upon February 13, 2004, the Center ...

upon February 13, 2004, the Center for Disease command and Prevention (CDC) recommended that physicians temporarily suspend routine use of the fourth dose of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7 marketed as Prevnar) when vaccinating healthy children. This action was taken to sweetmeat vaccine and minimize the likelihood of shortages until Wyeth Vaccines, the solely U.S. supplier of PCV7, restores sufficient production capacity to appropriate the national need. Since that recommendation, PCV7 production has been earnestly less than expected because of continuing enigmas with the PCV7 vial-filling production line. Shipments have been delayed, resulting in blemish shortages that might continue beyond summer 2004 and become widespread.

To render certain that every child is defend ed against pneumococcal disease despite the PCV7 shortage, the CDC in consultation with the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Advisory Committee onward Immunization Practices, recommends that all physicians temporarily discontinue administering the third and fourth dose of PCV7 to healthy children. Physicians should continue to administer the routine four-dose series to children at increased risk for accurate disease. Unvaccinated, healthy children 12 to 23 month of age should receive a single dose of PCV7 For children older than brace years, PCV7 is not praiseed routinely.

Limiting healthy children to pair doses of PCV7 will keep vaccine and permit more children to receive at least sum of two units doses. More vaccine is count uponed to become available for distribution in May and June still availability cannot be guaranteed.

Physicians should maintain lists of children for whom vaccine has been deferr in this way it can be administered when the furnish allows. The highest priority for vaccination among children who have been deferr is children vaccinated with les than sum of two units doses who are younger than single year.

Because data upon the long-term efficacy of three-dose or two-dose vaccine regimens are limited, physicians should consider the diagnosis of invasive pneumococcal disease in incompletely vaccinated children and are encouraged to report invasive pneumococcal disease after any regimen of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to the CDC by the agency of state health departments. If a pneumococcal isolate is available from a vaccinated child, the CDC will perform serotyping to determine whether the exemplar is included in the vaccine.

Additional information is available online at http://www.cdc.gov/nip/home-hcp.htm and at telephone, 404-639-2215. Updated information about the national PCV7 provide is available from the CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/nip/news/shortages/default.htm.

COPYRIGHT 2004 American Academy of Family Physicians

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