| Issue 1057: May 28, 2013 TOP STORIES
IAC HANDOUTS
FEATURED RESOURCES JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS
TOP STORIES New! May 2013 issue of Vaccinate Adults now online The May 2013 issue of Vaccinate Adults has just been placed online.
 Note: Vaccinate Adults is an abbreviated version of Needle Tips with the pediatric content removed. This issue of Vaccinate Adults gives healthcare professionals up-to-date information on meningococcal vaccination and features the newly published 2013 U.S. immunization schedule for adults. It also includes a new series of eight handouts for adults and teens about vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of getting vaccinated. As always, the issue features the "Ask the Experts" column from CDC medical epidemiologist Andrew T. Kroger, MD, MPH; nurse educator Donna L. Weaver, RN, MN; and medical officer Iyabode Akinsanya-Beysolow, MD, MPH. Back to top Reminder: May 2013 issue of Needle Tips online The May 2013 issue of Needle Tips is online.
 Back to top IAC Spotlight! Seven more healthcare organizations join IAC's Honor Roll for Patient Safety IAC urges qualifying healthcare organizations to apply for its Honor Roll for Patient Safety. The honor roll recognizes hospitals, medical practices, professional organizations, and government entities that have taken a stand for patient safety by implementing mandatory influenza vaccination policies for healthcare personnel. More than 250 organizations are now enrolled. Since April 30, when IAC Express last reported on the Honor Roll for Patient Safety, the following seven organizations have been enrolled.
IAC HANDOUTS IAC revises its two most popular staff education materials, "Summary of Recommendations for Child/Teen Immunization" and "Summary of Recommendations for Adult Immunization" IAC recently updated its two most popular educational resources for healthcare professionals. Both the Summary of Recommendations for Child/Teen Immunization and the Summary of Recommendations for Adult Immunization were revised based on updated ACIP recommendations and on decisions made and votes taken at the February 2013 ACIP meeting. 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 updates its staff education materials "Current Dates of Vaccine Information Statements" and "It's Federal Law! You must give your patients current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)" IAC recently revised Current Dates of Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) and It's Federal Law! You must give your patients current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs). Both now include the issue date of the most recent version of the Gardasil HPV VIS, which CDC posted on May 17. For information on the Gardasil HPV VIS, see the IAC Express article titled CDC releases updated HPV (Gardasil) VIS, which was published on May 21. Related Links Back to top FEATURED RESOURCES Order IAC's popular full-size laminated versions of the 2013 U.S. immunization schedules today! IAC's laminated versions of the 2013 U.S. child/teen and adult immunization schedules are covered with a tough, washable coating that lets them stand up to a year's worth of use in every area of your healthcare setting where immunizations are given. Each has six pages (i.e., three double-sided pages) and is folded to measure 8.5" by 11".
PRICING 1–4 copies: $7.50 each 5–19 copies: $5.50 each 20–99 copies: $4.50 each 100–499 copies: $4.00 each 500–999 copies: $3.50 each For quotes on customizing or placing orders for 1,000 copies or more, call (651) 647-9009 or email admininfo@immunize.org You can access specific information on both schedules, view images of both, order online, or download an order form at the Shop IAC: Laminated Schedules web page. Back to top JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS CDC publishes report on value of pharmacy-based influenza surveillance CDC published Value of Pharmacy-Based Influenza Surveillance—Ontario, Canada, 2009 in the May 24 issue of MMWR (pages 401–404). The first two paragraphs of the article are reprinted below. As part of ongoing efforts by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to enhance disease surveillance, a retrospective epidemiologic study was undertaken to investigate the usefulness for influenza surveillance of data on changes in the volume of prescriptions for antiviral medications. The weekly numbers of dispensed prescriptions for the antiviral medications oseltamivir and zanamivir, as a proportion of all dispensed prescriptions, were compared with the numbers of confirmed laboratory reports of influenza A(H1N1) at the local health authority level in Ontario, Canada, during the second wave of the outbreak of pandemic influenza A(H1N1) in 2009. Qualitative and quantitative analyses demonstrated that antiviral prescription dispensing dates were a reasonable proxy for influenza A(H1N1) onset dates at the local health authority level. This report describes the results of those analyses, which indicated that (1) antiviral prescription proportions increased in advance of laboratory reports of influenza and (2) antiviral dispensing data can be available in near real-time. These findings suggest that pharmacy prescription data can provide timely intelligence to help characterize local influenza activity. The value of influenza surveillance depends in part on the timeliness of the generated information. Traditional methods of influenza surveillance, including FluWatch (Canada’s national surveillance system), rely on the collection and aggregation of laboratory results and clinical observations from physicians and public health authorities. Typical for infectious diseases, it can take several days to weeks from symptom onset to data being collected, aggregated, and analyzed. Pharmacy-based surveillance uses near real-time dispensing data of pharmaceuticals (prescription and over-the-counter drugs) as a proxy for illness in the population. The potential for pharmacy-based surveillance to detect changes in community illness levels earlier than traditional laboratory-based surveillance methods is premised on the fact that the public will routinely seek over-the-counter medications to relieve or alleviate common symptoms of illness, and physicians often will prescribe medications before receiving laboratory confirmation. Retrospective disease outbreak studies have demonstrated increases in pharmaceutical sales before the recognition of increased illness frequency using traditional public health surveillance methods. Back to top CDC publishes report on building laboratory capacity to support the Global Rotavirus Surveillance Network CDC published Building Laboratory Capacity to Support the Global Rotavirus Surveillance Network in the May 24 issue of MMWR (pages 409–412). The first two paragraphs of the article's Comment section are reprinted below. The Global Rotavirus Laboratory Network (GRLN) is an integral part of the Global Rotavirus Surveillance Network that provides timely rotavirus disease burden data, which can help guide decisions regarding rotavirus vaccine introduction into national immunization programs. These data also can provide a baseline for assessing the impact of rotavirus vaccines on severe rotavirus disease resulting in hospitalization and on strain prevalence. Substantial progress has been made in expanding the reach of the GRLN, developing standardized data collection procedures, and implementing quality assurance procedures to improve data collection. Lessons learned and applied from the other WHO-coordinated laboratory networks have resulted in a system of national, regional, and global laboratories proficient in rotavirus diagnosis and genotyping. Efforts are underway to optimize critical laboratory procedures used at the global and regional reference laboratories to facilitate interlaboratory data comparability and improve genotyping data quality. Back to top  |
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