MMWR News Synopsis for July 24, 2014

Progress Toward Prevention of Transfusion-Transmitted Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C Infection — Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2011

CDC Media Relations
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Progress has been made towards decreasing the risk of spreading hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus through blood transfusions in sub-Saharan Africa. Continued investments by national governments and global health organizations are needed to further improve blood safety in the region. In sub-Saharan Africa, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections spread through blood transfusions remain a public health burden. Reducing the number of donated blood units with HBV and HCV is a priority for countries seeking ways to increase the safety of national blood supplies. From 2000 to 2011, the number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa screening >95 percent of donated blood units for HBV increased from 76 percent to 94 percent, while the number of countries screening >95 percent of donated blood units for HCV increased from 34 percent to 86 percent. Over the same period, there was a 37 percent decrease in the proportion of donated blood units with markers of HBV infection and 51 percent decrease in proportion of donated blood units with markers of HCV infection.

Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Coverage Among Adolescents and Postlicensure Vaccine Safety Monitoring — United States, 2006–2014

CDC Media Relations
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Healthcare professionals should eliminate missed opportunities by giving a strong recommendation for HPV vaccine during the same visit they recommend Tdap and meningococcal vaccines for preteens (ages 11-12 years); bundling the recommendations for all of the adolescent vaccines—thus giving HPV vaccine recommendation the same weight and importance as the others—helps parents make the decision to get HPV vaccine for their children. With only a modest increase in coverage, HPV vaccination rates among adolescents remained low for another year. The vaccine is safe, effective, and prevents cancer, but it continues to be underutilized and missed opportunities are common. Had HPV vaccine been administered during health care visits when another vaccine was administered, vaccination coverage for ≥1 dose could have reached 91.3 percent by age 13 years for adolescent girls born in 2000.  Only 64.4 percent of parents of girls and 41.6 percent of parents of boys reported receiving a recommendation.  More parents of teens who received the HPV vaccine reported getting a vaccine recommendation, confirming findings from other research that a recommendation from a healthcare professional is extremely influential in determining whether or not parents get HPV vaccine for their preteen.

National, Regional, and State Vaccination Coverage Among Adolescents Aged 13–17 Years — United States, 2013

CDC Media Relations
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High coverage for all vaccines recommended for adolescents is achievable.  Clinicians are urged to strongly recommend HPV vaccine the same way and the same day they recommend and administer meningococcal and Tdap vaccines. While there was a modest increase in vaccination coverage among adolescents (aged 13-17)  for each of the routinely recommended adolescent vaccines from 2012 to 2013, progress is occurring at an unacceptably slow pace for HPV vaccination. Only 57.3 percent of girls and 34.6 percent of boys have received at least 1 dose of HPV.   Coverage rates for Tdap and meningococcal vaccines continue to be strong with 86 percent of teens having received Tdap and 77.8 percent of teens having received the first dose of meningococcal vaccine.  This report includes the first estimate of uptake of the second dose of meningococcal vaccine with 29.6 percent of teens (aged 17 years) having received it. 

WHO Global Rotavirus Surveillance Network: A Strategic Review of the First 5 Years, 2008–2012

CDC Media Relations
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Consistent and high-quality sentinel hospital surveillance provides critical public health data to inform decisions made by countries regarding new vaccine introduction and use. Rotavirus is a leading cause of severe gastroenteritis among children aged <5 years worldwide, accounting for approximately 5 percent of child deaths annually.  Since 2009, WHO has recommended that rotavirus vaccines be introduced in all national immunization programmes, particularly in countries with high diarrhea-related child mortality. To provide data for country decision making around rotavirus vaccine introduction and use, WHO since 2008 has coordinated a Global Rotavirus Surveillance Network that included 178 sentinel surveillance hospitals in 60 countries globally in 2012.  A strategic review of the network conducted in 2013 demonstrated that network data were useful for country policy decisions and also identified areas for improvement of the network.  Consistent and high-quality sentinel hospital surveillance provides critical data to inform decisions related to vaccine introduction and vaccination program sustainability.    

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES