| Issue 1033: January 2, 2013 TOP STORIES
IAC HANDOUTS
FEATURED RESOURCES
JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS
EDUCATION AND TRAINING CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS TOP STORIES Nine polio vaccine health workers killed in Pakistan in December 2012 The December 20, 2012, issues of the New York Times and Washington Post reported that nine health workers who distributed oral polio vaccine were killed in Pakistan in the course of a three-day nationwide polio vaccination campaign. In a press release issued on December 18, the World Health Organization and UNICEF condemned the killings, saying that the attacks "deprive Pakistan's most vulnerable populations—especially children—of basic life-saving health interventions." The two organizations expressed sympathy to the families of the workers and called on leaders of the affected communities to take steps to protect health workers and provide a secure environment in which the health needs of Pakistani children could be met. Back to top Institute for Safe Medication Practices launches Vaccine Error Reporting Program
VERP is not to be confused with VAERS, the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System. VAERS, a national vaccine safety surveillance program co-sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, is intended to be the location for reporting adverse events that occur following the administration of a vaccine to a patient. VAERS reports should be submitted whether or not the reporter believes the adverse event was vaccine related. Although healthcare professionals have sometimes reported vaccine administration errors to VAERS in the past, the new VERP system provides a more logical location for these reports, allowing for a clear separation between reporting of adverse events in a patient (VAERS) from procedural errors that may or may not result in adverse events (VERP). Of course, both VAERS and VERP may be used for the same event when the situation warrants it. Related Links
FDA approves Fluarix (GSK) as the second quadrivalent influenza vaccine On December 14, 2012, FDA approved a request by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to supplement its biologics license application for Fluarix influenza virus vaccine to include a quadrivalent formulation for use in people age 3 years and older. Fluarix quadrivalent is the second quadrivalent influenza vaccine to receive FDA approval. FDA approved MedImmune's FluMist quadrivalent on February 29, 2012. Related Links
2013 U.S. Recommended Immunization Schedules for both children and adults to be published online on January 28 The following is cross posted from the December 2012 issue of CDC's Immunization Works newsletter: 2013 Immunization Schedules: Every year, recommendations for routine use of vaccines in children, adolescents, and adults are developed by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and, when adopted by the Director of CDC, become official CDC/HHS policy. Effective in 2013, the recommended immunization schedules for persons aged 0 through 18 years and persons 19 years and older will be published together in an MMWR Supplement [on-line publication January 28, 2013, MMWR publication February 1, 2013] instead of being published in MMWR Weekly on two different dates. Back to top IAC Spotlight! HPV-related videos January is Cervical Health Awareness Month! An important tie-in to this health observance for immunization providers is the importance of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination to prevent cervical cancer. To commemorate this health observance, IAC is featuring a collection of videos about HPV and HPV vaccination. The HPV-related videos include personal testimonies from women affected by HPV and cervical cancers, as well as educational information from expert commentators such as Dr. Anne Schuchat. The featured videos are from the following organizations: California Immunization Coalition’s Shot-by-Shot project, Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, National Cervical Cancer Coalition, Women’s Cancer Network, Cervical Cancer-Free America, PKIDs, Florida Bureau of Immunization, and Immunization Action Coalition. Related Links
IAC HANDOUTS IAC updates "Meningococcal Vaccination Recommendations by Age and/or Risk Factor" IAC updated its staff-education piece Meningococcal Vaccination Recommendations by Age and/or Risk Factor by adding information on the recently approved vaccine Hib-MenCY (MenHibrix; GlaxoSmithKline). IAC's Handouts for Patients & 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's two screening checklists for contraindications to vaccines now available in seven languages Updated in October 2012, the following two checklists for contraindications to vaccines are now available in seven languages.
Back to top FEATURED RESOURCES American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists offers toolkits for influenza and Tdap immunization The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recently added two immunization toolkits—one on influenza and one on Tdap—to its Immunization for Women website. The toolkits feature materials developed by ACOG and other organizations such as CDC and the Immunization Action Coalition. The influenza toolkit includes Influenza Vaccination: Frequently Asked Questions and Vaccine Safety: Frequently Asked Questions. Tear pads of each are available for online ordering. The influenza toolkit also has a physician script that includes the following text that physicians can use to encourage their patients to receive influenza vaccine: I strongly recommend you get the flu shot today. I offer the influenza vaccine to all of my pregnant patients and to women who are considering becoming pregnant. The vaccine is safe and effective for pregnant women. The risks of getting sick with the flu are far greater for a pregnant woman and her baby than the possibility of having a complication from the vaccine. The flu shot will protect you as well as your baby in the first 6 months of life from getting the flu. Your family members who have contact with your newborn also should be vaccinated. The Tdap toolkit includes Tdap Vaccination: Frequently Asked Questions and Vaccine Safety: Frequently Asked Questions. Tear pads of each are available for online ordering. The Tdap toolkit also has a physician script. About ACOG's Immunization for Women website ACOG designed its Immunization for Women website to provide obstetricians and gynecologists and their patients with a central, trusted source of up-to-date information on seasonal flu and other vaccine-preventable diseases, including immunization facts and safety, immunization schedules, clinical and practice management guidelines, and links to other reliable immunization resources. Back to top The Gerontological Society of America has resources on improving adult vaccination rates The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) offers several resources for improving adult vaccination rates. These include the Public Policy & Aging Report: Vaccination, Prevention, and Older Adults and Call to Action—Reaching the Healthy People 2020 Goals for Adult Vaccination: Proceedings of the National Adult Vaccination Program Scientific Summit, April 2012. Both were published in November 2012. You can access background information and additional published resources on adult immunization from GSA's National Adult Vaccination Program website. Back to top California's one-page fact sheets are a quick way to get information about a host of childhood and teen vaccines The Immunization Branch of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently posted an array of one-page Vaccines for Children vaccine fact sheets on its EZIZ website. Each quick-reference fact sheet provides information about routine schedules, minimum intervals, approved age ranges, administration routes, billing codes, storage, and more. Important Note: Some of the billing code and Vaccine for Children information on the fact sheets pertain to California. Check with your state health department to find the policy that pertains to your location. About EZIZ The CDPH immunization skills training portal, EZIZ, provides interactive immunization lessons, job aids, and updated vaccine news and information of interest to California's VFC providers and others involved in immunization in other parts of the nation. Back to top CDC posts new resources on pertussis and other VPDs The following information is found in the December 2012 issue of CDC's Immunization Works newsletter: Pertussis-related resources
Other VPD-related resources
Influenza vaccination is recommended for nearly everyone, so please keep vaccinating your patients Influenza vaccination is recommended for everyone age 6 months and older, so please continue to vaccinate your patients. If you don't provide influenza vaccination in your clinic, please recommend vaccination to your patients and refer them to the HealthMap Vaccine Finder to locate sites near their workplace or home that offer influenza vaccination services.
JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS December 2012 issue of CDC's Immunization Works newsletter now available CDC recently released the December 2012 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 offers the immunization community information about current topics. The information is in the public domain and can be reproduced and circulated widely. Back to top Measles & Rubella Initiative's e-newsletter reports on global measles and congenital rubella syndrome The December 2012 issue of the Measles & Rubella Initiative's e-newsletter includes an article about 2012 measles vaccination campaigns in 13 African countries; in total, the campaigns reached 38 million people. Another article discusses how the Lions Clubs International Foundation, in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, raised $15 million in two years for measles eradication. Published monthly, the Measles & Rubella Initiative's e-newsletter is an excellent way to keep current on global activities related to eliminating measles and congenital rubella syndrome. An online subscription form is available. About the Measles & Rubella Initiative Founded in 2001 as the Measles Initiative, the Measles & Rubella Initiative is a global partnership committed to ensuring that 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. Back to top CDC publishes report on serogroup A meningococcal conjugate vaccine coverage in Burkina Faso CDC published Serogroup A Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine Coverage After the First National Mass Immunization Campaign—Burkina Faso, 2011 in the December 21 issue of MMWR (pages 1022–1024). A press summary of the article is reprinted below. High coverage of PsA-TT (MenAfriVac), as documented in Burkina Faso through this coverage survey, will be necessary throughout the Meningitis Belt in order to achieve elimination of epidemic meningitis in this region. Meningococcal meningitis is a devastating public health problem in the meningitis belt of Sub-Saharan Africa. PsA-TT is a new serogroup A meningococcal conjugate vaccine introduced in 10 of 26 target countries thus far. This study documents PsA-TT coverage after a mass immunization campaign in Burkina Faso, the first country to introduce PsA-TT nationally. Results of this survey demonstrate high coverage (greater than 90 percent) in all regions, age groups, and sexes. Maintenance of high levels of population immunity in Burkina Faso, and continued successful introduction of PsA-TT in other countries, will be important in the effort to eliminate epidemic serogroup A meningococcal meningitis in sub-Saharan Africa. Rigorous coverage surveys will continue to be critical for monitoring introduction of this new vaccine. Back to top Meningitis surveillance in Burkina Faso and Mali before serogroup A meningococcal conjugate vaccine was introduced CDC published Evaluation of Meningitis Surveillance Before Introduction of Serogroup A Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine—Burkina Faso and Mali in the December 21 issue of MMWR (pages 1025–1028). A press summary of the article is reprinted below. In countries introducing the new vaccine against epidemic meningitis, MenAfriVac, strong disease surveillance is essential for evaluating vaccine impact. In the “meningitis belt” of Africa, a region stretching from Senegal in the West to Ethiopia in the East, about 450 million people each year are at risk of devastating meningitis outbreaks. Bacterial meningitis kills about 10 percent of patients and about 25 percent suffer long term effects such as deafness, brain damage or loss of limbs. In 2009, a new vaccine was licensed (PsA-TT, MenAfriVac), which holds promise for eliminating epidemic meningitis in the region. The vaccine was introduced in countries through mass immunization campaigns at an unprecedented public health scale. A joint CDC and WHO team carried out evaluations of the meningitis disease surveillance system in Burkina Faso and Mali before the vaccine was introduced. Recommendations from these evaluations helped countries in strengthening their surveillance systems so that the impact of this new vaccine can be accurately assessed. Back to top EDUCATION AND TRAINING Archive of December 13, 2012, Current Issues in Immunization NetConference offers free CE credit Broadcast on December 13, 2012, the Current Issues in Immunization NetConference What's New in the Prevention of Measles, Rubella, Congenital Rubella Syndrome, and Mumps and Screening for Contraindications and Precautions has been archived. Continuing Education credit is available through January 14. 2013. Back to top CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS Archived video broadcast of the October 2012 ACIP meeting now available ACIP recently posted the archived video broadcast of the meeting held on October 24–25, 2012. Back to top  |
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ISSN 2771-8085
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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