CDC releases final version of the Serogroup B Meningococcal Vaccine Information Statement
On August 9, CDC released the final version of the Serogroup B Meningococcal
Vaccine (MenB) Vaccine Information Statement (VIS). This VIS was updated from
an “interim” to “final” version. CDC encourages providers to begin using this
VIS immediately; however, stocks of the previous editions may be used until
gone.
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Reminder: Archived webinar of Dr. William L. Atkinson presenting “Adolescent
Immunization: Where We Are Now and How We Can Do Better” now available for
viewing on IAC website; slide set and speaker notes also available
Since the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) made its first
routine adolescent immunization recommendation for tetanus/acellular
pertussis/diphtheria (Tdap) vaccine in 2005, several other important vaccines
have been added to the ACIP’s recommended immunization schedule for
adolescents. Now Tdap, meningococcal ACWY, meningococcal B (a “category B”
recommendation, meaning it is recommended, but with individual clinical
decision making), human papillomavirus (HPV), and influenza vaccines are all
recommended for this age group. Although data from the 2014 National
Immunization Survey–Teen (NIS-Teen) indicate vaccine coverage for adolescents
is relatively high for the single recommended dose of Tdap, vaccines that
require more than one dose to complete the series remain far below desired
coverage levels.
To address this problem, William Atkinson, MD, MPH, IAC's associate director for immunization education, presented a one-hour webinar on adolescent immunization on July 28. During his presentation, Dr. Atkinson reviewed the recommendations for each adolescent vaccine, provided strategies to improve coverage rates in this population, and listed available resources to assist immunization providers in their efforts to improve coverage rates.
The webinar is available on the homepage of immunize.org. Find it by scrolling down to the middle of the page to Dr. Atkinson's photo.
The slide presentation is available on IAC's PowerPoint Slide Set web page. You can request the actual slide set and speakers notes on the page as well.
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National Immunization Awareness Month continues next week with a focus on preteen and teen immunization
As part of the observance of National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM), the
importance of vaccinating a specific population is highlighted each week. This
week, August 15–21, focuses on the importance of immunizing infants and young
children. Next week, August 22–28, the focus is on preteen and teen
immunization. The theme for the week is “Ensure a healthy future with
vaccines.”
For ideas about what you can do during this week of NIAM, check out the preteen and teen portion of the NIAM toolkit.
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IAC offers 20% discount on record cards, schedules, DVDs, and books on Shop IAC during National Immunization Awareness Month!
As announced in the August 4 Special Edition of IAC Express, during National Immunization Awareness Month, all items in Shop IAC
are 20% off! All you need to do to get the 20% discount on your entire order
is to enter the coupon code “IAC20” into the Coupon Code box on the Cart
Contents page.
Check out Shop IAC to order schedules, record cards, handbooks, and more during the month of August!
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IAC Spotlight! Two healthcare organizations join IAC's Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll for mandatory healthcare worker vaccination
Nearly 600 organizations are now enrolled in IAC's Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll. The honor roll recognizes hospitals, medical practices, professional organizations, health departments, and government entities that have taken a stand for patient safety by implementing mandatory influenza vaccination policies for healthcare personnel.
Since July 6, when IAC Express last reported on the Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll, two additional healthcare organizations have been enrolled.
IAC urges qualifying healthcare organizations to apply.
Newly added healthcare organizations, hospitals, government agencies, and medical practices
- Hutchinson Health, Hutchinson, MN
- LRGHealthcare, Laconia, NH
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IAC HANDOUTS
IAC updates its staff education materials: "Current Dates of Vaccine Information Statements" and "It's Federal Law! You must give your patients current Vaccine Information Statements"
IAC recently revised Current Dates of Vaccine Information Statements as well as It's Federal Law! You must give your patients current Vaccine Information Statements to reflect the 8/9/2016 date of the recently updated Serogroup B Meningococcal Vaccine (MenB) VIS.
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IAC's Handouts for Patients & Staff web section offers healthcare professionals and the public more than 250 FREE English-language handouts (many also available in translation), which we encourage website users to print out, copy, and distribute widely.
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WORLD NEWS
WHO reports on yellow fever in Africa and South America
The World Health Organization (WHO) published Yellow fever in Africa and South America, 2015 in the August 12 issue of its Weekly Epidemiological Record. The first two paragraphs are reprinted below.
In 2015, 73 cases of yellow fever (YF), including 9 deaths, were reported to WHO. Outbreaks of confirmed YF cases were reported in 2 countries in the Americas: Brazil in 3 provinces and Peru in 7 departments.
