Issue 1492: April 29, 2020
TOP STORIES
IAC HANDOUTS
OFFICIAL RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
FEATURED RESOURCES
JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
TOP STORIES
WHO warns that gains in immunization coverage are at risk without ongoing immunization services
On April 23, WHO published Hard Fought Gains in Immunization Coverage at Risk Without Critical Health Services. The first two paragraphs appear below.
Shutting down immunization services in the COVID-19 pandemic risks triggering a resurgence of diseases that can be prevented with safe and effective vaccines, warns WHO in the lead-up to World Immunization Week (24–30 April).
When immunization services are disrupted, even for brief periods during emergencies, the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks, such as measles and polio, increase. Last year’s deadly measles outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which took more than 6,000 lives in a country already facing its largest Ebola outbreak, highlights the importance of maintaining essential health services, such as immunization in times of emergency. Further disease outbreaks will also overwhelm health systems already battling the impacts of COVID-19.
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Voices for Vaccines releases podcast titled "When Will Our Coronavirus Vaccine Arrive?” featuring noted researcher Dr. Stanley Plotkin
Voices for Vaccines (VFV) has posted a new entry in its Vax Talk podcast series: When Will Our Coronavirus Vaccine Arrive? The world’s vaccinologists are racing against time to find a safe, effective vaccine to protect against SARS-CoV-2. In this podcast, infectious disease expert Dr. Stanley Plotkin discusses how vaccines are typically developed and what is being done now to make the vaccine the world desperately wants.
Voices for Vaccines is a national organization of parents and others who are dedicated to raising the level of the voices of immunization supporters. VFV invites everyone who values vaccines to become a member, use VFV tools in their own community, and sign up for VFV’s free newsletter. Please spread the word to your friends and colleagues to join VFV!
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IAC Spotlight! IAC continuously updates information on 50 states’ vaccination requirements for child care, school, and college entry
IAC’s State Laws and Mandates by Vaccine gateway page on immunize.org continually updates mandate tables and maps for 13 routinely recommended vaccines. The vaccine mandate tables and maps contain information on state immunization requirements for child care, schools, and colleges/universities.
The “State Laws and Mandates by Vaccine” section also includes a link to a web page titled State Information: Exemptions Permitted for State Immunization Requirements, which details the types of immunization exemptions each state allows: medical, religious, or personal belief.
Additional resources on vaccine exemptions, such as a summary of journal articles on personal exemptions and position statements from medical organizations, are available in the Exemptions section of the web page.
Visit the State Laws and Mandates by Vaccine gateway page to learn more about state vaccine mandates and exemptions.
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Two healthcare organizations join IAC's Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll for mandatory healthcare worker vaccination
There are now 1,137 organizations enrolled in IAC's Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll. The honor roll recognizes hospitals, long-term care facilities, medical practices, pharmacies, professional organizations, health departments, and other government entities that have taken a stand for patient safety by implementing mandatory influenza vaccination policies for healthcare personnel.
Since March 25, 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 by visiting the Application page.
Newly added healthcare organizations, hospitals, government agencies, medical practices, long-term care facilities, and pharmacies
- Centenary University Health Center, Hackettstown, NJ
- Unify Community Health Clinics, Spokane, WA
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Not-to-miss immunization articles in the news
These recent articles convey the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of vaccination.
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Stay up to date on the latest coronavirus information
CDC, NIH, WHO, and Johns Hopkins are closely monitoring the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Be sure to check the resources below for the latest information. Stay in touch with your local and state health departments.
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Reminder: CDC, AAP, AAFP post guidelines for routine childhood, adolescent, and adult immunization during COVID-19 response
In case you missed it, CDC, AAP, and AAFP have issued guidance for routine childhood, adolescent, and adult immunization during the COVID-19 response. Click on the links below to go to the full text of the guidance documents.
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IAC HANDOUTS
IAC updates its popular patient handout titled “Vaccinations for Adults: You’re Never Too Old to Get Vaccinated!”
IAC recently revised its handout for the public titled Vaccinations for Adults: You’re Never Too Old to Get Vaccinated! Edits were made to incorporate recently updated ACIP recommendations for HPV, MenB, PCV13, and Tdap.
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IAC updates three handouts for adults with high-risk conditions: diabetes, HIV, liver disease
IAC recently revised three of its one-page handouts that answer questions about vaccines needed by adults with high-risk conditions.
