CDC published "FDA Licensure of Bivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV2, Cervarix) for Use in Females and Updated HPV Vaccination Recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)" in the May 28 issue of MMWR. The first paragraph and the section titled Vaccine Recommendations for HPV2 and HPV4 are reprinted below. For detailed information about the recommendations, including dosage, administration, and schedules; special situations; and precautions and contraindications, see the links to the complete recommendations given at the end of this IAC Express article.

To access the article in web-text (HTML) format, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5920a4.htm

CDC published "FDA Licensure of Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV4, Gardasil) for Use in Males and Guidance from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)" in the May 28 issue of MMWR. The first paragraph and the section titled Vaccine Guidance are reprinted below. For detailed information about the recommendations, including administration, special situations, and precautions and contraindications, see the links to the complete recommendations given at the end of this IAC Express article.

To access the article in web-text (HTML) format, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5920a5.htm

On May 21, CDC published a new interim VIS specifically for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine. This VIS is the preferred VIS for children getting MMRV vaccine, as it contains more detailed information about the risk of febrile seizures.

To access the 5/21/10 interim VIS for MMRV vaccine from the IAC website, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/mmrv.pdf

For information about the use of VISs, and for VISs in more than 35 languages, visit IAC's VIS web section at
http://www.immunize.org/vis

For general information about VISs from CDC's website go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis

For CDC's latest news on VISs, go to
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/vis-news.htm

IAC's "Print Materials" web section has been renamed "Handouts for Patients and Staff" and totally redesigned to better serve users. To enter it, go to: http://www.immunize.org/handouts

The first thing you'll see is the organizing heart of the page, a large central box with tabs labeled Clinic Procedures, Vaccine Index, Topic Index, and Language Index running horizontally across it.

The Clinic Procedures index provides links to handouts organized by such categories as Administering Vaccines, Documenting Vaccination, Handling and Storage, and Medical Management (total of 11 categories).

Click on the Vaccine Index to be taken to links providing access to the handouts organized by vaccine (e.g., HPV, meningococcal, or pertussis; total of 20 vaccines).

The Topic Index provides links to handouts by such topics as Laws & Mandates, Dialysis, and Healthcare Personnel (total of 12 topics).

Click on the Language Index, and you'll be offered links to the 12 languages for which IAC offers handouts in translation.

Go into any of the subsections of any index, and run your mouse over the titles of the listed handouts and watch a preview of the piece pop up in the column on the right.

Finally, another useful feature of the "Handouts for Patients and Staff" web section is a link titled View All Handouts located at the bottom left edge of the central box. Click the link to be taken to sortable table that allows visitors, using up/down arrows, to sort the handouts alphabetically by title, and also by language, date, and item number.

Spend some time exploring IAC's new state-of-the-art "Handouts for Patients and Staff" web section and be sure to bookmark http://www.immunize.org/handouts for easy reference in the future.

Many healthcare providers have questions about the use of the new 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), especially when dealing with catch-up vaccination and children with medical conditions that are indications for both PCV and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23). To help answer such questions, IAC has developed a new handout, "Recommendations for Pneumococcal Vaccine Use in Children," that spells out the recommendations for every scenario.

This new resource includes three tables. The first table provides the recommended PCV13 schedule based on the child's age and PCV7 and/or PCV13 vaccination history. The second table provides the recommended schedule for administering PPSV23 vaccine to children; the third table lists the underlying medical conditions that are indications for pneumococcal vaccination among children.

To access the ready-to-print (PDF) handout "Recommendations for Pneumococcal Vaccine Use in Children," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2016.pdf

IAC's Handouts for Patients and Staff web section offers healthcare professionals and the public approximately 250 FREE English-language handouts (many also available in translation), which we encourage website users to print out, copy, and distribute widely. To access all of IAC's free handouts, go to: http://www.immunize.org/handouts

IAC recently revised the handout titled "Do I need any vaccinations today?" This resource is a screening tool for patients to fill out before seeing their healthcare provider. The handout was updated to include new recommendations related to influenza.

