No abstract

Pregnant women and infants are at increased risk for influenza-related complications and hospitalization. Influenza vaccination can reduce the risk for influenza-related illness among pregnant women and their infants. Since 2004, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) have recommended influenza vaccination for all women who are or will be pregnant during the influenza season, regardless of trimester of pregnancy. To assess influenza vaccination coverage among pregnant women during the 2014–15 influenza season, CDC analyzed data from an Internet panel survey conducted during March 31–April 6, 2015. Among 1,702 survey respondents who were pregnant at any time during October 2014–January 2015, 50.3% reported receiving influenza vaccination before or during pregnancy, similar to the reported coverage in the preceding season. Overall, 64.9% of respondents reported receiving a provider offer of influenza vaccination, 14.8% received a recommendation but no offer, and 20.3% received no recommendation. Vaccination coverage among these groups of women was 67.9%, 33.5%, and 8.5%, respectively. Reminder systems and standing orders that allow health care personnel other than the attending provider to assess vaccination status and administer vaccination, can help to ensure that influenza vaccination is recommended and offered to a pregnant woman at each provider visit to increase pregnant women’s vaccination coverage.

* Beginning April 12, the facility did not slaughter any more animals. During April 12-14, the facility processed animals that had already been slaughtered, shipped finished product, and progressively closed departments. From April 15 onward, only staff members necessary for maintenance, cleaning, and sanitization of the facility, transportation of remaining product, and implementation of COVID-19 prevention activities reported to work.

Background Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all persons ≥6 months. The objective of this study is to assess trends in racial/ethnic disparities in influenza vaccination coverage among adults in the United States. Methods We analyzed data from the 2007-2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis procedure to assess influenza vaccination coverage by age, presence of medical conditions, and racial/ethnic groups during the 2007-08 through 2011-12 seasons. Results During the 2011-12 season, influenza vaccination coverage was significantly lower among non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics compared with non-Hispanic whites among most of the adult sub-groups, with smaller disparities observed for adults 18-49 years compared to other age groups. Vaccination coverage for non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic adults increased significantly from the 2007-08 through the 2011-12 season for most of the adult sub-groups based on NHIS (test for trend: p<0.05). Coverage gaps between racial/ethnic minorities and non-Hispanic white persisted at similar levels from the 2007-08 through the 2011-12 season, with similar results from NHIS and BRFSS. Conclusions Influenza vaccination coverage among most racial/ethnic groups increased from the 2007-08 through the 2011-12 seasons, but substantial racial and ethnic disparities remained in most age groups. Targeted efforts are needed to improve coverage and reduce disparities.

A critical issue during the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic was determining the appropriate duration of time individuals with influenza-like illness (ILI) should remain isolated to reduce onward transmission while limiting societal disruption. Ideally this is based on knowledge of the relative infectiousness of ill individuals at each point during the course of the infection. Data on 261 clinically apparent pH1N1 infector-infectee pairs in households, from 7 epidemiological studies conducted in the United States early in 2009, were analyzed to estimate the distribution of times from symptom onset in an infector to symptom onset in the household contacts they infect (mean, 2.9 days, not correcting for tertiary transmission). Only 5% of transmission events were estimated to take place >3 days after the onset of clinical symptoms among those ill with pH1N1 virus. These results will inform future recommendations on duration of isolation of individuals with ILI.