Issue Number 505            January 18, 2005

CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE

  1. New: FDA approves meningococcal polysaccharide diphtheria toxoid conjugate vaccine for persons ages 11-55 years
  2. Dr. John Ward accepts position as director of CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis
  3. CDC issues an update of U.S. influenza activity during the 2004-05 influenza season
  4. New: CDC posts the 2nd printing of The Pink Book on its website
  5. Registration opens January 19 for CDC's satellite broadcast on Epidemiology & Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
  6. Update: CDC continues to supplement its Influenza web section
  7. New: CMS demonstration project will provide influenza antiviral medicines to Medicare beneficiaries
  8. New: Preservative-free Td vaccine now available
  9. CDC reports that vaccination coverage for non-Hispanic African Americans trails coverage for non-Hispanic whites
  10. CDC reports African Americans have twice the incidence rate for hepatitis B and Streptococcus pneumoniae as whites
  11. Update: IAC revises several of its patient- and professional-education pieces
  12. WHO publishes the December 2004 meeting report of its Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety
  13. MMWR's notifiable disease statistics now include serogroup data for meningococcal disease
  14. MMWR notifies readers about QuickStats, a new feature on public health indicators and trends

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ABBREVIATIONS: AAFP, American Academy of Family Physicians; AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics; ACIP, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; FDA, Food and Drug Administration; IAC, Immunization Action Coalition; MMWR, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; NIP, National Immunization Program; VIS, Vaccine Information Statement; VPD, vaccine-preventable disease; WHO, World Health Organization.
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January 18, 2005
NEW: FDA APPROVES MENINGOCOCCAL POLYSACCHARIDE DIPHTHERIA TOXOID CONJUGATE VACCINE FOR PERSONS AGES 11-55 YEARS

On January 14, FDA approved Aventis Pasteur's biologics license application for meningococcal polysaccharide (serogroups A, C, Y, W-135) diphtheria toxoid conjugate vaccine. The vaccine is indicated for active immunization of adolescents and adults 11-55 years of age for the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, Y, and W-135. Recommendations for the use of this new vaccine in the U.S. will be forthcoming from CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, AAP, and AAFP in the months ahead.

According to the product approval letter, Aventis Pasteur will manufacture the vaccine at its facility in Swiftwater, PA, label it Menactra, and market it in 0.5mL single-dose vials.

To access information about the licensing action, go to:
http://www.fda.gov/cber/products/mpdtave011405.htm

To access the product approval letter, go to:
http://www.fda.gov/cber/approvltr/mpdtave011405L.htm

To access the prescribing information, go to:
http://www.fda.gov/cber/label/mpdtave011405LB.pdf
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January 18, 2005
DR. JOHN WARD ACCEPTS POSITION AS DIRECTOR OF CDC'S DIVISION OF VIRAL HEPATITIS

On January 6, Dr. James M. Hughes, director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID), announced that Dr. John Ward has accepted the position of director, Division of Viral Hepatitis. The text of Dr. Hughes' announcement is reprinted below in its entirety.

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I am pleased to announce that Dr. John Ward has accepted the position of director, Division of Viral Hepatitis (DVH). Dr. Ward most recently served as editor of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and as acting director of the Division of Scientific Communications, in the proposed National Center for Health Marketing, National Coordinating Center for Health Information and Service.

Dr. Ward received his MD from the University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham and completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Alabama Hospitals. In addition to his EIS [Epidemic Intelligence Service] training, he received postgraduate training in tropical medicine at the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, in pediatric immunology at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, and in infectious diseases as a CDC assignee at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. He joined CDC in 1984 as an EIS officer in the Epidemiology Section of what was then known as the AIDS Activity, NCID. He remained in CDC's evolving AIDS program through 1998, working on many high-profile investigations and serving in various leadership positions including section chief and then later branch chief of the Surveillance Branch in the Division of HIV/AIDS, NCID. He became editor of the MMWR in 1998.

The recipient of numerous CDC and PHS [Public Health Service] awards, Dr. Ward is a member of the Emory University School of Medicine clinical faculty and is active on many public health planning and steering committees. He is the author or coauthor of more than 100 scientific publications and serves as a peer reviewer for numerous journals including the American Journal of Public Health, JAMA [Journal of the American Medical Association], and Annals of Internal Medicine.

Please join me both in thanking Dr. Eric Mast for his excellent service as acting director, DVH, for the past six months and in congratulating John and supporting him in his new position.

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January 18, 2005
CDC ISSUES AN UPDATE OF U.S. INFLUENZA ACTIVITY DURING THE 2004-05 INFLUENZA SEASON

CDC published "Update: Influenza Activity--United States, 2004-05 Season" in the January 14 issue of MMWR. Portions of the article are reprinted below.

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[From the article text]
Influenza activity was low in the United States during October through early December but has increased steadily since mid-December. Current surveillance indicators suggest that influenza activity for the season has not yet peaked. Laboratory-confirmed influenza infections have been reported from 45 states, and this season's influenza vaccine strains have been well matched antigenically to the influenza viruses isolated so far this season. In response to this season's influenza vaccine supply shortage, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has purchased 1.2 million doses of 2004-05 inactivated influenza vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The GSK vaccine is produced, licensed, and distributed globally but is not licensed for use in the United States; therefore, it will be administered in the United States under an Investigational New Drug (IND) protocol. This report summarizes influenza activity during October 3, 2004-January 1, 2005, and provides information on the availability of additional influenza vaccine from GSK. . . .

During October 3-January 1, weekly percentages of patient visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) reported by approximately 1,500 U.S. sentinel providers in 50 states, New York City (NYC), Chicago, and the District of Columbia have ranged from 1.0% to 3.0%. During the week ending January 1, the percentage of patient visits for ILI was 3.0%, exceeding the national baseline of 2.5% for the first time this season. During the 2001-02, 2002-03, and 2003-04 influenza seasons, national weekly peak percentages of patient visits for ILI ranged from 3.2% to 7.6% (CDC, unpublished data, 2004).

Since the week ending October 9, a total of 16 states and NYC have reported widespread or regional influenza activity. . . . During the same week, 6.7% of recorded deaths in the 122 Cities Mortality Reporting System were attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I), which is below the epidemic threshold of 7.9% for that week. The percentage of P&I deaths exceeded the epidemic threshold for 1 week during October 3-January 1 but otherwise has remained below. . . .

In June 2004, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists changed nationally notifiable conditions to include deaths in children aged <18 years associated with laboratory test-confirmed influenza [as] a nationally notifiable condition. Data collection began in October 2004, and as of January 8, 2005, one pediatric death has been reported to CDC by the Bureau of Health in Maine. . . .

[From the Editorial Note]
Influenza activity has been low but is increasing in the United States and does not appear to have reached a peak. Influenza viruses might continue to circulate for several more months, and persons for whom influenza vaccine is recommended are strongly encouraged to seek vaccination. Influenza vaccine coverage estimates from December suggest that many persons in vaccine priority groups had not yet been vaccinated and that vaccination rates lagged substantially behind vaccination coverage estimates for the previous year.

The influenza vaccine strains are well matched antigenically to the circulating influenza virus strains. The match between vaccine demand and vaccine availability varies depending on the area. Overall, supplies of both inactivated vaccine and live, attenuated influenza vaccine licensed for use in the United States are available. Beginning January 3, 2005, the priority groups for influenza vaccine have been expanded to include persons aged 50-64 years and household contacts of any person at increased risk for influenza-related complications. Efforts should continue to utilize existing licensed influenza vaccine to vaccinate persons in priority groups. Additional information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/whoshouldget.htm

In addition, IND inactivated influenza vaccine will become available this month to further increase supply. Thus, persons who were not successful in obtaining vaccination earlier in the season are encouraged to contact their personal physicians or their local health departments to determine where vaccine is available in their areas. Influenza surveillance reports for the United States are published weekly during October-May and are available at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly or through CDC's voice [(888) 232-3228] and fax [(888) 232-3299, document number 361100)] information systems.

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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5401a6.htm

To access a ready-to-copy (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5401.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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January 18, 2005
NEW: CDC POSTS THE 2ND PRINTING OF THE PINK BOOK ON ITS WEBSITE

CDC recently posted to its website the 2nd printing of the 8th edition (2004) of Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases (aka The Pink Book). According to CDC, these are the changes in the 2nd printing: "Changes in the 8th Edition 2nd Printing (published January 2005) consist mainly of minor edits, corrections, and updates in both the text and appendices. The most significant changes are in the 2004-2005 recommendations for live, attenuated influenza vaccine, reflected in Chapter 16 (Influenza) and Chapter 2 (General Recommendations)."

For comprehensive information on ordering or downloading The Pink Book, on changes made between the 7th and 8th editions, and on errata in the 1st printing of the 8th edition that have been corrected in the 2nd printing, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/pink/default.htm
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January 18, 2005
REGISTRATION OPENS JANUARY 19 FOR CDC'S SATELLITE BROADCAST ON EPIDEMIOLOGY & PREVENTION OF VACCINE-PREVENTABLE DISEASES

The CDC website now has updated information on the satellite broadcast of Epidemiology & Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, a live interactive program offered by NIP. Online registration for continuing education credit will open on January 19 (details are at the end of this article).

Presented in four sessions, the course will be held on consecutive Thursdays: February 17 and 14, and March 3 and 10. All sessions will be broadcast from 12 noon ET to 3:30PM ET.

In addition to online registration information, the updated information includes the following (taken from the course overview at http://www.phppo.cdc.gov/phtn/epv05/default.asp).

  • The four-session outline: Session One will cover principles of vaccination, general recommendations on immunization, vaccine safety, storage and handling, and vaccine administration. Session Two will cover pertussis, pneumococcal disease (childhood), polio, and Hib. Session Three will cover measles, rubella, varicella, smallpox and meningococcal disease. Session Four will cover hepatitis B, hepatitis A, influenza, and pneumococcal disease (adult).
     
  • The faculty: William Atkinson, MD, MPH; Andrew Kroger, MD, MPH; Judy Schmidt, RN, EdD; Donna Weaver, MN, RN. All are with NIP; additional presenters will include other CDC experts.
     
  • An outline of resources for each session: Developed for the program when it was broadcast in 2004, the resources are relevant for the 2005 broadcasts. To access them, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/nip/ed/EpiVacLinks.htm

REGISTRATION
Before accessing the online registration form, go to the course overview at http://www.phppo.cdc.gov/phtn/epv05/default.asp Scroll down to the section headed Registration Information and get the course number for the webcast(s) or broadcasts(s) of interest. Proceed to online registration at http://www.phppo.cdc.gov/phtnonline

If you have registration questions, email ce@cdc.gov or phone (800) 418-7246.

For other questions, email nipinfo@cdc.gov

In the coming weeks, IAC EXPRESS will keep you updated on a range of information about the course. To access course information from the January 10 issue of IAC EXPRESS, go to: http://www.immunize.org/genr.d/issue503.htm#n2
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January 18, 2005
UPDATE: CDC CONTINUES TO SUPPLEMENT ITS INFLUENZA WEB SECTION

CDC recently updated its Influenza web section with the following:

On January 12, an updated case count was added to CDC's webpage Recent Avian Influenza Outbreaks in Asia. To access it, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/outbreaks/asia.htm

For ongoing information about new and updated additions to CDC's Influenza web section, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/whatsnew.htm
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January 18, 2005
NEW: CMS DEMONSTRATION PROJECT WILL PROVIDE INFLUENZA ANTIVIRAL MEDICINES TO MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES

On January 7, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a press release announcing a demonstration project that will provide influenza antiviral medicines to Medicare beneficiaries. Portions of the press release are reprinted below.

