CDC recommends Japanese encephalitis vaccine booster for some

CDC. MMWR. 2011;60(20):661-663.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is recommending a booster dose of the Japanese encephalitis vaccine in the event of exposure to the virus after more than a year since the first dose of the vaccine.

The recommendation clarifies booster timing because “data on the need for and timing of booster doses of inactivated Vero cell culture-derived Japanese encephalitis vaccine (Ixiaro, Intercell Biomedical) were not available when the vaccine was licensed,” the CDC wrote in a recently released report.

In February, ACIP reviewed Ixiaro clinical trial data and concluded that the decreased percentage of patients with neutralizing antibody levels more than 1 year after the first dose of a two-dose primary vaccination series indicated the need for a booster dose. The committee also said there was an acceptable safety profile and immune response after a booster dose.

In the report, CDC researchers said for most travelers to Asia, the risk for Japanese encephalitis is very low “but varies based on destination, duration, season and activities,” adding that the vaccine is recommended for travelers who plan to spend a month or more in areas that are considered to be endemic.

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