IAC Express 2011 |
|
Issue number 916: March 7, 2011 |
|
|
| Please click here to subscribe to IAC Express
as well as other FREE IAC periodicals. |
|
Contents
of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article. |
- The Joint
Commission's Tdap monograph seeks to increase Tdap vaccination among
adults and adolescents
- Spotlight
on immunize.org: wealth of information on immunization topics
- IAC's
Video of the Week gives kids tips on avoiding influenza
- 55 U.S.
children have died from complications of influenza during the 2010-11
season--so please keep vaccinating!
- IAC
updates "Hepatitis A: Questions & Answers"
- New York
Times' learning blog offers teachers a lesson plan on the history and
biology of vaccines
- Reminder:
March 11 is the deadline for regular-priced registration for the National
Immunization Conference
-
Award-winning DVD! "Immunization Techniques: Best Practices with Infants,
Children, and Adults"--from the California Department of Public Health,
Immunization Branch
-
Epidemiology in Action course set for May 16-27 at Emory University in
Atlanta
- MMWR
publishes errata to varicella and hepatitis case counts published in the
MMWR of January 7, 2011
|
| |
| Abbreviations |
|
|
AAFP, American Academy of Family Physicians; AAP,
American Academy of Pediatrics; ACIP, Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices; AMA, American Medical Association; CDC, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention; FDA, Food and Drug Administration; IAC, Immunization
Action Coalition; MMWR, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; NCIRD,
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; NIVS, National
Influenza Vaccine Summit; VIS, Vaccine Information Statement; VPD,
vaccine-preventable disease; WHO, World Health Organization. |
| |
|
Issue 916: March 7, 2011 |
|
|
|
1. |
The Joint Commission's Tdap monograph seeks to increase Tdap vaccination
among adults and adolescents
The Joint Commission recently released a
monograph titled
"Tdap Vaccination Strategies for Adolescents and Adults,
Including Health Care Personnel--Strategies from Research
and Practice." Portions of a press release describing the
monograph follow.
A new monograph from The Joint Commission . . . aims to help
healthcare organizations implement or enhance tetanus,
diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccination
programs for adolescents and adults, including healthcare
workers who can both acquire pertussis from and spread it to
patients, other staff, and family members. . . .
The Tdap vaccine has been available only since 2005 and
information from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) shows that vaccination rates for adults are
very low. Tdap vaccination rates among healthcare workers
stands at about 16 percent, according to the CDC, despite
the evidence that Tdap improves patient outcomes and reduces
staff illness and absenteeism. . . .
The monograph includes
- Information about pertussis and the Tdap vaccine.
- Barriers to successful Tdap vaccination programs and
strategies for overcoming them.
- Evidence-based guidelines and literature that highlight
practical Tdap vaccination strategies.
- Examples of initiatives that organizations have used
to establish or enhance their Tdap vaccination programs.
Established in 1951, the Joint Commission evaluates and
accredits more than 18,000 healthcare organizations and
programs in the United States.
Electronic copies of the monograph are available for
download free of charge at http://www.jointcommission.org/tdap
To download the 142-page document directly, go to:
http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/6/Tdap_Monograpgh.pdf
To access the complete press release, go to:
http://www.jointcommission.org/new_monograph
_aims_to_increase_tdap_vaccination_of_adults_and_adolescents
Back to top |
| |
|
|
2. |
Spotlight on immunize.org: wealth of information on immunization topics
Are you looking to dig deeper into a specialized
area of
immunization, such as vaccine recommendations, or
requirements for international travel, or states' vaccination
mandates and exemption laws? Look no further. IAC's
Immunization Topics web section provides access to 13
specialized topics. For each topic area, you will find
relevant vaccination resources from trusted sources such as
CDC, AAP, the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital
of Philadelphia, IAC, and many more.
The immunization-related topics covered in this section
include international adoption, dialysis, vaccination
coverage disparities, healthcare personnel, the hepatitis B
vaccine birth dose, long-term care, vaccine mandates and
exemptions, men who have sex with men, needle safety,
pregnancy, immunization registries, tattoos and body
piercing, and travel. Each page includes links to a wide
variety of vaccine-related resources.
To access IAC's Immunization Topics web section, visit
http://www.immunize.org/iztopics
Back to top |
| |
|
|
3. |
IAC's Video of the Week gives kids tips on avoiding influenza
IAC encourages IAC Express readers to watch an
animated 1.5-minute video packed with kid-friendly tips for avoiding
contracting or spreading influenza. The video was developed
by Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota to educate
students about influenza prevention.
The video will be available on the home page of IAC's
website through March 13. To access it, go to:
http://www.immunize.org and click on the image under the
words Video of the Week. After March 13, access the video
directly at http://vimeo.com/16442261
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
Back to top |
| |
|
|
4. |
55 U.S. children have died from complications of influenza during the 2010-11
season--so please keep vaccinating!
