Friday, April 2, 2010

U.S. influenza vaccination programs require further expansion

Coverage with the influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine was less than 40% among health care workers in the United States, and varied considerably from state to state in the public, according to two CDC reports published today.

Data for the 2009-2010 influenza season indicated that among a nationally-representative cohort of 1,417 health care workers, seasonal influenza vaccination coverage was 61.9%, and influenza A (H1N1) vaccination coverage was 37.1%. The findings were published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Occupational requirements for vaccination were linked to a three- to eight-fold increase in coverage, CDC officials wrote.

The seasonal vaccination coverage rate among health care workers was the highest ever, but it is still not sufficient, according to CDC officials. CDC recommends that influenza vaccination coverage should be prioritized by health care administrators.

A second analysis in the same issue examined influenza A vaccination uptake data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the National 2009 H1N1 Flu Survey.

Data collected by CDC from November 2009 through February 2010 indicated that as of the end of January 2010, 23.9% (range, 12/9% to 38.8%) of U.S. adults and children older than 6 months had been vaccinated against influenza A (H1N1).

Among children aged 6 months to 17 years, coverage was 36.8%. For adults 18 years old or older, the rate was 20.1%.

State-by-state analysis indicated that coverage ranged from 19.4% in Mississippi to 57.5% in Rhode Island.

Harris KM et al. MMWR. 59:357-362

Lu PJ et al. MMWR. 59:363-368

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