News in brief - Feb. 28, 2011

HHS updates National Vaccine Plan

The Dept. of Health and Human Services has issued a revised National Vaccine Plan to ensure access to preventive immunizations for all Americans.

"This plan is a 10-year vision for the nation to more effectively prevent infectious diseases and reduce adverse reactions to vaccines," said Bruce Gellin, MD, MPH, director of the National Vaccine Program Office and HHS deputy assistant secretary.

The plan, issued Feb. 16, addresses a range of issues, including vaccine research and development, supply, financing and distribution. HHS urges health professionals to be well-informed about vaccines and share that information with patients (www.hhs.gov/nvpo/vacc_plan).

Overall goals of the plan are to develop new and improved vaccines, enhance vaccine safety, facilitate informed decision-making, ensure stable supplies nationwide and increase vaccination globally. This is the first update to the plan since its 1994 release.

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Spread of hepatitis C stabilized, CDC says

The incidence of the hepatitis C virus has declined significantly during the past 30 years, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Feb. 14 Archives of Internal Medicine.

Injection drug use remains the most common risk factor for individuals contracting the virus. CDC researchers studied 2,075 cases of hepatitis C reported to six health departments in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Oregon and Washington between 1982 and 2006. They found the number of new cases declined by about 90% after 1989 and then stabilized starting around 1994 (archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/171/3/242).

Incidence of the disease averaged 7.4 cases for every 100,000 people from 1982 to 1989 and dropped to 0.7 cases per 100,000 from 1994 to 2006. The proportion of injection drug use-related cases increased from 31.8% during the 1982 to 1989 period to 45.6% from 1994 to 2006. The median age of hepatitis C patients is 31. The report said 22.5% of patients were hospitalized and 1.2% died during the years studied.

This content was published online only.

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