  
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OFFICIAL RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
WHO issues statement announcing global collaboration to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines
On April 24, WHO issued a statement titled Commitment and Call to Action: Global Collaboration to Accelerate New COVID-19 Health Technologies. Portions of the statement are reprinted below.
Grounded in a vision of a planet protected from human suffering and the devastating social and economic consequences of COVID-19, we, an initial group of global health actors (BMGF, CEPI, Gavi, Global Fund, UNITAID, Wellcome Trust, WHO) and private sector partners and other stakeholders, are launching a landmark, global and time-limited collaboration to accelerate the development, production and equitable global access to new COVID-19 essential health technologies....
Our Mission is not only accelerated development and availability of new COVID-19 tools—it is to accelerate equitable global access to safe, quality, effective, and affordable COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, and thus to ensure that in the fight against COVID-19, no one is left behind.
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FEATURED RESOURCES
“Shop IAC” on immunize.org offers many resources for your practice. Order laminated 2020 U.S. immunization schedules for your exam rooms today!
On the Shop IAC web page, you will find many resources such as laminated vaccination schedules, personal immunization record cards, pins for your lapel, and more! Your purchases will help IAC keep delivering free, educational materials to healthcare professionals and to the public.
IAC's laminated versions of the 2020 U.S. child/adolescent immunization schedule and the 2020 U.S. adult immunization schedule are available now.
 
The schedules' coating can be wiped down, and they’re durable enough to stand up to a year's worth of use. Visit the Shop IAC: Laminated Schedules web page for more information on the schedules.
IAC’s three personal immunization record cards—child & teen, adult, and lifetime—are printed on durable rip-, smudge-, and water-proof paper. Sized to fit in a wallet when folded, the cards are brightly colored to stand out. Give these nearly indestructible personal record cards to your patients. They're sold in boxes of 250.
You too can show your support for vaccination with IAC’s elegantly designed “Vaccines Save Lives” pin on your lapel. The pin makes a refined statement in hard black enamel with gold lettering and edges, measuring 1.125" x 0.75”. Order yours today to show how much you value immunizations!
Note: Due to the Minnesota Governor's order regarding essential services, the IAC office will not ship orders until the week of May 4. Our online shopping cart will continue to take orders and they will be fulfilled as soon as possible. If your need for the item is urgent, please email us at admininfo@immunize.org.
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JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS
CHOP’s Vaccine Education Center publishes April issue of Vaccine Update newsletter
The Vaccine Education Center (VEC) at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) publishes a monthly vaccination-focused newsletter titled Vaccine Update. The April issue includes the following articles:
Additional resources, including information booklets for patients, are available in the full newsletter.
Access the sign-up form to subscribe to Vaccine Update.
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CDC publishes "Update on Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Outbreaks—Worldwide, July 2019–February 2020" in MMWR
CDC published Update on Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Outbreaks—Worldwide, July 2019–February 2020 in the April 24 issue of MMWR.
Access the MMWR article in HTML format or in PDF format.
Related Link
- MMWR gateway page provides access to MMWR Weekly, MMWR Recommendations and Reports, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, and MMWR Supplements
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Live attenuated influenza vaccine: five articles on present and future roles of LAIV featured in supplement to Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society
In the March 2020 issue of the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, a supplement was published titled Live, Attenuated Influenza Vaccine: Present and Future Roles. Supplement articles include:
Access the supplement and download the component articles in HTML or PDF format.
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EDUCATION AND TRAINING
New Mexico Immunization Coalition will host webinar on shared clinical decision making on May 14
The New Mexico Immunization Coalition will offer a webinar on May 14 from 2:00–3:00 p.m. (ET) titled Shared Clinical Decision-Making—What’s a Clinician to Do? During the presentation, Drs. Melissa Martinez and Walter Dehority will discuss the history of shared clinical decision making, the rationale behind changing immunization recommendations, and explain how providers can approach this recommendation.
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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will host webinar titled “The Critical Public Health Value of Vaccines—Tackling Issues of Access and Hesitancy” on May 28
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will host a webinar on May 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (ET) titled The Critical Public Health Value of Vaccines—Tackling Issues of Access and Hesitancy. The virtual meeting will explore topics including vaccine access and hesitancy, and the causes and effects of declining confidence in vaccines. A more in-depth meeting is being planned for August 19–20, 2020.
Register for the May 28 session.
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Historical immunization spot featuring C-3PO and R2-D2 urging "parents of Earth" to get their children fully vaccinated
Nostalgic look at childhood vaccination promotion featuring Star Wars characters C-3PO and R2-D2, titled Parents of Earth. Produced by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1977.
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