Immunization Newsbriefs (c) Copyright Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for Immunization Information (NNii). Visit NNii's new website at http://www.immunizationinfo.org.
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October 11, 2002
U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Now Adults Have an Immunization Schedule, Too"
USA Today (www.usatoday.com) (10/10/02) P. 11D; Rubin, Rita
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a schedule for adult immunizations, one that has won endorsements from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Walter Orenstein, director of the CDC's National Immunization Program, says that the schedule is intended for those over 18. The schedule, which can be found on the CDC's Web site, at http://www.cdc.gov/nip/recs/adultschedule.htm, accounts for pre-existing medical conditions and age and includes up to eight vaccines, depending on the adult. The Healthy People 2010 immunization goal is to get 90 percent of those over age 64 vaccinated against influenza and pneumococcal disease, but Orenstein notes that last year, only two-thirds of white Americans and only about half of African-American and Hispanics in that age bracket got flu shots. Vanderbilt University's William Schaffner adds that only just over half of older Americans have been vaccinated against pneumonia.
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