NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Aug 01 - Due to a temporary shortage of the
diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine,
in March 2001 the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
recommended that providers defer administration of the 4th dose
(DTaP4) if their supplies were low.
According to a new survey of vaccination coverage levels among 990
2-year-olds in Puerto Rico, this led to a major drop in the DTaP4
vaccine coverage rates on the island in 2002 compared with 2001 (32%
vs 96%).
"Our findings in Puerto Rico may herald similar findings in the
United States but this may not be evident until later this year or
perhaps early calendar year 2003," Dr. Francisco Alvarado-Ramy of the
Puerto Rico Department of Health told Reuters Health.
Now that DTaP supplies have returned to normal, the CDC urges
providers to resume the routine DTaP schedule and begin recalling all
those children who did not receive the fourth dose of vaccine. "The
CDC will monitor post-shortage vaccination coverage levels," Dr.
Alvarado-Ramy said.
The report on DTaP vaccine coverage levels in Puerto Rico is
published in the August 2nd issue of the Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report.
MMWR 2002;51:667-668.
