[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 43 (Friday, March 4, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12117-12118]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-4879]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Call for Comments on the Draft Report of the Adult Immunization 
Working Group to the National Vaccine Advisory Committee on Adult 
Immunization: Complex Challenges and Recommendations for Improvement

AGENCY: National Vaccine Program Office, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Health, Office of the Secretary, Department of Health and 
Human Services.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) was established 
in 1987 to comply with Title XXI of the Public Health Service Act (Pub. 
L. 99-660) (Section 2105) (42 U.S. Code 300aa-5 (PDF--78 KB)). Its 
purpose is to advise and make recommendations to the Director of the 
National Vaccine Program on matters related to program 
responsibilities. The Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) has been 
designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services as the 
Director of the National Vaccine Program. The ASH has charged the NVAC 
``to develop recommendations for establishing a comprehensive, 
sustainable, national adult immunization program that will lead to 
vaccine-preventable disease reduction by improving adult immunization 
coverage levels.'' The Adult Immunization Working Group (AIWG) of NVAC 
has developed a draft report and recommendations for the consideration 
of the NVAC. Individuals and organizations are encouraged to submit 
their comments on the draft report and recommendations. It is

[[Page 12118]]

anticipated that the draft report and recommendations, as revised in 
accordance with public comment and stakeholder input, will be presented 
to the NVAC for deliberation and decision for adoption in mid- or late 
2011.

DATES: To receive consideration, comments must be received no later 
than 5 p.m. EST on April 15, 2011.

ADDRESSES:
    (1) The draft report and recommendations are available on the Web 
at http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/nvac/subgroups/adultimmunization.
    (2) By electronic mail, comments can be e-mailed to Lauren Wu, 
National Vaccine Program Office, at [email protected].
    (3) By mail, comments can be submitted to: NVAC AIWG Report, c/o 
Lauren Wu, National Vaccine Program Office, 200 Independence Avenue, 
Room 715-H, Washington, DC 20201.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Grabowsky, National Vaccine 
Program Office, 200 Independence Avenue, Room 715-H, Washington, DC 
20201, Attn: NVAC Adult Immunization Working Group, Telephone (202) 
260-2325; Fax: (202) 690-4631; E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Over the past two decades, numerous reports 
and sets of recommendations to address the suboptimal immunization 
status of adults have been developed. These have been issued by a 
number of groups, including the NVAC in 1990, 1994, 1997 and 2004; the 
Institute of Medicine; a 2010 collaboration in between Trust for 
America's Health, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the 
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; the 2007 National Immunization 
Congress; as well as by other groups of independent experts in the 
field working with Federal agencies. Despite these prior efforts, 
previous reports and recommendations have not resulted in sufficient 
improvements in the current status of adult immunization in the U.S. 
Additionally, recent research has helped to better identify additional 
barriers to adult immunization, and lessons learned from recent public 
health experiences--such as the 2009-10 H1N1 pandemic--make clear the 
need for public health infrastructure for adult vaccines. Prior 
recommendations have provided the AIWG with examples of successes and 
opportunities for improvement.
    In 2009, the NVAC issued a report directed to Federal agencies' 
adult immunization programs (http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/nvac/subgroups/nvacadultimmunizationsworkinggroupjune2009). The current draft report 
represents the work of the NVAC on phase two of this process, a broad 
examination of the national adult immunization program in accordance 
with the charge ``to develop recommendations for establishing a 
comprehensive, sustainable, national adult immunization program that 
will lead to vaccine-preventable disease reduction by improving adult 
immunization coverage levels.'' The NVAC includes representatives from 
public health practitioners, medical providers, health plan payers, 
consumers, vaccine manufacturers, and HHS agencies. Through review of 
previous recommendations to improve adult immunization, a comprehensive 
literature review of barriers to adult immunization, and identification 
of gaps in the current adult vaccination and immunization system, the 
AIWG developed draft recommendations to achieve the charge as noted 
above.
    The draft report describes the vaccine-preventable disease burden 
among adults, the current state of the adult immunization 
infrastructure, barriers to adult immunization, and the conclusions of 
the AIWG from these findings. From these conclusions, the AIWG makes 3 
recommendations: (1) That there be national leadership for an adult 
immunization program, (2) That there be resources allocated for a 
national adult immunization program and action plan implementation, and 
(3) That a national strategic plan be developed for adult immunization. 
The report also provides recommended components of a national adult 
immunization program to be included in an action plan that fall under 5 
categories: General infrastructure, access, provider- or system-based 
interventions, increasing community demand, and research needs.
    The final revision of this report will be shared with the NVAC for 
their deliberation and decision for adoption. Should the NVAC decide to 
adopt these recommendations, the report will then become a report of 
the NVAC to the Assistant Secretary for Health.

    Dated: March 1, 2011.
Bruce Gellin,
Director, National Vaccine Program Office.
[FR Doc. 2011-4879 Filed 3-3-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-44-P