Synopsis for May 28, 2004

The MMWR is embargoed until Thursday, 12 PM EDT.

1. Cigarette Smoking Among Adults ― United States, 2002
2. Immunization Registry Progress ― January-December, 2002
3. Wild Poliovirus Importations ― West and Central Africa, January 2003-March 2004

Synopsis for May 28, 2004

Cigarette Smoking Among Adults ― United States, 2002

While overall smoking prevalence is declining, the higher prevalence among disadvantaged populations calls for expanded interventions to better reach people with lower socioeconomic status.

Information collected from personal interviews in 2002 from a nationally representative sample of adults ages 18 years and older found that, although smoking prevalence continues to decline, smoking rates are much higher among people with lower incomes and education levels. The gap between Americans of different socioeconomic strata has not narrowed and may have increased from 1983 to 2002. Meeting our Healthy People 2010 goal of reducing adult smoking to 12 percent or less requires that we greatly accelerate our progress in helping smokers to quit, especially those with lower levels of education and income. Since telephone quitlines can provide free services and reach low income, rural, and elderly populations, the establishment and expansion of telephone quitline services, as part of a comprehensive tobacco prevention and control program, are critical for reducing tobacco use in the United States.

Immunization Registry Progress ―
January-December, 2002

Immunization registries have made progress toward implementing the 12 immunization registry functional standards and enrolling more children and health-care providers in their systems.

Immunization registries are confidential, computerized information systems that collect vaccination data within a geographic area. One of the national health objectives for 2010 is to increase to 95% the proportion of children aged <6 years who participate (i.e., have two or more vaccinations recorded) in fully operational, population-based immunization registries (objective 14.26). Data from the CDC’s calendar year 2002 Immunization Registry Annual Report, a survey of registry activity among immunization programs in the 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC)., indicate that approximately half of children aged <6 years are participating in a registry. Achieving the national health objective will require increased implementation of immunization registry functional standards (e.g., data quality).

Wild Poliovirus Importations ― West and Central Africa, January 2003-March 2004

To restore gains made in polio eradication in West and Central Africa, WPV transmission must be interrupted in Nigeria and Niger. Until then, immunization activities must be of high enough quality to provide an immunity barrier to keep PV from re-establishing and causing disease in these neighboring polio-free countries.

During 2003 and the first quarter of 2004, 8 previously polio-free West and Central African countries reported wild poliovirus importations resulting in 63 polio cases. All importations can be traced to ancestral strains that circulate in northern Nigeria and southern Niger. Many of these 8 countries had continued transmission after importation because of low vaccination coverage and decrease frequency or quality of immunization activities. Until the major Nigeria/Niger PV reservoir has been eliminated, neighboring countries must create a population immunity barrier by implementing quality immunization activities (routine and especially supplementary activities). The quality of recent campaigns in these countries has improved by increasing the level of political commitment and a strengthening in the monitoring and supervision of activities.

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