MMWR News Synopsis for October 26, 2017

Timeliness of Receipt of Early Childhood Vaccinations Among Children of Immigrants — Minnesota, 2016

Doug Schultz
Minnesota Department of Health
651-201-4993
doug.schultz@state.mn.us

This study demonstrates vaccination disparities between children with U.S.-born parents and children with immigrant parents, as well as disparities by mother’s country of birth. Additional studies are needed to identify barriers to vaccination faced by groups with lower vaccination coverage and to inform the development of effective strategies to address these barriers. This study used data from the Minnesota Immunization Information Connection (MIIC) and the Office of Vital Records to measure childhood vaccination coverage and examine coverage differences across selected demographic characteristics at ages 2, 6, 18, and 36 months for children born in Minnesota in 2011 and 2012. Coverage levels were higher for children with two U.S.-born parents compared with children having at least one foreign-born parent at all four ages. When children were divided into groups by mother’s country of birth, some groups were vaccinated at higher rates than were children of U.S.-born mothers (Mexico, Central and South America), and others at much lower rates (Somalia, Eastern Europe). Outreach to groups with lower vaccination rates may be needed to improve vaccination coverage in young children.

Tobacco Use Among Working Adults — United States, 2014–2016

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

Proven interventions to prevent and reduce tobacco-product use, particularly current use of multiple products, are critical for working adults. An estimated 32.7 million (22.1 percent) working American adults are currently using some form of tobacco product. Among these tobacco users, 6.9 million currently use two or more types of tobacco products. Tobacco use varied by type of product used, with 15.4 percent using cigarettes, 5.8 percent using other combustible tobacco products (cigars, pipes, water pipes/hookahs, very small cigars, or bidis), 3.6 percent using electronic cigarettes, and 3.0 percent using smokeless tobacco. The use of any tobacco product was higher among males; non-Hispanic whites; people ages 18–24 years; people with no health insurance; and among workers in the construction industry and in the installation, maintenance, and repair occupation. Use of multiple tobacco products was highest among working adults in the accommodation and food services industry and in installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.

Increased Risk for Mother-to-Infant Transmission of Hepatitis C Virus Among Medicaid Recipients ― Wisconsin, 2011–2015

Theresa Watts
University of Wisconsin
631-494-9432
twatts@wisc.edu

Health care providers can protect babies from hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections by testing for, treating, and curing HCV infection among women of childbearing age. Practices for HCV screening of pregnant women and babies born to HCV-infected mothers should be improved to prevent serious but preventable complications among mothers and babies.Increasing injection drug use, suspected to be linked with America’s growing opioid epidemic, has led to rapid increases of new HCV infections among young adults. The rise in new HCV infections among young adults could affect the next generation when the virus is passed from mothers to babies. About 6 percent of babies born to HCV-infected mothers will get the virus. Trends in HCV infection during pregnancy and infant testing were estimated using Wisconsin Medicaid and Public Health Surveillance data. Between 2011 and 2015, among the Wisconsin Medicaid population, the proportion of women who had HCV infection during pregnancy increased 93 percent, from 2.7 to 5.2 per 1,000 births. Of the babies born to women with HCV infection, only 34 percent were tested for HCV per CDC recommendations.

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