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| Press Room |
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| Immunization Action Coalition |
| Contact: Julie Murphy |
| (651) 647-9009 |
| Email:
julie@immunize.org |
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| November 11, 2015 |
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| Leading Medical and Public Health Organizations Join the Immunization Action Coalition in Urging Health Care Professionals to Improve Second Dose Meningococcal Meningitis Vaccination Rates |
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| Despite CDC
recommendations, fewer than 30% of teens have received the
second vaccination needed for completing protection against
meningococcal meningitis; national call-to-action for health
care professionals to improve this statistic. |
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Read "Dear Colleague" letter |
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| St. Paul – November 11, 2015
— The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College Health
Association (ACHA), Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) and
Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM), have
issued a joint call-to-action (www.immunize.org/letter/letter_promoting_meningococcal_vaccination.pdf)
urging health care professionals to strongly recommend and
administer the second (booster) dose of meningococcal ACWY
vaccine (MenACWY or "MCV4") at age 16. |
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| According to CDC,
the meningococcal meningitis booster vaccination rate is an
estimated 28.5% for eligible teens, an alarming statistic,
compared to 79.3% for the primary dose.1 CDC
strongly recommends a booster dose at age 16, after an
initial vaccination at age 11 or 12, because protection
wanes in most teens within five years after the primary
vaccination.2 By vaccinating fewer than 1 in 3
eligible teens, we are leaving millions of young adults
without the protection they need against potentially deadly
and crippling meningococcal disease.3 |
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| "A clinician's
endorsement of immunization has long been recognized as a
key factor in improving immunization rates," said Anne Schuchat, MD, principal deputy director of CDC. |
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| Teens are at an
increased risk of meningococcal meningitis due to common
everyday activities such as sharing utensils and water
bottles, and kissing.4,5,6 Meningococcal
meningitis has a 10–15% fatality rate and cases have
occurred in which an otherwise healthy young person will
contract the illness, become severely sick, and die in as
little as 24 hours after the first symptoms appear. |
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| To further help
improve meningococcal meningitis immunization rates, IAC has
developed several resources that are available on its
website at
www.immunize.org/meningococcal. |
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| "IAC believes that
we need to help encourage health care professionals to learn
about their second dose MCV4 coverage rate and to provide
them with helpful tools to increase rates," said Deborah
Wexler, MD, executive director of IAC. "Unfortunately, many
parents are not aware that they are not fully protecting
their teens — they simply do not know that a second
(booster) dose of MCV4 is recommended, and they often rely
on their provider to track their teen's immunization
schedule." |
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| Health care
professionals can visit
www.Give2MCV4.org to download free
educational materials and tools, including fact sheets,
talking points, an overview of adolescent immunization
recommendations, Q&As, and other useful resources. |
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| About the
Immunization Action Coalition |
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| The Immunization
Action Coalition (IAC) works to increase immunization rates
and prevent disease by creating and distributing educational
materials for health professionals and the public that
enhance the delivery of safe and effective immunization
services. IAC also facilitates communication about the
safety, efficacy, and use of vaccines within the broad
immunization community of patients, parents, health care
organizations, and government health agencies. |
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| References: |
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- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). National, Regional, State, and Selected Local Area Vaccination Coverage Among
Adolescents Aged 13–17 Years — United States, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2015, from
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6429a3.htm.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011, January 28). Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices (ACIP). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Retrieved May 6, 2015, from
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6003a3.htm.
- United States Census Bureau. (2013). Age and Sex Composition in the United States. Retrieved March 24, 2015, from census.gov/population/age/data/2012comp.html.
- Stephens, D.S.; Greenwood, B.; Brandtzaeg, P. (2007). Epidemic Meningitis, Meningococcaemia, and Neisseria Meningitis. Lancet.
369 (9580), 2199.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012, March 15). Meningococcal Disease. About: Causes and Transmission. Retrieved
May 7, 2013, from http://www.cdc.gov/meningococcal/about/causes-transmission.html.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014, April 1). Meningococcal Disease Risk Factors. Retrieved March 13, 2015, from
http://www.cdc.gov/meningococcal/about/risk-factors.html.
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| This page was updated on November
11, 2015. |
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| This page was reviewed on November
11, 2015. |
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