To access the revised ready-to-print (PDF) handout "Do I need any vaccinations today?" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4036.pdf

IAC's Handouts for Patients and Staff web section offers healthcare professionals and the public approximately 250 FREE English-language handouts (many also available in translation), which we encourage website users to print out, copy, and distribute widely. To access all of IAC's free handouts, go to: http://www.immunize.org/handouts

On May 24, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) posted the new policy statement "Recommendations for the Prevention of Streptococcus pneumoniae Infections in Infants and Children: Use of 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV13) and Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPSV23)."

To access it, go to:
http://aapredbook.aappublications.org/implementation/pedsPCV13052410.pdf

IAC keeps an up-to-date, sortable list of all AAP policy statements related to immunization at http://www.immunize.org/aap

IAC encourages IAC Express readers to watch a 2.5-minute video on perinatal hepatitis B infection, produced by PKIDs (Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases). In this moving video, a mother shares her feelings about her daughter's chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

Chronic infection is much more likely to develop in those who are infected in the first year of life. Approximately 90 percent of children who are infected during the first year of life will become chronically infected. Most of these infants could have been protected from HBV infection by proper prophylaxis (hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immunoglobulin [HBIG]) at birth. About 1 out of 4 infected babies will die of liver failure or liver cancer as adults.

Audio and video public service announcements (PSAs) based on the 2.5-minute video are available in different formats and in 30- and 60-second lengths for use by organizations free of charge.

The link to the PKIDs web page featuring the video will be available on the home page of IAC's website through June 6. To access it, go to: http://www.immunize.org and click on the image under the words Video of the Week.

Remember to bookmark IAC's home page to view a new video every Monday. To view an IAC Video of the Week from the past, go to the video archive at http://www.immunize.org/votw

Hep B Moms is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B and safeguarding the health of infected mothers and their families.

Many pregnant mothers with chronic hepatitis B are unaware of their infection, which they may have acquired from their own mothers at birth. Like their mothers, pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B sometimes end up silently passing the virus onto the next generation.

The slogan "Hep B stops with me" is the catchphrase Hep B Moms uses to state its determination to empower women with the information they need to safeguard their own health if they are infected, and to ensure that their children neither acquire hepatitis B infection nor pass it on to another generation.

As part of its goal to prevent mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B, Hep B Moms advocates for (1) hepatitis B vaccination for newborns at birth (as well as hepatitis B immunoglobulin [HBIG] administration for infants born to infected mothers) and (2) complete vaccination with the hepatitis B vaccine series.

As part of its current activities, Hep B Moms asks that moms pledge to do at least one of the following:

• Vaccinate their child against hepatitis B
• Tell a friend about hepatitis B
• Learn more about hepatitis B and liver cancer
• Blog about Hep B Moms

The pledge is part of the "Hep B Stops with Me" contest that Hep B Moms is sponsoring between now and June 30. The mother's written pledge, along with a photo of her child, forms a collage that promotes hepatitis B vaccination among a community of women who choose to make a difference. To view the collage, go to: http://hepbmoms.org/New_moms.php

To find out more about the contest, go to:
http://hepbmoms.org/New_moms2.php

Hep B Moms works with physicians, public health officials, and the general public to improve hepatitis B knowledge and awareness. To find out more about the organization's broad range of activities, go to: http://www.hepbmoms.org.

Dated 4/16/10, the interim VIS for 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) is now available in Indonesian. IAC gratefully acknowledges DT Interpreting and Wentworth Douglass Hospital, Dover, NH, for the translation.

To access the new translation of the interim VIS for PCV13, as well as this VIS in English and other languages, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_pcv.asp

For information about the use of VISs, and for VISs in more than 35 languages, visit IAC's VIS web section at http://www.immunize.org/vis

CDC's popular Epidemiology & Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases course will be offered in Estes Park, CO, July 12-14. For more information, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/downloads/co-brochure2010.pdf