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January 7, 2005
For immediate release

MEDICARE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT PAYS FOR FLU MEDICINES

Seniors who get the flu can get assistance to help pay for antiviral medicines under a demonstration project announced today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

"There are prescription drugs that have been proven to prevent the flu and its serious complications, and Medicare is taking steps to make these drugs more affordable," said CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, MD, PhD . . . .

The demonstration is intended to last through May 31, 2005. Each beneficiary can get up to a total of two prescriptions filled during the demonstration period. The project is designed to help determine if coverage for these medicines can significantly reduce the impact of flu on Medicare beneficiaries, especially those currently without drug coverage.

Dr. McClellan emphasized that the flu vaccine remains the best protection for Medicare beneficiaries and he urged seniors who have yet to be vaccinated to do so. Adults who are age 65 and older and other Americans with chronic illnesses are in the high-priority group to obtain flu vaccines, and there is an adequate vaccine supply for these groups.

In the United States, four antiviral medications (amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir, and zanamivir) are approved for treatment of flu. Detailed information about each medication, including dosage and approved persons for use, may be found at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/treatment . . . .

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To access the complete press release, click here.
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January 18, 2005
NEW: PRESERVATIVE-FREE Td VACCINE NOW AVAILABLE

Aventis Pasteur recently announced the availability of Decavac, its preservative-free formulation of tetanus and diphtheria (Td) toxoids adsorbed, for adult use. In March 2004, FDA approved a supplement to Aventis Pasteur's license application for the preservative-free formulation.

To access the product approval information, go to:
http://www.fda.gov/cber/approvltr/tdtave032404L.htm

To access prescribing information, go to:
http://www.vaccineshoppe.com/US_PDF/291-10.pdf
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January 18, 2005
CDC REPORTS THAT VACCINATION COVERAGE FOR NON-HISPANIC AFRICAN AMERICANS TRAILS COVERAGE FOR NON-HISPANIC WHITES

CDC published "Health Disparities Experienced by Black or African Americans--United States" in the January 14 issue of MMWR. The January 14 issue is the third in a MMWR series that focuses on racial/ethnic health disparities. Among the disparities reported are persistent and widening gaps in vaccination coverage between non-Hispanic African Americans and non-Hispanic whites. Portions of an article dealing with these issues are reprinted below.

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Racial/ethnic health disparities are reflected in leading indicators of progress toward achievement of the national health objectives for 2010. In 2002, non-Hispanic blacks trailed non-Hispanic whites in at least four positive health indicators, including percentages of . . . adults aged >=65 years vaccinated against influenza (50% [of non-Hispanic blacks] versus 69% [of non-Hispanic whites]) and pneumococcal disease (37% versus 60%) . . . .

Since the 1970s, racial/ethnic disparities in measles cases and measles-vaccine coverage have been all but eliminated. However, during 1996-2001, the vaccination-coverage gap between non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black children widened by an average of 1.1% each year for children aged 19-35 months who were up to date for the 4:3:1:3:3 series of vaccines (recommended to prevent diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis; polio; measles; Haemophilus influenzae type b disease; and hepatitis B). In 2002, among children aged 19-35 months, 68% of non-Hispanic black children were fully vaccinated, compared with 78% of non-Hispanic white children. . . .

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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5401a1.htm

To access a ready-to-copy (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5401.pdf
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January 18, 2005
CDC REPORTS AFRICAN AMERICANS HAVE TWICE THE INCIDENCE RATE FOR HEPATITIS B AND STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE AS WHITES

CDC published "Racial Disparities in Nationally Notifiable Diseases--United States, 2002" in the January 14 issue of MMWR. The January 14 issue is the third in a MMWR series that focuses on racial/ethnic health disparities. An analysis of surveillance data collected in 2002 indicates that incidence rates are at least two times greater for African Americans than for white Americans for eight of 42 nationally notifiable diseases. Among those are two vaccine-preventable diseases, hepatitis B and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Portions of an article dealing with these issues are reprinted below.

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Infectious diseases are a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and disability in the United States and often affect racial/ethnic populations disproportionately. Eliminating racial disparities is a goal of many of the national health objectives for 2010. To estimate racial disparities in the incidence of nationally notifiable infectious diseases by race/ethnicity, CDC reviewed 2002 data from the Nationally Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS), collected through the National Electronic Telecommunications System for Surveillance (NETSS). This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated that incidence rates were at least two times greater for blacks than whites for eight of 42 nationally notifiable diseases . . . . for hepatitis B, [the rates were] 3.9 for blacks and 1.5 for whites; and for Streptococcus pneumoniae (i.e., invasive, drug resistant), 1.5 for blacks and 0.7 for whites.

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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5401a4.htm

To access a ready-to-copy (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5401.pdf
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January 18, 2005
UPDATE: IAC REVISES SEVERAL OF ITS PATIENT- AND PROFESSIONAL-EDUCATION PIECES

IAC recently updated the Spanish-language version of a popular patient-education piece, as well as four professional-education pieces.

PATIENT EDUCATION
The English-language version of "When Do Children and Teens Need Vaccinations?" was streamlined and reformatted in March 2004. A Spanish-language translation of the updated piece is now available.

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) SPANISH version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4050-01.pdf

To access a web-text (HTML) SPANISH version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4050-01.htm

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) ENGLISH version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/when1.pdf

To access a web-text (HTML) ENGLISH version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/nslt.d/n17/when1.htm

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
IAC substantially revised the piece "Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23): CDC answers your questions." New questions were added, the additional recommendation to vaccinate cochlear implant patients was incorporated into the table, information that had been included both in the text and in the table was removed from the text, and the entire piece was edited to improve readability.

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of it, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2015pne.pdf

To access a web-text version (HTML) version of it, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2015pne.htm

Minor revisions were made to the following pieces: (1) "Quiz #1: Immunization," (2) "Quiz #2: Vaccine Administration," and (3) "It's federal law! You must give your patients current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)."

(1) To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of "Quiz #1: Immunization," go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p7001qz.pdf

To access a web-text version (HTML) version of it, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p7001qz.htm

(2) To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of "Quiz #2: Vaccine Administration," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p7002qz.pdf

To access a web-text version (HTML) version of it, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p7002qz.htm

(3) To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of "It's federal law! You must give your patients current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2027law.pdf

To access a web-text version (HTML) version of it, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2027law.htm
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January 18, 2005
WHO PUBLISHES THE DECEMBER 2004 MEETING REPORT OF ITS GLOBAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON VACCINE SAFETY

On January 7, the WHO publication Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) published "Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety [GACVS], 2-3 December 2004." An expert clinical and scientific advisory body, GACVS deals independently and with scientific rigor with vaccine safety issues of potential global importance. It held its eleventh meeting on December 2-3, 2004.

The WER article summarizes some of the issues meeting attendees considered, including the following vaccine safety and policy issues: (1) safety of adjuvants; (2) thimerosal: neurobehavioral studies in animal models; (3) safety of residual cellular DNA in vaccines; (4) transmissible spongiform encephalopathies; (5) potential risk of vaccines produced in yeast; (6) safety of hexavalent vaccines; (7) yellow fever vaccine; and (8) the Vaccine Safety Net Project.

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the January 7 issue, go to: http://www.who.int/wer/2005/wer8001/en
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January 18, 2005
MMWR'S NOTIFIABLE DISEASE STATISTICS NOW INCLUDE SEROGROUP DATA FOR MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE

CDC published "Notice to Readers: Changes to Data Presented in Tables I and II" in the January 14 issue of MMWR. Portions of the article are reprinted below.

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This issue of MMWR incorporates modifications to Tables I and II, Provisional Cases of Selected Notifiable Diseases, United States. This year, the modifications add serogroup data to the meningococcal disease category reported in Table II . . .

