| Issue 981: February 28, 2012 TOP STORIES
IAC HANDOUTS
VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENTS
OFFICIAL RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS FEATURED RESOURCES JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS EDUCATION AND TRAINING
CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS TOP STORIES ACIP votes to extend the age recommendation for Tdap vaccine to adults age 65 years and older On February 22, CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to extend the age for vaccination with Tdap vaccine to include adults age 65 years and older. Previously, a one-time routine dose of Tdap was recommended for people age 11 through 64 years. Note: ACIP recommendations become CDC recommendations once they are accepted by the director of CDC and the Secretary of Health and Human Services and are published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Related Link Back to top Spotlight on immunize.org: Most popular web sections and downloads The immunize.org home page offers links to this month’s top 15 web sections, as well as to the top 10 downloaded handouts and publications for patients and staff. On the left side of IAC’s newly redesigned home page, you will find this handy list of links. Top web sections include those for VISs, Ask the Experts, and Handouts for Patients & Staff. Top downloads include the Summary of Recommendations for Adult Immunization, Summary of Recommendations for Child/Teen Immunization, and How to Administer IM and SC Injections. Related Link Back to top CDC publishes report on 2009–10 influenza vaccination coverage among pregnant women in 29 states and New York City CDC published Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Pregnant Women—29 States and New York City, 2009–10 Season in the February 24 issue of MMWR (pages 113–118). A press summary of the article is reprinted below. Pregnant women are at increased risk for complications from influenza. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Obstetric Practice recommend that pregnant women receive intramuscular, inactivated influenza vaccine during any trimester of pregnancy. CDC analyzed data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System (PRAMS) to assess influenza vaccination coverage among women from 29 states and New York City with recent live-births. During the 2009–2010 flu season, coverage varied for both the seasonal and influenza A(H1N1 pdm09) or pH1N1. Women who received advice or offer of vaccination from their health-care provider were more likely to report being vaccinated. Increased efforts are needed to assess vaccine coverage and to educate providers and pregnant women about ACIP and ACOG recommendations on obtaining influenza vaccination anytime during pregnancy. Back to top CDC publishes report on U.S. influenza activity during October 2, 2011–February 11, 2012 CDC published Update: Influenza Activity—United States, October 2, 2011–February 11, 2012 in the February 24 issue of MMWR (pages 123–128). A press summary of the article is reprinted below. Influenza activity started to increase in February, making it one of the latest starts to influenza season in the last 29 years. Influenza A (H3N2) viruses have predominated this season, although influenza A H1N1 and influenza B viruses are also circulating. The majority of viruses that have been analyzed are like the viruses included in this year’s vaccine. Vaccination remains the most effective method to prevent influenza and its complications. Health-care providers should continue to offer vaccine to all unvaccinated persons ≥6 months throughout the influenza season. Back to top CDC schedules March 1 teleconference on new ideas and resources for National Infant Immunization Week A CDC teleconference titled Planning Your National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) Program: New Childhood Immunization Communication Resources Available is scheduled for March 1 at 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. ET (8 a.m.–9:30 a.m. PT). The conference agenda includes the following:
IAC HANDOUTS IAC updates "It's Federal Law! You must give your patients current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)" IAC recently changed one of the VIS publication dates on It's federal law! You must give your patients current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs). IAC's Handouts for Patients and 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. Back to top IAC corrects an error on "Screening Questionnaire for Child and Teen Immunization" On February 21, IAC published an article titled IAC updates two popular handouts: "Healthcare Personnel Vaccination Recommendations" and "Screening Questionnaire for Child and Teen Immunization." Subsequently, some eagle-eyed IAC Express readers informed us that paragraphs #5 and #6 on page 2 of the screening questionnaire were in reverse order. We have since reordered paragraphs #5 and #6. A correctly ordered version is now available. We are grateful to the readers who made us aware of the error and regret any confusion the error may have caused. Back to top VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENTS CDC releases updated VIS for Gardasil HPV vaccine On February 22, CDC released an updated VIS for Gardasil quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. The main change CDC made was to incorporate ACIP's recent decision to recommend the vaccine routinely for adolescent males. CDC encourages providers to begin using the updated VIS as soon as possible because using the previous VIS for Gardasil HPV vaccine could cause confusion about the ACIP recommendation. Note: The VIS for Cervarix bivalent HPV vaccine has not been updated.
IAC posts new Indonesian and Turkish VIS translations IAC recently posted the VISs for hepatitis B and Td/Tdap vaccines in Indonesian and the VISs for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, polio, and Tdap/Td vaccines in Turkish. IAC thanks Wentworth-Douglass Hospital (Dover, NH) for the Indonesian translations and Mustafa Kozanoglu, MD, (Adana, Turkey) for the Turkish translations.
OFFICIAL RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS WHO recommends influenza vaccine composition for the 2012–13 northern hemisphere influenza season The World Health Organization (WHO) recently announced the viruses it recommends for use in influenza vaccines in the 2012–13 northern hemisphere influenza season. They are
FEATURED RESOURCES Influenza vaccination is recommended for almost everyone, so please keep vaccinating Influenza vaccination is recommended for everyone age 6 months and older, so please keep vaccinating your patients. At a phone-in press briefing held on February 24, CDC announced that U.S. influenza activity is increasing. A transcript and audio recording of the briefing are available. Following is a list of resources related to influenza disease and vaccination for healthcare professionals and the public.
JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS Public Health Reports publishes NVAC's recommendations on adult immunization In a supplement to its January 2012 issue, Public Health Reports published A Pathway to Leadership for Adult Immunization: Recommendations of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee: Approved by the National Vaccine Advisory Committee on June 14, 2011. The recommendations address unresolved issues in novel ways to protect adults in the United States from vaccine-preventable diseases through increased vaccination. Back to top EDUCATION AND TRAINING American College of Physicians' webinar on quality improvement in immunization to be held on March 13 The American College of Physicians has scheduled a webinar on applying quality improvement principles to immunization for March 13 at 3 p.m. ET. Registrations are now being accepted. Back to top Clinical Vaccinology course to be held in Chicago on March 9–11 CDC and seven other national organizations are collaborating with the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), Emory University School of Medicine, and the Emory Vaccine Center to sponsor a Clinical Vaccinology Course to be held March 9–11 in Chicago. Back to top CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS Be sure to take part in the 1st National Immunization Conference Online on March 26–28 Accessibility is what CDC's 1st National Immunization Conference Online is all about. The conference is virtual—there are no travel expenses, no airport hassles, no conference registration fees. With these barriers eliminated, what's to stop you from taking part in three days of first-rate presentations on current immunization topics? All you have to do to is peruse the agenda, find sessions that interest you, and be among the first thousand people to log in at the start of each session. Back to top  |
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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