MMWR – Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

1. Diabetes Death Rates Among Youths — United States, 1968–2009

CDC
Division of News & Electronic Media
404-639-3286

Deaths due to diabetes in young people are potentially preventable. The CDC used data from death certificates to look at trends in diabetes deaths among youth in the United States. Deaths among youth with diabetes have dropped from a rate of 2.69 per million in 1968-1969 to 1.05 per million in 2008-2009. The rates have dropped for children younger than 10, and for youth ages 10-19. The largest decline in death rates was seen among children younger than 10. However, for youth aged 10-19 years there was an annual increase of 1.7 percent between 1984-1986 and 2008-2009.  Possible reasons for the decrease in diabetes death rates among youth include improved diabetes care and treatment and increased awareness of diabetes symptoms possibly resulting in earlier recognition and treatment of new cases. 

2. Evaluation of 11 Commercially Available Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Tests — United States, 2012

CDC
Division of News & Electronic Media
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Rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs) are widely used in clinical practice, but their ability to detect influenza infections can vary considerably, and sometimes negative as well as positive test results can be inaccurate. This variability highlights the importance of clinician education on the use and interpretation of RIDTs, and well as the need to consistently evaluate the performance of RIDTs and to promote development of better RIDTs. This publication evaluates the performance of 11 commercially available RIDTs in detecting 23 circulating seasonal influenza viruses. In addition, it establishes a new methodology for routine evaluation of RIDTs and provides recommendations on practices for obtaining the best results from RIDTs.

3. Current Tobacco Use and Secondhand Smoke Exposure Among Women of Reproductive Age — 14 Countries, 2008–2010

CDC
Division of News & Electronic Media
404-639-3286

Tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure in reproductive-aged women can cause adverse reproductive health outcomes, such as pregnancy complications, preterm delivery, stillbirths, and infant death. In 14 low- to middle-income countries surveyed during 2008-2010, almost half of reproductive-aged women (470 million women) were exposed to secondhand smoke in the home, and an estimated 92 million women were current tobacco users. Evidence-based tobacco control strategies outlined in the WHO ‘MPOWER’ framework can prevent or reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke in reproductive-aged women. These strategies include monitoring of the tobacco epidemic; offering assistance to quit; protecting people from exposure to SHS; warning about the dangers of tobacco; enforcing advertising bans, promotion and sponsorship; and raising prices and taxes on tobacco products.

4. Global Routine Vaccination Coverage, 2011

CDC
Division of News & Electronic Media
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Although progress continues to be made, many children, especially those in less developed countries, remain at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases. Global coverage with third dose of diphtheria–tetanus–pertussis vaccine (DTP) substantially improved from less than 5 percent in 1974 to 83 percent in 2011. However, approximately 22.4 million children in 2011 still did not receive some or all routinely recommended childhood vaccines, leaving them susceptible to vaccine-preventable causes of disease and death. Over half of these children are in three countries (India, Nigeria, and Indonesia) and 62 percent never received the first dose of DTP vaccine. Coverage with other vaccines was 88 percent for bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine, 84 percent for third dose of poliovirus vaccine, 84 percent for first dose of measles-containing vaccine, 75 percent for third dose of hepatitis B vaccine, and 43 percent for third dose of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES