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May 24, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Not All Providers Following ACIP Interim Use Guidelines" Infectious Diseases in Children (www.idinchildren.com) (04/02) Vol. 15, No. 4, P. 34; Bechtel, Bryan

Although guidelines were issued last year on vaccine usage during shortages, some providers did not make changes in administration, according to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Immunization Program (NIP).  The interim usage guidelines were issued last year by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).  The survey found that 45 percent of providers did not postpone doses of PCV7 or did not prioritize doses as advised by the ACIP.  About 20 percent of providers spent at least one month without any PCV7, while 17 percent of providers exhausted their supplies of PCV7 before they realized a shortage was taking place, says Shannon Stokley, MPH, an epidemiologist ate the NIP.  The ACIP guidelines recommend dropping the fourth dose for infants scheduled to receive PCV7. For DTaP, 68 percent of providers made no change in administration while 16 percent suspended the fifth dose and 11 percent stopped the fourth dose.  The study also shows that providers faced shortages of varicella and Td vaccines in addition to PCV7 and DTaP, according to Stokley.

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