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Articles

Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths — United States and 28 Other High-Income Countries, 2015 and 2019

CDC Media Relations
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In 2019, the United States had the highest population-based crash death rate (11.1 per 100,000 population) among 29 high-income countries — a rate 2.3 times higher than the average rate (4.8) for the 28 other high-income countries. The population-based death rate decreased from 2015 to 2019 in 22 countries but did not decrease in the United States. CDC analyzed motor vehicle crash death rates for the United States and 28 other high-income countries using data regularly reported by participating countries. These data included population size, vehicle miles traveled, and numbers of registered vehicles. In addition to having the highest population-based death rate, the United States also had the sixth-highest distance-based death rate (1.11 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled) and the fourth-highest vehicle-based death rate (1.21 per 10,000 registered vehicles). By reducing the U.S. population-based crash death rate to match the average rate of the 28 other high-income countries, the United States could save more than 20,500 lives and about $280.5 million in medical costs (in 2019 U.S. dollars) each year. The United States can redouble efforts to implement proven strategies and can broadly implement the Safe System approach to reduce motor vehicle crash deaths and injuries.

Updated U.S. Public Health Service Guideline for Testing of Transplant Candidates Aged <12 Years for Infection with HIV, Hepatitis B Virus, and Hepatitis C Virus — United States, 2022

CDC Media Relations
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The 2020 U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) guideline for solid organ transplants has been amended. It is no longer necessary for children younger than 12 years of age who were tested for these infectious diseases after the newborn period to be retested during hospital admission for transplantation surgery. CDC experts determined that the risk of repeat testing for this age group outweighed the risk of missing new HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections prior to transplant surgery. The U.S. PHS has periodically published recommendations about reducing the risk for transmission of HIV, HBV, and HCV through solid organ transplantation. Updated guidance published in 2020 included the recommendation that all transplant candidates receive HIV, HBV, and HCV testing during hospital admission for transplant surgery to more accurately assess their pretransplant infection status and to better identify donor transmitted infection. But shortly after it was implemented, CDC and the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) were notified that this recommendation may be harmful to pediatric organ transplant candidates because the volume of blood drawn for testing could worsen underlying illnesses in children. Based on a review of the available data, public comment, discussions with stakeholders from the transplantation community, and input from the Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability, the 2020 PHS guideline has been amended. CDC, HRSA, and other federal partners will continue to monitor the impact of the 2020 guideline on organ safety and use.

COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Availability and Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 5–11 Years — United States, November 1, 2021–April 25, 2022

CDC Media Relations
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A new CDC study found that U.S. counties with at least one pediatric COVID-19 vaccine provider serving children aged 5–11 years had higher vaccination rates in this age group than counties with no active pediatric COVID-19 vaccine provider. Further, although most counties had at least one active COVID-19 vaccine provider (pharmacy, public health clinic) serving children aged 5–11 years, half of the counties included did not have an active provider that serves as a medical home for routine pediatric care — such as a pediatric clinic, family medicine clinic, or federally qualified health center (FQHC) — offering COVID-19 vaccinations to children aged 5–11 years. COVID-19 can be serious for children, leading to multisystem inflammatory syndrome, hospitalization, or death. On November 2, 2021, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices issued an interim recommendation for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 5–11 years to prevent COVID-19. As of June 7, 2022, only one in three children aged 5–11 years had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The availability of vaccine providers is one factor that might influence vaccination coverage. To better understand how provider availability has impacted COVID-19 vaccination coverage among children aged 5–11 years, CDC analyzed active COVID-19 vaccine providers and county-level vaccination data during November 1, 2021–April 25, 2022. Among over 2,500 U.S. counties included in the analysis, 9 in 10 had at least one active COVID-19 vaccine provider. he percentage of children aged 5–11 years who were vaccinated was higher in counties with at least one active COVID-19 vaccine provider than in counties with no active providers. Ensuring broad access to COVID-19 vaccines, in addition to other strategies to address vaccination barriers, could help increase vaccination coverage among children aged 5–11 years.

Previously Released: Interim Analysis of Acute Hepatitis of Unknown Etiology in Children Aged <10 Years — United States, October 2021–June 2022

CDC Media Relations
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Previously Released: Interim Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for Use of Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccines in Children Aged 6 Months–5 Years — United States, June 2022

CDC Media Relations
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• Adjusted Death Rates for Motor Vehicle Traffic Injury, by Race and Hispanic Origin — United States, 2019 and 2020

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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.