News in brief - Nov. 14, 2005

Public health officials apologize for flu vaccine distribution delays - Pfizer, CDC create initiative to combat drug-resistant infections - Diabetes prevalence increases - Groups join to detect autism genes

Public health officials apologize for flu vaccine distribution delays

Influenza vaccine supplies are expected to be adequate this season, but public health officials are sorry that some physicians are having problems receiving their supplies in a timely manner.

"We are sorry for the problems that are going on in doctors' offices. It's frustrating. We're asking people to be patient," said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Julie L. Gerberding, MD, MPH, during a telephone conference in late October to discuss supply issues.

At least 70 million doses are expected before the end of the vaccination season, but distribution has been spotty because Chiron Corp., one of the three manufacturers, did not receive regulatory approval for the first of its lots until mid-October. As of press time, it was still unknown how many doses the company would produce, although it is expected to be fewer than the 18 million originally projected. Officials expect any shortages caused by uneven distribution to be resolved as the season progresses.

"Many doctors will be receiving vaccine shortly," said Dr. Gerberding. "Millions of more doses of vaccine are on the way."

Pfizer, CDC create initiative to combat drug-resistant infections

In order to address the increasing problem of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, that has emerged in the community over the past few years, Pfizer Inc., with the support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has launched the MRSA Leadership Initiative.

The initiative is an interdisciplinary group of epidemiology, infectious disease and health policy experts.

The hope is to create programs that increase awareness of MRSA, determine directions for research that could lead to better tools to manage this bug and establish projects that will work to prevent these kind of infections.

"This multiyear commitment will help get proven, life-saving improvement techniques put into action," said Denise Cardo, MD, director of the CDC's division of health care quality promotion. "MRSA is a priority for the public health community."

Diabetes prevalence increases

Diabetes now affects nearly 21 million people in the United States -- or 7% of the population -- and more than 6 million of them don't know they have diabetes, according to the latest prevalence data released Oct. 26 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This number represents an additional 2.6 million people with diabetes since 2002, according to the CDC.

Another 41 million people are estimated to have pre-diabetes, a condition that increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well as heart disease and stroke.

Also among the data released by the CDC: diabetes continues to be the sixth leading cause of death in the United States; 1.5 million people age 20 or older will be newly diagnosed with diabetes in 2005; compared to non-Hispanic whites, diabetes continues to be more common among American Indians and Alaska Natives, non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanic/Latino Americans, and Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Groups join to detect autism genes

The National Institutes of Health and three advocacy groups have joined forces to identify genes that may contribute to the development of autism and autism spectrum disorders. The new consortium has funded five grants representing three projects. The National Institute of Mental Health will administer the $10.8 million awards over the next five years.

Research suggests a strong interaction between environmental factors and multiple unknown genes is a cause of the neurodevelopmental disorder that results in severe and pervasive impairment in thinking, feeling, speaking and relating to others.

The hope is that as researchers gain an understanding of the genes responsible for autism, they may be better able to distinguish between the different variants of the disorder and develop targeted therapies and interventions to treat them.