Meningococcal Disease Data

Meningococcal disease is nationally reportable and the cumulative (year-to-date) incidence data for the current and preceding year are reported by state in Table II. Confirmed cases are those in which Neisseria meningitidis is isolated from a normally sterile site (e.g., blood or cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] or less commonly, joint, pleural, or pericardial fluid). Probable cases of meningococcal disease include those with a positive antigen test in CSF or clinical purpura fulminans in the absence of a positive blood culture.

Most meningococcal disease in the United States is caused by N. meningitidis belonging to one of three serogroups, B, C, and Y, which caused 23%, 31%, and 39% of reported cases, respectively, during 1996-2001. Two additional serogroups, A and W-135, are important causes of disease in other parts of the world. Disease caused by four of these serogroups, A, C, Y, and W-135 can be prevented by vaccination with a quadrivalent meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine marketed in the United States as Menomune. However, this vaccine is not routinely used in the general U.S. population because of its poor immunogenicity in children, short duration of protection, and inability to induce herd immunity. A new, quadrivalent A/C/Y/W-135 protein-conjugate vaccine might become available in the United States in 2005 for persons aged 11-55 years. The vaccine is expected to have improved immunogenicity in young children, provide longer-lasting immunity, and might provide herd immunity if used in certain strategies. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is considering recommendations for its use. Other meningococcal conjugate vaccines, with different formulations, combinations, and target age groups are expected to be available within the next 5 years.

To monitor changes in the incidence of vaccine-preventable meningococcal disease, meningococcal disease reports should include serogroup information. However, in 2003, only 459 (26.0%) of 1,768 cases of meningococcal disease reported to CDC included this information. To encourage serogroup reporting, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) recommends that state, territorial, and local health departments encourage bacterial culture for all suspected cases of meningococcal invasive disease and that every isolate of N. meningitidis from normally sterile sites be serogrouped. CSTE further recommends that state, territorial, and local health departments collect serogroup information for all reported cases and report this information to CDC.

Beginning with this issue, meningococcal disease data reported in Table II will be presented in five columns under the headings "All Serogroups," "Serogroup A, C, Y, W-135," "Serogroup B," "Other serogroup," and "Serogroup unknown." These changes are intended to stimulate more complete serogroup reporting and will make Table II more informative by permitting the data to be used for monitoring the impact of vaccine interventions on the incidence of meningococcal disease.

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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5401a7.htm

To access a ready-to-copy (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5401.pdf
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January 18, 2005
MMWR NOTIFIES READERS ABOUT QUICK STATS, A NEW FEATURE ON PUBLIC HEALTH INDICATORS AND TRENDS

CDC published "Notice to Readers: QuickStats from the National Center for Health Statistics" in the January 14 issue of MMWR. Though the QuickStats data presented in the January 14 issue does not pertain to VPDs, IAC EXPRESS is notifying readers about QuickStats because it is a resource they will be receiving information about in future issues of MMWR. Following is the MMWR Notice to Readers, reprinted in its entirety.

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A new feature will appear in MMWR, beginning with this issue. QuickStats will provide updates on key indicators, important trends, and critical relations in public health, based on data from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). NCHS monitors the nation's health through its many data systems, collecting and analyzing information regarding a range of health topics. Each QuickStats will feature the latest available data and provide an Internet link to additional information.

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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5401a8.htm

To access a ready-to-copy (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5401.pdf

About IZ Express

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Editorial Information

  • Editor-in-Chief
    Kelly L. Moore, MD, MPH
  • Managing Editor
    John D. Grabenstein, RPh, PhD
  • Associate Editor
    Sharon G. Humiston, MD, MPH
  • Writer/Publication Coordinator
    Taryn Chapman, MS
    Courtnay Londo, MA
  • Style and Copy Editor
    Marian Deegan, JD
  • Web Edition Managers
    Arkady Shakhnovich
    Jermaine Royes
  • Contributing Writer
    Laurel H. Wood, MPA
  • Technical Reviewer
    Kayla Ohlde

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