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PA Bulletin, Doc. No. 05-1742

NOTICES

Immunization Practices for Children in Child Care Group Settings

[35 Pa.B. 5198]

   In accordance with 28 Pa. Code § 27.77(c) (relating to immunization requirements for children in child care group settings), the Department of Health (Department), Bureau of Communicable Diseases, Division of Immunization, is updating the list of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) publications that contain the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations that meet the standards of 28 Pa. Code § 27.77(c). Children in child care group settings as defined by 28 Pa. Code § 27.77(c) are required to be immunized in accordance with the recommendations included in the following publications. The Department is providing a summary of the publications for the ease of reference of the public:

August 5, 2005/Vol. 54/No. 30

Tiered Use of Inactivated Influenza Vaccine in the Event of a Vaccine Shortage

   The United States has experienced disruptions in the manufacture or distribution of inactivated influenza vaccine during three of the last five influenza seasons. Delays in delivery of influenza vaccine or vaccine shortages remain possible, in part, because of inherent time constraints in manufacturing the vaccine, given the annual updating of influenza vaccine strains and uncertainties regarding vaccine supply (including licensure of new vaccine preparations).

July 29 2005/Vol. 54/No. 29

National, State, and Urban Area Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 19-35 Months--United States, 2004

   The National Immunization Survey (NIS) provides vaccination coverage estimates for children aged 19-35 months for each of the 50 states and 28 selected urban areas. This report summarizes results from the 2004 NIS, which indicated Nationwide increases in coverage with at least one dose of varicella vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, and the 4:3:1, 4:3:1:3:3 and 4:3:1:3:3:1 vaccine series. These levels represent an important accomplishment by exceeding for the first time the Healthy People 2010 goal of greater than or equal to 80% coverage for the 4:3:1:3:3 vaccine series.

Immunization Information System Progress--United States, 2003

   One of the National Health Objectives for 2010 is to increase to at least 95% the proportion of children aged less than 6 years who participate in fully operational, population-based immunization registries (objective 14-26). Immunization registries are confidential, computerized information systems that collect and consolidate vaccination data from multiple health-care providers, generate reminder and recall notifications, and assess vaccination coverage. A registry with added capabilities, such as vaccine management, adverse event reporting, lifespan vaccination histories, and interoperability with electronic medical records (EMRs), is called an immunization information system (IIS). This report summarizes data from the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) 2003 Immunization Registry Annual Report, a survey of IIS grantees in 50 states, five cities and the District of Columbia that receive funding under section 317b of the Public Health Service Act. The findings of the 2003 IRAR indicate that approximately 44% of United States children aged less than 6 years participated in an IIS. In addition, 76% of public vaccination provider sites and 36% of private vaccination provider sites submitted immunization data to an IIS during the last 6 months of 2003. Increasing health-care provider participation by linking EMRs to IISs is vital to meeting the National health objective.

July 1, 2005/Vol. 54/No. 25

Notice to Readers: Satellite Broadcast on Immunization Update 2005

   The CDC's National Immunization Program and the Public Health Training Network will present a live satellite broadcast, ''Immunization Update 2005,'' on July 28, 2005, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. EDT, and a rebroadcast of the same program that day from 12 to 2:30 p.m. EDT. Both broadcasts will include a live question-and-answer session, during which participants nationwide can interact with course instructors by means of toll-free telephone lines.

July 30, 2005/Vol. 54/No. 21

Prevention and Control of Meningococcal Disease: Recommendations of the ACIP

   In January 2005, a tetravalent meningococcal polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccine ([MCV4] Menactra,TM manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur, Inc., Swiftwater, Pennsylvania) was licensed for use among persons aged 11-55 years. CDC's ACIP recommends routine vaccination of young adolescents (defined in this report as persons aged 11-12 years) with MCV4 at the preadolescent health-care visit (at age 11-12 years). Introducing a recommendation for MCV4 vaccination among young adolescents might strengthen the role of the preadolescent visit and have a positive effect on vaccine coverage among adolescents. For those persons who have not previously received MCV4, ACIP recommends vaccination before high-school entry (at approximately age 15 years) as an effective strategy to reduce meningococcal disease incidence among adolescents and young adults. By 2008, the goal will be routine vaccination with MCV4 of all adolescents beginning at age 11 years. Routine vaccination with meningococcal vaccine also is recommended for college freshmen living in dormitories and for other populations at increased risk (that is, military recruits, travelers to areas in which meningococcal disease is hyperendemic or epidemic, microbiologists who are routinely exposed to isolates of Neisseria meningitidis, patients with anatomic or functional asplenia, and patients with terminal complement deficiency). Other adolescents, college students and persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus who wish to decrease their risk for meningococcal disease may elect to receive vaccine.

