MMWR News Synopsis

Articles

National, Regional, State, and Selected Local Area Vaccination Coverage Among Adolescents Aged 13–17 Years — United States, 2020

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

New data reveal continued improvement in HPV, meningococcal B, and hepatitis A vaccination coverage among U.S. adolescents aged 13 to 17 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The data also continue to show disparities in adolescent vaccination coverage based on metropolitan statistical area and poverty level. Despite the steady, overall progress in adolescent vaccination coverage, disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic still threaten these achievements. Ensuring that routine vaccination is maintained with catch-up vaccination for any missed doses is essential to protecting communities from vaccine-preventable diseases and outbreaks.

HPV vaccinations, along with Tdap and meningococcal conjugate vaccinations, are routinely recommended for adolescents to prevent diseases including pertussis (whooping cough), diphtheria, tetanus, meningococcal disease, and cancers caused by HPV. CDC analyzed data from the 2020 National Immunization Survey-Teen (NIS-Teen) to estimate vaccination coverage among adolescents aged 13–17 years in the United States. In 2020, 75.1% of adolescents had their first dose of the HPV vaccination series and 58.6% were up to date with the HPV vaccination series. Coverage with HPV vaccines continues to increase but remains lower than most other routinely recommended vaccines for adolescents. Among adolescents living at or above the poverty level, those living in rural areas had lower coverage for being up to date with HPV and two or more doses of hepatitis A vaccine compared with those in urban areas. Adolescents living outside a metropolitan statistical area had lower coverage with meningococcal conjugate vaccine and HPV vaccines than adolescents in metropolitan statistical area principal cities. It is important to note there is limited opportunity to assess the effect of the pandemic on routine coverage using 2020 NIS-Teen data since most teens in the sample were aged 13 years and older, past the age (11–12 years) when most routine vaccinations are recommended by ACIP. In addition, most vaccinations occurred before the March 2020 start of the pandemic in the United States. Data from the next two survey years of NIS-Teen are needed to fully assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent vaccination.

Evaluation of Syndromic Surveillance Data for Studying Harmful Algal Bloom-Associated Illnesses — United States, 2017–2019

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

Harmful algal and cyanobacterial blooms can cause harm to people, animals, and the environment. A recent CDC study found there were 321 emergency department visits related to harmful algal bloom exposures from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2019.

Harmful algal and cyanobacterial blooms are the rapid growth of algae or cyanobacteria that can cause harm to people, animals, and the environment. Toxins (poisons) from harmful algae or cyanobacteria can make people sick if they swallow, touch, or breathe in droplets from contaminated water. A recent study from CDC looked at emergency department data from the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP) and found there were 321 emergency department visits related to harmful algal bloom exposures from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2019. Visits to emergency departments were the most frequent during warmer months (June to October). Respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, sore throat, nasal congestion, or wheezing, were the most common symptoms reported. Increasing awareness so that more patients know to mention harmful algal bloom exposures and more physicians know to ask about them could improve documentation of health effects and enable further use of health records for health studies.

Multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2 in a University Outbreak After Spring Break — Chicago, Illinois, March–May 2021

Bria Kelly
Information Coordinator
Phone: 312-747-9599
Email: bria.kelly@cityofchicago.org

After spring break 2021, COVID-19 cases increased rapidly at a Chicago university, leading to an outbreak of 158 cases. Most of these infections were among unvaccinated students who traveled over the break. Most of the students with COVID-19 had a variant of the virus that was not widely detected in Chicago before this outbreak. These results demonstrate the potential for COVID-19 outbreaks on university campuses following widespread student travel during breaks, at the beginning of new semesters, and when students participate in indoor social gatherings.

After spring break in April 2021, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) investigated a COVID-19 outbreak at an urban university in Chicago, Illinois. CDPH conducted interviews and whole genome sequencing on available specimens to evaluate the role that travel and social activities may have had on the outbreak. A total of 158 COVID-19 cases among undergraduate students were identified; of these, as many as 72% lived in dormitories and the rest lived off-campus. Among 140 interviewed students with COVID-19, 64% reported travel outside Chicago during spring break and 41% reported indoor social exposures. Whole genome sequencing identified several lineages and multiple distinct introductions of COVID-19, likely driven by student travel. Most specimens, 64%, were B.1.1.222, a lineage not widely detected in Chicago before or after this outbreak. This outbreak shows how unvaccinated students travelling during a university break and the social activities that followed resulted in multiple groups of students being infected. The university’s use of effective prevention measures reduced further spread. These measures included weekly testing, isolating infected students, contact tracing, and other university-wide measures. Now that vaccinations are widely available to university-age students in the United States, vaccination is a key preventive measure. Colleges and universities should follow existing CDC recommendations for controlling COVID-19, including encouraging COVID-19 vaccination; discouraging unvaccinated students from travel, including during university breaks; implementing serial COVID-19 screening among unvaccinated people following university breaks; encouraging masking; and implementing universal serial testing for students based on community transmission levels.

Screening Programs for SARS-CoV-2 Infections on a University Campus — Austin, Texas, September 30–November 30, 2020

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

In a large university setting, one targeted screening campaign of a student population attending campus events detected a larger proportion of asymptomatic cases and accessed a different population than did voluntary community screening or diagnostic testing. A complementary strategy of community and targeted screening programs in addition to clinic-based diagnostic SARS-CoV-2 testing can enhance efforts to identify and control transmission of COVID-19, particularly in high-risk or large events like university athletic events or graduation ceremonies.

The University of Texas at Austin implemented university-based SARS-CoV-2 testing campaigns and a contact tracing initiative. The campaigns included: 1) clinic-based diagnostic testing for symptomatic or exposed students, 2) Proactive Community Testing, a voluntary screening offered to asymptomatic people, and 3) targeted screening of specific student populations in situations of increased transmission risk such as those with season tickets to athletic events. During September 30–November 30, 2020, more than 32,000 tests were conducted, which detected about 400 unique cases of COVID-19 among students. Targeted screening detected a larger proportion of asymptomatic cases than did voluntary screening or diagnostic testing. A complementary strategy of community and targeted screening programs in addition to clinic-based diagnostic SARS-CoV-2 testing can enhance efforts to identify and control transmission of COVID-19.

COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Adolescents Aged 12–17 Years — United States, December 14, 2020–July 31, 2021

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

Outbreak Associated with SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant in an Elementary School — Marin County, California, May–June 2021

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

COVID-19 Case Rates in Transitional Kindergarten Through Grade 12 Schools and in the Community — Los Angeles County, California, September 2020–March 2021

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

Epidemiologically Linked COVID-19 Outbreaks at a Youth Camp and Men’s Conference — Illinois, June–July 2021

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

Association Between COVID-19 and Myocarditis Using Hospital-Based Administrative Data — United States, March 2020–January 2021

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

• Death Rates from Colorectal Cancer, by Age Group — United States, 1999–2019

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

CDC works 24/7 protecting America’s health, safety and security. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC responds to America’s most pressing health threats. CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and has experts located throughout the United States and the world.