The transcript of the CDC Briefing on Investigation of Human Cases of H1N1 Flu from 24 July 2009 was released. Dr. Anne Schuchat, Director of the National Center For Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, responded to media questions. The full transcript is available at the link below. Selected comments are presented here:
“…I want to make a special reminder to health care workers. We have recommended health care workers get the seasonal flu vaccine for years and we all need to be with vaccination coverage. This year in particular we want to keep health care workers healthy at work able to care for sick patients, and we don’t want them to be spreading influenza to their patients. We recommend them strongly to receive the seasonal flu vaccine. And I’m expecting when H1N1 vaccine recommendations come out it’s very, very likely health care workers will be in that group that ought to get vaccines as well…”
“…A second area that’s very active is the efforts around vaccines. I think the media heard yesterday from the FDA and the NIH about efforts being carried out around clinical trials and vaccine development. And I want to remind you that next Wednesday, July 29th, CDC’s Advisory Committee On Immunization Practices will be convening here in Atlanta. They will be deliberating recommendations for which populations should be targeted for the H1N1 vaccine and whether prioritization is going to be appropriate. We also provided planning scenarios to the state and local health departments so that they can be working carefully with the private sector, with the health systems, with communities and communicators about vaccination preparations. At this point the secretary has announced that we are planning for a voluntary vaccination program in the fall, assuming availability of appropriate vaccines and that the virus hasn’t changed so substantially that a vaccine wouldn’t work. So there’s a lot going on to be ready for such an effort. And this ACIP committee meeting next week will be a key step in that process…”
“…So the second part of your question was about mandates. Mandates for immunization for school entry are a state and local matter. The immunized states, every state mandates use of certain vaccines for school entry, such as measles vaccine. Influenza hasn’t typically been a vaccine that has been on that same kind of listing. Measles, of course, is a disease that we have eliminated in The United States. Much of the tremendous control that we’ve had with measles has been through high immunization coverage, as well as high second dose coverage, which is where the school entry requirements came through. So at this point I am not anticipating mandated influenza vaccine for school-aged children. But whatever happens, that will be a state and local matter…”
vaccines and global health :: ethics and policy 