March 19, 2010 / Vol. 59 / No. RR–2
Use of a Reduced (4-Dose) Vaccine Schedule for Postexposure Prophylaxis to Prevent Human Rabies — Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

This report summarizes new recommendation and updates previous recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent human rabies. Previously, ACIP recommended a 5-dose rabies vaccination regimen with human diploid cell vaccine (HDCV) or purified chick embryo cell vaccine (PCECV). These new recommendations reduce the number of vaccine doses to four. ACIP recommendations for the use of rabies immune globulin (RIG) remain unchanged. For persons who previously received a complete vaccination series (pre- or postexposure prophylaxis) with a cell-culture vaccine or who previously had a documented adequate rabies virus-neutralizing antibody titer following vaccination with noncell-culture vaccine, the recommendation for a 2-dose PEP vaccination series has not changed. Similarly, the number of doses recommended for persons with altered immunocompetence has not changed; for such persons, PEP should continue to comprise a 5-dose vaccination regimen with 1 dose of RIG. Recommendations for preexposure prophylaxis also remain unchanged, with 3 doses of vaccine administered on days 0, 7, and 21 or 28. Prompt rabies PEP combining wound care, infiltration of RIG into and around the wound, and multiple doses of rabies cell culture vaccine continue to be highly effective in preventing human rabies.

February 5, 2010 / Vol. 59 / No. SS–1
Surveillance of Certain Health Behaviors and Conditions Among States and Selected Local Areas — Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United States, 2007

Heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes are among of the leading causes of death in the United States. Controlling health-risk behaviors and using preventive health-care services can reduce or prevent morbidity and premature mortality from such diseases. The Behavioral Risk Surveillance System (BRFSS) is an ongoing telephone survey of U.S. adults on health-risk behaviors and the use of preventative health-care services related to the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. This report summarizes the results from the 2007 BRFSS.