| Issue 1099: January 14, 2014 TOP STORIES
IAC HANDOUTS IAC WEB SECTIONS FEATURED RESOURCES
TOP STORIES IAC Spotlight! Where you'll find information on upcoming immunization conferences, events, and meetings Looking for information about upcoming immunization-related conferences, courses, webinars, and meetings? Look no further. The Calendar of Events web section on immunize.org provides the details you need. For each event, the calendar listing includes the date, time, location, sponsor, and a link for additional information. If you have a conference you would like included on IAC's calendar, please email admin@immunize.org with the details. Back to top CDC requests nominations for Childhood Immunization Champion Awards The CDC Childhood Immunization Champion Award is an annual award that recognizes individuals who make a significant contribution toward improving public health through their work in childhood immunization. Each year, up to one CDC Immunization Champion from each of the 50 U.S. states, eight U.S. territories and freely associated states, and the District of Columbia will be honored. Champions can include coalition members, parents, healthcare professionals (e.g., physicians, nurses, physicians’ assistants, nurse practitioners, medical assistants, etc.), and other immunization leaders who meet the award criteria. Immunization program managers, state and federal government employees of health agencies, individuals who have been affiliated with and/or employed by pharmaceutical companies, and those who have already received the award are not eligible to apply. Awardees will be announced during National Infant Immunization Week, which runs April 26–May 3. The suggested due date is February 14, 2014, but states may select a unique deadline. Please contact your state immunization program to confirm your state’s deadline. Related Links
First human avian influenza A (H5N1) virus infection reported in the Americas On January 8, CDC published First Human Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus Infection Reported in Americas on its Seasonal Influenza web section. The first paragraph is reprinted below. Canada has reported the first case of human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) virus ever detected in the Americas. The case occurred in a traveler who had recently returned from China. H5N1 virus infections are rare and these viruses do not spread easily from person to person. Most of the 648 human cases of H5N1 infections that have been detected since 2003 have occurred in people with direct or close contact with poultry. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers that the health risk to people in the Americas posed by the detection of this one case is very low. CDC is not recommending that the public take any special actions regarding H5N1 virus in response to this case. For people traveling to China, CDC recommends that people take the same protective actions against H5N1 as recommended to protect against H7N9 or other avian influenza A viruses. This information is available on the CDC website at Travelers Health: Avian Flu (Bird Flu). Access the complete article. Related Link Back to top CDC issues travel notice related to yellow fever in Sudan On January 8, CDC released a travel notice titled Yellow Fever in Sudan. As of December 3, the World Health Organization has reported 44 suspected cases of yellow fever in Sudan, including 14 deaths, from October 3 to November 24, 2013. Some of the cases have been laboratory confirmed. Travelers can protect themselves from yellow fever by getting yellow fever vaccine and preventing mosquito bites. Learn more about CDC’s yellow fever recommendations for Sudan on CDC's web page Health Information for Travelers to Sudan. This notice is a "Watch—Level 1," which means travelers should practice usual precautions. Access the complete travel notice. For other travel health alerts, visit CDC's Travel Health Notices web section. Back to top VICNetwork January 28 webinar to focus on HPV vaccination The VICNetwork has scheduled a webinar on January 28 that will focus on HPV vaccination and the important role that healthcare providers and public health communicators have in improving HPV vaccination rates. Presenters will include Anne Schuchat, MD, director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), and Jill Roark, MPH, project manager, Carter Consulting, Inc, Health Communication Science Office, NCIRD. Dr. Schuchat and Ms. Roark will discuss "the perfect storm" of issues surrounding the HPV vaccine that have led to its underutilization. Communications research with parents and providers will shed light on the opportunities to improve uptake. The one-hour webinar begins at 2:00 p.m. ET. Registrations are being accepted. The Virtual Immunization Communication (VIC) Network is a project of the National Public Health Information Coalition and the California Immunization Coalition. Back to top IAC HANDOUTS IAC updates "Need help in responding to vaccine-hesitant parents?" IAC recently updated Need help responding to vaccine-hesitant parents? with new resources and links. This handout provides healthcare professionals working with vaccine-hesitant parents access to related science-based materials from respected organizations. Related Links
Back to top IAC WEB SECTIONS CDC provides updates to IAC's online Ask the Experts web section on shingles disease and zoster vaccination Based on content review by vaccine experts at CDC, IAC recently updated its Zoster (shingles) section of Ask the Experts. The challenging and timely questions featured in the Ask the Experts Q&As are answered by medical officers Andrew T. Kroger, MD, MPH, and Iyabode Akinsanya-Beysolow, MD, MPH, and nurse educator Donna L. Weaver, RN, MN. All are with the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To access Ask the Experts sections for other diseases and topics, see the Ask the Experts index page. Back to top FEATURED RESOURCES CDC adds new resources to its HPV vaccination campaign, including videos CDC has added new resources to its "You are the key to HPV cancer prevention" campaign. As part of this campaign, CDC has developed tips for providers, a slide set, fact sheets, Medscape commentaries for provider education, and handouts for parents and patients in English and Spanish. The goal is to help healthcare professionals talk to parents and young adults about HPV vaccination. Recently added resources include a five-minute video for providers (featured as IAC's Video of the Week in the right column of this issue of IAC Express), and video and radio PSAs.
Influenza is serious; vaccination is recommended for nearly everyone, so please keep vaccinating your patients Vaccination remains the single most effective means of preventing influenza, and is recommended for everyone age six months and older. If you don't provide influenza vaccination in your clinic, please recommend vaccination to your patients and refer them to a clinic or pharmacy that provides vaccines or to the HealthMap Vaccine Finder to locate sites near their workplaces or homes that offer influenza vaccination services. Following is a list of resources related to influenza disease and vaccination for healthcare professionals and the public:
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About IZ Express
IZ Express is supported in part by Grant No. 1NH23IP922654 from CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Its contents are solely the responsibility of Immunize.org and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC.
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ISSN 2771-8085
IZ Express Disclaimer
ISSN 2771-8085
Editorial Information
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Editor-in-ChiefKelly L. Moore, MD, MPH
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Managing EditorJohn D. Grabenstein, RPh, PhD
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Associate EditorSharon G. Humiston, MD, MPH
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Writer/Publication CoordinatorTaryn Chapman, MS
Courtnay Londo, MA -
Style and Copy EditorMarian Deegan, JD
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Web Edition ManagersArkady Shakhnovich
Jermaine Royes -
Contributing WriterLaurel H. Wood, MPA
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Technical ReviewerKayla Ohlde