In Africa, no outbreaks were reported. Suspected cases were detected by the case-based surveillance system in countries which had benefited from mass vaccination campaigns.
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JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS
Study finds three different vaccines create protection against Zika virus in monkeys
A study recently published in Science, titled Protective efficacy of multiple vaccine platforms against Zika virus challenge in rhesus monkeys, looks at the protective effects of three different vaccines against Zika virus in monkeys. The abstract is reprinted below.
Zika virus (ZIKV) is responsible for a major ongoing epidemic in the Americas and has been causally associated with fetal microcephaly. The development of a safe and effective ZIKV vaccine is therefore an urgent global health priority. Here we demonstrate that three different vaccine platforms protect against ZIKV challenge in rhesus monkeys. A purified inactivated virus vaccine induced ZIKV-specific neutralizing antibodies and completely protected monkeys against ZIKV strains from both Brazil and Puerto Rico. Purified immunoglobulin from vaccinated monkeys conferred passive protection in adoptive transfer studies. A plasmid DNA vaccine and a single-shot recombinant rhesus adenovirus serotype 52 vector expressing ZIKV prM-Env also elicited neutralizing antibodies and completely protected monkeys against ZIKV challenge. These data support the rapid clinical development of ZIKV vaccines for humans.
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Researchers assess different pneumococcal vaccination schedules for premature infants
A study recently published in Pediatrics, titled Schedules for Pneumococcal Vaccination of Preterm Infants: An RCT, studied the effects of three commonly used 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) schedules for preterm infants. A selection of the abstract is reprinted below.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Premature infants have a higher risk of invasive pneumococcal disease and are more likely to have lower vaccine responses compared with term infants. Increasingly, immunization schedules are including a reduced, 2-dose, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine priming schedule. Our goal was to assess the immunogenicity of 3 commonly used 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) priming schedules in premature infants and their response to a 12-month booster dose.
METHODS: Premature infants (<35 weeks’ gestation) were
randomized to receive PCV13 at 2 and 4 months (reduced schedule); 2, 3, and 4
months (accelerated schedule); or 2, 4, and 6 months (extended schedule). All
infants received a 12-month PCV13 booster. Serotype-specific pneumococcal
immunoglobulin G (IgG) for PCV13 serotypes was measured by using enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay 1 month after the primary and booster vaccinations.
CONCLUSIONS: A reduced priming schedule of PCV13 resulted in higher post-booster IgG concentrations but lower post-primary concentrations. The optimum vaccine schedule for preterm infants will therefore depend on when they are most at risk for invasive pneumococcal disease.
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EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Weekly CDC webinar series on "The Pink Book" chapter topics continues through September 21; register now
CDC is presenting a 15-part webinar series to provide a chapter-by-chapter overview of the 13th edition of Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (also known as "The Pink Book"). This is a live series of one-hour webinars that started June 1. Recordings of sessions will be available online after each webinar. All sessions begin at 12:00 p.m. (ET). Information about receiving continuing education credit will be available for each session after it is archived. CE credit may be available for up to a year after the date it was live.
Registration and more information is available on CDC's Pink Book Webinar Series web page.
Download Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Order Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
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CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
NFID Clinical Vaccinology Course scheduled for November 4–6 in Philadelphia,
PA
The National Foundation of Infectious Disease's (NFID)
Fall 2016 Clinical Vaccinology Course
will be held November 4–6 in Philadelphia, PA. This 2.5-day course focuses on
new developments and issues related to the use of vaccines. Expert faculty
provide the latest information on vaccines, including updated recommendations
for vaccinations across the lifespan, and innovative and practical strategies
for ensuring timely and appropriate immunization. Continuing education credit
is available for attendees.
ASK THE EXPERTS
Question of the Week
If a six-year-old child is due for the fifth dose of DTaP and
inadvertently receives Tdap, I know that this dose counts as the fifth dose of
DTaP. But should this child receive another dose of Tdap at age 11–12 years?
Yes. In this situation, a second dose of Tdap should be administered at the recommended age of 11 or 12 years.
About IAC's Question of the Week
Each week, IAC Express highlights a new, topical, or
important-to-reiterate Q&A. This feature is a cooperative venture between IAC
and CDC. William L. Atkinson, MD, MPH, IAC's associate director for immunization
education, chooses a new Q&A to feature every week from a set of Q&As prepared
by experts at CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
We hope you enjoy this new feature and find it helpful when dealing with difficult real-life scenarios in your vaccination practice. Please encourage your healthcare professional colleagues to sign up to receive IAC Express at www.immunize.org/subscribe.
If you have a question for the CDC immunization experts, you can email them directly at nipinfo@cdc.gov. There is no charge for this service.
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