   This report updates previous reports from ACIP concerning prevention and control of meningococcal disease. It also provides updated recommendations regarding use of the tetravalent meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (MPSV4) and on antimicrobial chemoprophylaxis.

April 15, 2005/Vol. 54/No. 14

Notice to Readers: National Infant Immunization Week--April 24 through 30, 2005

   National Infant Immunization Week is April 24 through 30, 2005. The theme this year is ''Vaccination: an Act of Love. Love Them. Protect Them. Immunize Them.'' This annual event emphasizes the importance of timely infant and childhood vaccination, one of the most effective ways to protect infants and children from potentially serious diseases.

April 8, 2005/Vol. 54/No. 13

Update: Influenza Activity--United States, 2004-05 Season Notice to Readers

   This report summarizes influenza activity in the United States during October 3, 2004, through March 26, 2005, updates the previous summary, and describes the composition of the 2005-06 influenza vaccine. Influenza activity was moderate in the United States overall, but varied by region. Preliminary data collected through the seven components of the CDC Influenza Surveillance System indicate that national influenza activity peaked in early-February.

50th Anniversary of the First Effective Polio Vaccine--April 12, 2005

   April 12, 2005, marks the 50th anniversary of the announcement that the polio vaccine, developed by Jonas Salk and his team of scientists at the University of Pittsburgh, worked. ''Safe, effective, and potent'' were the words used to announce to the world that an effective vaccine had been found against a disease that once paralyzed 13,000--20,000 persons each year in the United States.

April 1, 2005/Vol. 54/No. 12

Estimated Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Adults and Children--United States, September 1, 2004, through January 31, 2005

   In response to the unexpected shortfall in the 2004-05 influenza vaccine supply, CDC recommended in October 2004 that vaccine be reserved for persons in certain priority groups, including persons aged 65 years or older and 6-23 months, persons aged 2-64 years with conditions that increased their risk for influenza complications, residents of chronic-care facilities, close contacts of infants aged less than 6 months, and health-care workers with direct patient contact. To monitor influenza vaccination coverage during the 2004-05 season, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an ongoing, State-based, telephone survey of civilian, noninstitutionalized persons, added new questions to collect information on priority status and the month and year of vaccination for adults and children. This report is based on analysis of data collected during February 1 through 27, 2005, regarding respondent-reported receipt of influenza vaccination during September 1, 2004, through January 31, 2005. The results of this analysis indicated that influenza vaccination coverage levels through January 2005 among adults in priority groups nearly reached those in recent years, whereas coverage levels among adults not in priority groups were approximately half of levels in 2003, in part because 9.3% of those unvaccinated persons in nonpriority groups declined vaccination this season. The results further suggested that designation of the priority groups successfully directed the nation's influenza vaccine supply to those at highest risk. In addition, vaccination coverage among children aged 6-23 months was notable (48.4%), given that 2004-05 was the first year this group was recommended for influenza vaccination.

February 18, 2005/Vol. 54/No. 6

Hepatitis A Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 24-35 Months--United States, 2003

   This report is the first national analysis of hepatitis A vaccination coverage among children. The results indicate that, in 2003, vaccination coverage levels with at least 1 dose of hepatitis A vaccine for children aged 24-35 months varied from 6.4% to 72.7% in areas where routine vaccination is recommended. In addition, hepatitis A vaccination coverage rates for children aged 24-35 months are lower than overall rates for other vaccines recommended for children. Sustaining and improving vaccination coverage among young children is needed to ensure continued declines in hepatitis A incidence in the United States.

   Additional information relating to vaccinations may be obtained from the Department's website at www.dsf. health.state.pa.us/health and from the National Immunization Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the following website: www.cdc.gov/nip/default.htm.

   Persons with a disability who require an alternative format of this notice (for example, large print, audiotape, Braille), should contact Alice Gray, Director, Division of Immunization, Department of Health, P. O. Box 90, Harrisburg, PA 17108-0090, (717) 787-5681 or for speech and/or hearing impaired persons, at V/TT (717) 783-6154 or the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Service at (800) 654-5984 (TT).

CALVIN B. JOHNSON, M.D., M.P.H.,   
Secretary

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 05-1742. Filed for public inspection September 16, 2005, 9:00 a.m.]


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