| Issue 993: May 8, 2012 TOP STORIES
IAC HANDOUTS VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENTS OFFICIAL RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS
EDUCATION AND TRAINING CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
TOP STORIES New: IAC's "Tips for Locating Old Immunization Records" contains often-requested information For years, IAC has received calls from patients who are looking for a way to find their or their children's immunization records. In response, we've developed a new patient handout, Tips for Locating Old Immunization Records. This new resource is full of practical information patients can use to help them locate their or their child's vaccination records. 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 National Influenza Vaccine Summit announces recipients of its 2012 Immunization Excellence Awards On May 17, the National Influenza Vaccine Summit (NIVS) will formally announce the recipients of its 2012 Immunization Excellence Awards. The awards, which are available in four categories, recognize individuals and organizations that have made contributions toward improved adult and/or childhood influenza vaccination rates within their communities during the 2011–12 influenza season. The awards will be presented at the National Influenza Vaccine Summit, to be held May 15–17 in Atlanta. Here are the 2012 winners in the four categories:
Spotlight on immunize.org: IAC's Featured Resources Looking for noteworthy immunization resources for patients and healthcare staff? Look no further. IAC’s Featured Resources web section is a frequently updated listing of links to timely, practical, and cool resources from our immunization partners. In addition, you will find the latest update to the Featured Resources section in the central box on IAC's home page. Back to top IAC HANDOUTS IAC updates "It's Federal Law! You must give your patients current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)" IAC updated the VIS dates on the staff-educational resource It's Federal Law! You must give your patients current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs). The dates on this staff resource now reflect the dates on VISs recently issued by CDC. Back to top VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENTS IAC posts six new VIS translations in Karen IAC recently posted the VISs for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, meningococcal, polio, and Td/Tdap vaccines in Karen (spoken in Burma and Thailand). IAC thanks the Minnesota Department of Health for the translations. Back to top OFFICIAL RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Measles & Rubella Initiative releases strategic plan to reduce measles and rubella deaths in 2012–2020 On April 24, the Measles & Rubella Initiative issued a press release announcing the publication of its Global Measles and Rubella Strategic Plan: 2012–2020. The announcement coincided with The Lancet's online publication of new data showing that accelerated efforts to reduce measles deaths have resulted in a 74 percent reduction in global measles mortality from an estimated 353,300 deaths in 2000 to 139,300 in 2010. Founded in 2001 as the Measles Initiative, the Measles & Rubella Initiative is a global partnership committed to ensuring no child dies from measles or is born with congenital rubella syndrome. It is led by the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization. According to the April 24 press release, the strategic plan presents a five-pronged strategy to cut global measles deaths by at least 95 percent by 2015 compared with 2000 levels, and to achieve measles and rubella elimination in at least five WHO regions by 2020.The strategies include
JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS CDC publishes report on fatal case of human rabies in a U.S. Army soldier in New York in 2011 CDC published Imported Human Rabies in a U.S. Army Soldier—New York, 2011 in the May 4 issue of MMWR (pages 302–305). A press summary of the article is reprinted below. In August 2011, a recently returned U.S. Army soldier died of rabies in New York state eight months after he was bitten by a dog during deployment to Afghanistan. Although rabies is preventable by post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) after an exposure, the soldier had not received correct PEP. Canine rabies has been eliminated from the United States but is a risk to residents and visitors of many countries around the globe. More than 95 percent of human rabies deaths worldwide are attributable to canine rabies and occur in Africa and Asia where a high burden of canine rabies exists. This is the first rabies death among U.S. service members since 1974. All persons should avoid contact with potentially rabid animals and seek prompt medical evaluation after any animal bite. International travelers should be aware of the risk for rabies exposures and how to obtain medical care at their destinations. Back to top April issue of CDC's Immunization Works newsletter now available CDC recently released the April issue of its monthly newsletter Immunization Works and posted it on the website of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). The newsletter is provided to national healthcare provider and consumer groups for distribution to their members and constituencies. The immunization information provided is non-proprietary and is encouraged to be widely disseminated and shared. The April issue includes information about what has been going on in immunization in the past month. Much of it has already been covered in previous issues of IAC Express. Back to top CDC publishes report on comparison of meningococcal disease surveillance systems during 2005–08 CDC published Comparison of Meningococcal Disease Surveillance Systems—United States, 2005–2008 in the May 4 issue of MMWR (pages 306–308). A press summary of the article is reprinted below. The overall incidence of meningococcal disease remains low in the United States. However, we needed to determine if incidence was being underestimated by one of the two surveillance systems (National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System [NNDSS] and Active Bacterial Core surveillance [ABCs]) that can track it. Compared with NNDSS, ABCs does not capture "probable" cases and the extent to which ABCs underestimates incidence was previously unknown. Results show that national projections of disease incidence using ABCs data do not substantially underestimate meningococcal disease burden. This is good news since ABCs data are highly specific and used for a variety of policy decisions. Moving forward, it will be important to continue to monitor the contribution of probable cases to meningococcal disease reporting and burden of disease estimates, as use of some of the diagnostic methods that identify probable cases may increase in coming years. Back to top EDUCATION AND TRAINING New: CDC announces addition of HPV module to its "You Call the Shots" training course—free CE credit is available CDC recently announced the addition of a human papillomavirus (HPV) module to NCIRD's web-based training course "You Call the Shots." This module discusses diseases related to infection with HPV, the groups at highest risk, basic vaccination recommendations, the characteristics of the two HPV vaccines, and more. Continuing Education (CE) credit is available for viewing the module and completing an evaluation. Related Link Back to top CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS ACIP meeting scheduled for June 20–21 in Atlanta; registration deadline is June 6 The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will hold its next meeting on June 20–21 at CDC's Clifton Road campus in Atlanta. To attend the meeting, ACIP attendees (participants and visitors) must register online by June 6. The ACIP web section has detailed information about the meeting, including the meeting agenda, driving directions, and other useful material. Back to top American Immunization Registry Association to meet in St. Paul on September 19–20; May 15 is abstract deadline The American Immunization Registry Association will meet in St. Paul on September 19–20. The deadline for submitting abstracts for oral presentations is May 15; abstracts are being accepted online. Related Link
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About IZ Express
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