Use of Japanese encephalitis vaccine in US travel medicine practices in Global TravEpiNet

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Bhushan R. Deshpande, Tufts University; Sowmya R. Rao, University of Massachusetts; Emily S. Jentes, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Susan L. Hills, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Marc Fischer, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Mark D. Gershman, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Gary W. Brunette, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Edward T. Ryan, Massachusetts General Hospital; Regina C. LaRocque, Massachusetts General Hospital; Phyllis E Kozarsky, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2014-01-01
• Publisher: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2014 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.14-0062
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
• ISSN: 0002-9637
• Volume: 91
• Issue: 4
• Start Page: 694
• End Page: 698
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Grants U19CI000514 and U01CK000175.
• Keywords: Endemic Diseases; Adolescent; United States; Encephalitis, Japanese; Aged; Risk Assessment; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Male; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Female; Travel Medicine; Young Adult; Guideline Adherence; Middle Aged; Japanese Encephalitis Vaccines; Travel; Vaccination; Encephalitis Virus, Japanese; Demography; Humans; Adult
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Epidemiology

Abstract

Few data regarding the use of Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine in clinical practice are available. We identified 711 travelers at higher risk and 7,578 travelers at lower risk for JE who were seen at US Global TravEpiNet sites from September of 2009 to August of 2012. Higher-risk travelers were younger than lower-risk travelers (median age = 29 years versus 40 years, P < 0.001). Over 70% of higher-risk travelers neither received JE vaccine during the clinic visit nor had been previously vaccinated. In the majority of these instances, clinicians determined that the JE vaccine was not indicated for the higher-risk traveler, which contradicts current recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Better understanding is needed of the clinical decision-making regarding JE vaccine in US travel medicine practices.