CDC reported 14 influenza-associated pediatric
deaths for the week ending February 26. The total number of
influenza-associated pediatric deaths stands at 55 for the 2010-11 influenza
season. Remember, influenza vaccination is recommended for everyone age 6
months and older, so please keep vaccinating your patients.
If you don't have influenza vaccine, you can direct patients to the Google
Flu Vaccine Finder. It helps the public find nearby locations where influenza
vaccine is available. It's as simple as entering a zip code. Visit the Google
Flu Vaccine Finder:
http://www.google.com/flushot
Following is a list of resources related to influenza disease and vaccination
for healthcare professionals and the public.
To access IAC's handouts related to influenza,
including screening questionnaires, patient education pieces, and sample
standing orders, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/handouts/influenza-vaccines.asp
Back to top |
| |
|
|
5. |
IAC updates "Hepatitis A: Questions & Answers"
IAC recently revised "Hepatitis A: Questions and
Answers," a
handout for patients and parents. The piece was updated with
statistics on the number of acute cases and infections
reported in 2008. Go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4204.pdf
To access a table with links to IAC's Q&A handouts for each
vaccine, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/handouts/vaccine-questions.asp
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
Back to top |
| |
|
|
6. |
New York Times' learning blog offers teachers a lesson plan on the history
and biology of vaccines
The Learning Network, the New York Times'
learning blog,
recently posted a lesson plan on vaccines. Titled "Fighting
Disease: Researching the History and Biology of Vaccines,"
the lesson plan includes a quiz and several resources.
To access the lesson plan, click here.
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/fighting-disease
-researching-the-history-and-biology-of-vaccines
Back to top |
| |
|
|
7. |
Reminder: March 11 is the deadline for regular-priced registration for the
National Immunization Conference
The National Immunization
Conference is scheduled for March
28-31 in Washington, DC. The regular registration fee is
$250, a $25 savings off the on-site registration fee of
$275. The deadline for regular registration is March 11. To
register online, go to: http://conferences.taskforce.org/nic11
To get yourself primed for the conference, check out the
draft conference agenda. It gives links to many abstracts of
the presentations that will be made during the conference.
To access the agenda, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/nic/default.htm#agenda
For complete conference details, go to the conference home
page at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/nic
For additional information, contact the Conference Planning
Team at (404) 639-8225 or at nipnic@cdc.gov
Back to top |
| |
|
|
8. |
Award-winning DVD! "Immunization Techniques: Best Practices with Infants,
Children, and Adults"--from the California Department of Public Health,
Immunization Branch
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH),
Immunization Branch, has updated its award-winning training
video, "Immunization Techniques: Best Practices with
Infants, Children, and Adults." The 25-minute program can be
used to train new employees and to refresh the skills of
experienced staff. The video demonstrates the skills and
techniques needed to administer vaccines to patients of all
ages. It includes instruction on the following:
-
Selecting, preparing, and administering injectable, oral,
and nasal vaccines
-
Documenting immunizations
-
Making patients comfortable and educating them
-
Facilitating staff and patient communication
Prices start at $17 each for 1-9 copies and are greatly
reduced for large orders, dropping to $3 each for 1,000-1,499 copies.
To learn more about the DVD, and find out how to order it,
go to: http://www.immunize.org/shop/toolkit_iztechdvd.asp
For quotes on larger quantities, call (651) 647-9009 or
email admininfo@immunize.org
The Immunization Action Coalition is the only nationwide
vendor of this new DVD.
Note for healthcare settings located in California: Contact
your local health department immunization program for a free
copy.
Back to top |
| |
|
|
9. |
Epidemiology in Action course set for May 16-27 at Emory University in Atlanta
Intended for state and local public health
professionals,
Epidemiology in Action will be held May 16-27 on the campus
of Emory University in Atlanta. The course is co-sponsored
by CDC and Rollins School of Public Health at Emory
University. The application deadline is April 16, or
whenever the course is full.
Information is available electronically at
http://www.sph.emory.edu/EPICOURSES/basic.htm or by
telephone at (404) 727-3485 or by email at pvaleri@emory.edu
The March 4 MMWR includes an announcement for the course. To
access it, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6008a8.htm
Back to top |
| |
|
|
10. |
MMWR publishes errata to varicella and hepatitis case counts published in the
MMWR of January 7, 2011
CDC published "Errata: Vol. 59, Nos. 51 & 52" in
the March 4
issue of MMWR. It concerns errors made in the case counts
for varicella and hepatitis that were reported in the MMWR
issue of January 7, 2011. CDC published "Errata: Vol. 59,Nos. 51 & 52" in the March 4 issue of MMWR. It concerns
errors made in the case counts for varicella and hepatitis
that were reported in the MMWR issue of January 7, 2011. The
article is available at
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6008a9.htm
Back to top |
| |
|
|
