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MMWR
Synopsis for August 30, 2002

The MMWR is embargoed until 12 Noon, ET, Thursdays.

  1. Outbreak of Measles – Venezuela and Colombia, 2001-2002
  2. Immunization Registry Progress – United States, 2002
  3. Progress Toward Poliomyelitis Eradication – Angola, January 1998-June 2002
  4. Weekly Update: West Nile Virus Activity – United States, August 22–28, 2002

MMWR Reports & Recommendations
August 30, 2002/Vol 51/No. RR-12

Women and Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General 2001 – Executive Summary
This is the second report of the U.S. Surgeon General devoted to women and smoking. The first was published in 1980. In the two decades since, numerous studies have expanded the breadth and depth of what is known about the health consequences of smoking among women, about historical and contemporary patterns of smoking in demographic subgroups of the female population, about factors that affect initiation and maintenance of smoking among women (including advertising and marketing of tobacco products), and about interventions to assist women to quit smoking. The present report reviews the now massive body of evidence on women and smoking—evidence that taken together compels the Nation to make reducing and preventing smoking one of the highest contemporary priorities for women's health.

Contact: Leslie Norman
CDC, Office on Smoking and Health
(770) 488–5469

No telebriefing is scheduled for August 29, 2002

Synopsis for August 30, 2002

Outbreak of Measles – Venezuela and Colombia, 2001-2002

Despite great progress in the Americas, (record low of 537 measles cases in 2001), since August 2001 a measles outbreak has been reported in Venezuela.

PRESS CONTACT:
Peter Carrasco
Pan American Health Organization
(202) 974–3779 (3247)
 
In 2002, this outbreak was exported to Colombia. As of July 2002, 2,416 measles cases have been reported in Venezuela and 68 in Colombia. The most affected age groups are children under 5 years of age and young adults. The reasons of this outbreak in Venezuela are low vaccination coverage for measles during the last five years and deficiencies in surveillance. This outbreak is a reminder that until global measles eradication is achieved, countries and regions with low incidence or free of endemic measles circulation are vulnerable to importations of the measles virus. These importations should not result in sustained transmission if routine vaccination coverage is maintained at high levels (>95) and epidemiological surveillance is performing adequately.

 

Immunization Registry Progress – United States, 2002

Immunization registries are confidential, population-based, computerized information systems that collect vaccination data about all children within a geographic area.

PRESS CONTACT:
Terry Boyd, MS
CDC, National Immunization Program
(404) 639–8584
 
By providing complete and accurate information on which to base vaccination decisions, registries are key tools to increase and sustain high vaccination coverage. Registries consolidate vaccination records of children from multiple health-care providers, identify children who are due or late for vaccinations, generate reminder and recall notices to ensure that children are appropriately vaccinated, and identify provider sites and geographic areas with low vaccination coverage. For example, registries such as the Arizona State Immunization and Information System (ASIIS) were used to track children who missed vaccines because of existing vaccine shortages, and to recall them when vaccines became available.

 

Progress Toward Poliomyelitis Eradication – Angola, January 1998-June 2002

The estimated global occurrence of poliomyelitis has decreased more than 99 percent since 1988, when the World Health Assembly resolved to eradicate polio worldwide.

PRESS CONTACT:
Patrick Zuber, MD, MPH
CDC, National Immunization Program
(404) 639–8906
 
Today, Angola is one of only 12 countries in the world where polio has been detected in the last year. Although polio eradication efforts have been hampered by almost three decades of civil war, the number of polio cases in Angola have decreased substantially since 1998. In 1999, one of the largest reported outbreaks of polio has occurred in Angola, affecting over 1100 children. In 2001, one case was detected in Angola, and three cases occurred in unvaccinated Angolan refugees living in nearby Zambia. To date in 2002, two additional cases have been detected in Angolan refugees in Zambia and no wild polio virus has been isolated in Angola. The recent cessation of hostilities on April 4, 2002 presents a unique opportunity to reach previously inaccessible and under-immunized populations.

 

Weekly Update: West Nile Virus Activity – United States, August 22–28, 2002

PRESS CONTACT:
Division of Media Relations
CDC, Office of Communications
(404) 639–3286
 
This report summarizes West Nile virus surveillance data reported to CDC through ArboNET and by states and other jurisdictions as of August 21, 2002.

 




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