- The ARC - California Edition -

Attention Native Americans

American Academy of Pediatrics Issues Immunization Advisory

Immunization is the best way to prevent disease, disability and death associated with infectious diseases, but some nationalities require special attention by the media community, according to a recent policy statement published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

The AAP recently issued a recommendation to pediatricians that they give special attention to the cultural and genetic needs of Native Americans in their efforts of pursuing the prevention of disease.

When compared to the general population, Native American children are at a much greater risk for certain diseases and conditions. These include Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B.

According to the AAP statement, there is a higher prevalence of these diseases within Native American children and this is a result of genetics as well as environment, and requires special attention by all pediatricians.

“Before universal Hib immunization for infants was realized, invasive Hib disease occurred with increased frequency and younger ages in American Indians/Alaska Native (AI/AN) children,” according to the AAP policy statement. “Annual case rates of Hib disease were as much as 10-fold greater in AI/AN children.”

The incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease in certain AN and Apache Indian populations is 5 to 24 times higher than the rate of the general US population. Likewise, the annual incidence of hepatitis A is much greater in the Indian communities of a number of states.

During the early 1990’s in South Dakota, the American Indian communities had outbreaks of hepatitis A which exceeded non-AI incidence rates by 33-fold (an annual rate of 92.6 American Indian cases versus 2.8 non-AI cases per 100,000 population).

The AAP policy statement makes a series of recommendations to pediatricians which have been designed to improve the protective efficacy of the various vaccines which are currently available.

A copy of the full policy statement can be obtained from the American Academy of Pediatrics home page.

http://www.aap.org/policy/re9856.html

(Immunizations for Native American Children (RE9856); AAP Policy Statement; September 1999, volume 104, number 3)