Vaccination coverage among American Indian and Alaska native children, 2006-2010.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A previous study on vaccination coverage in the American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population found that disparities in coverage between AI/AN and white children existed from 2001 to 2004 but were absent in 2005. The objective of this study was to describe vaccination coverage levels for AI/AN children aged 19-35 months in the United States between 2006 and 2010, examining whether gains found for AI/AN children in 2005 have been sustained. METHODS: Data from the 2006 through 2010 National Immunization Surveys were analyzed. Groups were defined as AI/AN (alone or in combination with any other race and excluding Hispanics) and white-only non-Hispanic children. Comparisons in demographics and vaccination coverage were made. RESULTS: Demographic risk factors often associated with underimmunization were significantly higher for AI/AN respondents compared with white respondents in most years studied. Overall, vaccination coverage was similar between the 2 groups in most years, although coverage with 4 or more doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was lower for AI/AN children in 2008 and 2009, as was coverage with vaccine series measures the series in 2006 and 2009. When stratified by geographic regions, AI/AN children had coverage that was similar to or higher than that of white children for most vaccines in most years studied. CONCLUSIONS: The gains in vaccination coverage found in 2005 have been maintained. The absence of disparities in coverage with most vaccines between AI/AN children and white children from 2006 through 2010 is a clear success. These types of periodic reviews are important to ensure we remain vigilant.

Pandemic influenza preparedness and vulnerable populations in tribal communities.

American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) governments are sovereign entities with inherent authority to establish and administer public health programs within their communities and will be critical partners in national efforts to prepare for pandemic influenza. Within AIAN communities, some subpopulations will be particularly vulnerable during an influenza pandemic because of their underlying health conditions, whereas others will be at increased risk because of limited access to prevention or treatment interventions.We outline potential issues to consider in identifying and providing appropriate services for selected vulnerable populations within tribal communities. We also highlight pandemic influenza preparedness resources available to tribal leaders and their partners in state and local health departments, academia, community-based organizations, and the private sector.

Public health legal preparedness in Indian country.

American Indian/Alaska Native tribal governments are sovereign entities with inherent authority to create laws and enact health regulations. Laws are an essential tool for ensuring effective public health responses to emerging threats. To analyze how tribal laws support public health practice in tribal communities, we reviewed tribal legal documentation available through online databases and talked with subject-matter experts in tribal public health law. Of the 70 tribal codes we found, 14 (20%) had no clearly identifiable public health provisions. The public health-related statutes within the remaining codes were rarely well integrated or comprehensive. Our findings provide an evidence base to help tribal leaders strengthen public health legal foundations in tribal communities.

Experimental evaluation of rodent exclusion methods to reduce hantavirus transmission to residents in a Native American community in New Mexico.

We conducted a pilot study to evaluate the efficacy of rodent proofing continuously occupied homes as a method for lowering the risk for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) among residents of a Native American community in northwestern New Mexico. Rodent proofing of dwellings was paired with culturally appropriate health education. Seventy homes were randomly assigned to treatment or control categories. Treatment homes were rodent-proofed by sealing openings around foundations, doors, roofs, and pipes and repairing screens and windows. Repairs to each dwelling were limited to $500 US. After repairs were completed, 15-20 snap traps were placed in each treatment and control home and checked approximately every 2 days for an average of 3-4 weeks. During 23,373 trap nights, one house mouse (Mus musculus) was captured in one treatment home, and 20 mice (16 deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus, two Pinyon mice, Peromyscus truei, and two unidentified mice) were captured in five control homes (one house had 14 captures, two had two captures, and two had one capture). Trap success was 0.01% in treatment homes and 0.15% in controls. Intensity of infestation (mean number of mice captured per infested home) was 1 in treatment homes and 4 in controls. Observations of evidence of infestation (feces, nesting material, gnaw marks, or reports of infestation by occupant) per 100 days of observation were 1.2 in treatment homes and 3.1 in controls. Statistical power of the experiment was limited because it coincided with a period of low rodent abundance (August-November 2000). Nevertheless, these results suggest that inexpensive rodent proofing of occupied rural homes can decrease the frequency and intensity of rodent intrusion, thereby reducing the risk of HPS among rural residents in the southwestern United States.