CDC/MMWR Watch [to 26 April 2014]
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwr_wk.html

:: CDC Telebriefing: Report shows 20-year U.S. immunization program spares millions of children from diseases – Transcript
April 24, 2014, 3:30 PM
Excerpt
…TOM FRIEDEN: Thank you very much for joining us. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the U.S. Vaccines for Children Program, VFC. Since 1994 VFC has provided vaccines at no cost to uninsured children throughout the country and today we’re releasing a report that shows that our national immunization program and VFC will save hundreds of thousands of lives and over $1 trillion…The program allows CDC to buy vaccines at a discount and to distribute them at no charge to more than 44,000 enrolled VFC providers across the country. To summarize the impact of the U.S. immunization program on the health of all children, both VFC eligible and VFC non-eligible children, CDC used information from a variety of sources and previously published models to estimate how many illnesses, how many hospitalizations and how many premature deaths were saved in this 20-year period and what we found was that for the 79 million children born in this 20-year period, vaccination over the course of their lifetimes, will prevent 322 million illnesses, 21 million hospitalizations, and 730,000 early deaths. In addition, the net financial costs saved because these illnesses will not occur are substantial. According to the report, use of the vaccination will avert $295 billion dollars in direct costs and $1.38 trillion– with a “t” — dollars in societal costs because of illnesses prevented in these cohorts. This is an enormous impact. It demonstrates why the VFC program is one of our country’s most successful public/private partnerships to improve the health of our children and our country…

:: MMWR for April 25, 2014 / Vol. 63 / No. 16
Benefits from Immunization During the Vaccines for Children Program Era — United States, 1994–2013
Excerpt
…Among 78.6 million children born during 1994–2013, routine childhood immunization was estimated to prevent 322 million illnesses (averaging 4.1 illnesses per child) and 21 million hospitalizations (0.27 per child) over the course of their lifetimes and avert 732,000 premature deaths from vaccine-preventable illnesses (Table). Illnesses prevented ranged from 3,000 for tetanus to >70 million for measles. The highest estimated cumulative numbers of hospitalizations and deaths that will be prevented were 8.9 million hospitalizations for measles and 507,000 deaths for diphtheria. The routine childhood vaccines introduced during the VFC era (excluding influenza and hepatitis A) together will prevent about 1.4 million hospitalizations and 56,300 deaths.

Vaccination will potentially avert $402 billion in direct costs and $1.5 trillion in societal costs because of illnesses prevented in these birth cohorts. After accounting for $107 billion and $121 billion in direct and societal costs of routine childhood immunization, respectively, the net present values (net savings) of routine childhood immunization from the payers’ and societal perspectives were $295 billion and $1.38 trillion, respectively….

Surveillance Systems to Track Progress Toward Global Polio Eradication — Worldwide, 2012–2013
Notes from the Field: Measles — California, January 1–April 18, 2014
Announcements: National Infant Immunization Week
Announcements: World Malaria Day — April 25, 2014