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Japanese encephalitis vaccine no longer available for children

CDC. MMWR. 2011;60(20);664-665.

The only Japanese encephalitis vaccine licensed for use in US children is no longer available, CDC officials reported online this week.

The makers of the vaccine, JE-Vax, ceased manufacturing the product about 2 years ago. Around the same time, the FDA approved an inactivated, Vero cell culture-derived Japanese encephalitis vaccine, Ixiaro (Novartis), for use in adults.

Although pediatric studies are ongoing, it will likely be several years before Ixiaro is licensed in the United States for use in children, CDC officials wrote.

Current options for obtaining Japanese encephalitis vaccine for US children include: enrolling children in the ongoing clinical trial; administering Ixiaro off-label; or receiving Japanese encephalitis vaccine at an international travelers’ health clinic in Asia.

The clinical trial is enrolling children aged 2 months to 17 years at five US sites (trial identifier NCT01047839). The study is open-label, and all enrollees receive two doses of Ixiaro administered 28 days apart. A third study visit is required 56 days after the first dose of the vaccine. Additional information about the clinical trial is available online from the NIH.

“The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that all travelers, including children, take precautions to avoid mosquito bites to reduce the risk for [Japanese encephalitis] and other vector-borne infectious diseases,” the CDC wrote in its report. “These precautions include using insect repellent, permethrin-impregnated clothing, and bed nets, and staying in accommodations with screened or air-conditioned rooms.”

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