accurate in diagnosing influenza, and,
as such, PCPs need to use proper clinical judgment and know when
influenza is circulating in their communities to guide clinical
management decisions.
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5703a1.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5703.pdf
To receive a FREE electronic subscription to MMWR (which
includes new ACIP statements), go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwrsubscribe.html
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