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May 8, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Danger of Missing Booster Shots"

New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (05/07/02) P. F6; Nagourney, Eric

A study released by the Annals of Internal Medicine this week revealed that millions of Americans are vulnerable to tetanus and diphtheria infections because their booster shots have not been kept up to date.  Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed levels of antibodies in blood samples from over 18,000 people six years of age and older and determined that 60.5 percent of the U.S. population is protected against diphtheria and 72.3 percent against tetanus. While the level of immunity varied based on income, sex and age, a further breakdown of the data revealed a higher degree of protection among more educated people and, surprisingly, a lower compliance rate among populations who have routine access to medical care and regular physicians.  Based on their findings, the CDC researchers asserted that physicians must become much more aggressive about immunization compliance.  Diphtheria and tetanus are rare in the United States; however, infections do occur, and a lack of booster shots could exacerbate the spread, the authors said.

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