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H1N1 vaccination rates lower for minorities
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 22, 2010
Minorities were more likely to be hospitalized due to influenza A(H1N1) virus and less likely to be vaccinated than were whites during the 2009-10 flu season, a new report shows.
H1N1 hospitalization rates were nearly twice as high for blacks, Hispanics and American Indian/Alaska Natives as they were for whites, said the report released Nov. 10 by Trust for America's Health, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that focuses on disease prevention. The rate for whites was 16.3 per 100,000 people compared with 29.7 per 100,000 for blacks and 30.7 per 100,000 for Hispanics (link).
As of March 2010, H1N1 vaccination rates were 9.8% lower among black adults and 4.2% lower for black children than for similarly aged whites. Rates for Hispanic adults were 11.5% less than that of whites. But vaccination among Hispanic children was 5.5% greater than among white children.
The report recommends that doctors address mistaken and negative beliefs about vaccination. Information should be tailored to specific cultural perspectives and be available in languages other than English.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/11/22/prbf1122.htm.
