| Issue 1108: March 11, 2014 TOP STORIES
IAC HANDOUTS OFFICIAL RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS FEATURED RESOURCES JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS
EDUCATION AND TRAINING CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
TOP STORIES CDC honors IAC with its Excellence in Partnering award for leadership in providing VISs in languages other than English At an award ceremony held on December 17, 2013, CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) honored IAC with its Excellence in Partnering award. The certificate states: "Certificate of Excellence presented to Immunization Action Coalition for excellence in leadership provided to developing and maintaining the efforts to provide Vaccine Information Statements in foreign languages." CDC provides English-language versions of Vaccine Information Statements (VISs). IAC has developed partnerships with translating services, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and individuals to secure accurate VIS translations in more than 35 languages. Some translations are paid for as part of IAC's cooperative agreement with CDC; others are donated by generous translation partners. IAC's website for providers, www.immunize.org/vis, serves as a clearing house for all available VIS translations, with more than two million VISs downloaded each year, approximately half of them in languages other than English. IAC's nomination included the following description of its work: Impact: CDC only produces the English language version of VIS documents. IAC has been able to secure or produce more than 170 updates and new VISs in the past 12 months. These updates have included translations into more than 20 different languages. More than half of the translations that they are able to receive are donated through their vast network of partners. The Immunization Action Coalition reports more than 1 million downloads of VIS translations from April of 2011 to March of 2012. With the increased focus on updating and the creation of new VIS translations, this number increased over 200,000 in the same period 2012 through 2013. The partnership CDC has with the Immunization Action Coalition has made the CDC even stronger and better able to meet the needs of the Nation. Related Links
CDC temporarily removes the Multi-vaccine VIS from service until it is updated On March 5, CDC announced that the pediatric Multi-vaccine VIS was being temporarily removed from service so it can be updated to reflect current ACIP recommendations. A revised version should be available by mid-2014. CDC requests that you do not use any copies of the 11/16/12 Multi-vaccine VIS that you may have stockpiled. Instead, use the individual current VISs as indicated for DTaP, Hib, hepatitis B, IPV, PCV13, and rotavirus vaccination. Related Links
National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit launches new website: www.izsummitpartners.org The National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS) is led by IAC, CDC, and the National Vaccine Program Office, and includes more than 400 partners. NAIIS recently launched a new website at www.izsummitpartners.org that provides information about the annual Summit meeting and NAIIS workgroups, as well as links to many resources related to adult vaccination. Explore the new website by clicking on any of the featured sections. If you are an adult vaccine advocate who would like to become part of NAIIS, please email Dr. Litjen Tan, chief strategy officer at IAC and co-chair of NAIIS, for more information. Back to top CDC announces new Twitter account for immunization providers CDC recently announced the introduction of a new Twitter account, @CDCizlearn. CDC will use this account to regularly post information on immunization-related education, training, and practice resources for healthcare providers, academics, public health professionals, and others interested in the administration and delivery of vaccines. @CDCizlearn will highlight the following: 1) CDC’s immunization educational programs
Back to top IAC Spotlight! Personal testimonies on vaccine-preventable diseases; Lasker Foundation President's powerful editorial on the dangers of vaccine refusal The "Vaccine Information You Need” website—www.vaccineinformation.org—features Personal Testimonies about vaccine-preventable diseases and the value of immunization. The collection of more than 50 compelling and eye-opening reports can be used to educate staff and patients about the importance of immunization. The testimonies are organized by age group and disease. IAC recently posted a powerful editorial about the devastating consequences of vaccine refusal titled Failure to Vaccinate Children: An Unconscionable Twist of Faith by Dr. Claire Pomeroy, president of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation. Additionally, this section offers links to similar resources from IAC's immunization partner organizations, including personal stories from Every Child By Two, California Immunization Coalition’s Shot by Shot website, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education Center, Families Fighting Flu, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, National Meningitis Association, and the book The Forgotten Story from the Texas Children’s Hospital. Related Links
Back to top Vaccine Education Center plans March 19 Current Issues in Vaccines webinar The Vaccine Education Center (VEC) at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia will present a free one-hour webinar, beginning at noon (ET) on March 19. Part of its Current Issues in Vaccines series, the webinar will feature Paul Offit, MD, director of VEC. Dr. Offit will discuss the following topics:
Back to top Reminder: National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit requests nominations for its 2014 Immunization Excellence Awards; deadline is March 25 The National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS) is soliciting candidates for the 2014 NAIIS Immunization Excellence Awards. The awards recognize individuals and organizations making extraordinary contributions toward improved vaccination rates within their communities during 2013. The deadline for nominations is March 25 (due by close of business, 5 p.m. [ET]). A national winner and possibly an honorable mention recipient will be selected for each award category. The winners will be presented with their awards at the NAIIS meeting, to be held May 13–15, in Atlanta. The national winner in each category will be invited to present at the meeting. There are five categories of recognition:
CDC publishes report on impact of Connecticut regulation that requires influenza vaccination of children in licensed child care and preschool programs CDC published Impact of Requiring Influenza Vaccination for Children in Licensed Child Care or Preschool Programs—Connecticut, 2012–13 Influenza Season in the March 7 issue of MMWR (pages 181–185). The first paragraph is reprinted below. Preschool-aged children are at increased risk for severe influenza-related illness and complications. Congregate child care settings facilitate influenza transmission among susceptible children. To protect against influenza transmission in these settings, in September 2010, Connecticut became the second U.S. state (after New Jersey) to implement regulations requiring that all children aged 6–59 months receive at least 1 dose of influenza vaccine each year to attend a licensed child care program. To evaluate the impact of this regulation on vaccination levels and influenza-associated hospitalizations during the 2012–13 influenza season, vaccination data from U.S. and Connecticut surveys and the Emerging Infections Program (EIP) were analyzed. After the regulation took effect, vaccination rates among Connecticut children aged 6–59 months increased from 67.8% during the 2009–10 influenza season to 84.1% during the 2012–13 season. During the 2012–13 influenza season, among all 11 EIP surveillance sites, Connecticut had the greatest percentage decrease (12%) in the influenza-associated hospitalization rate from 2007–08 among children aged ≤4 years. Additionally, the ratio of the influenza-associated hospitalization rates among children aged ≤4 years to the overall population rate (0.53) was lower than for any other EIP site. Requiring vaccination for child care admission might have helped to increase vaccination rates in Connecticut and reduced serious morbidity from influenza. Back to top IAC HANDOUTS IAC corrects text in its recently redesigned hepatitis B handout: "Give the Birth Dose... Hepatitis B Vaccine at Birth Saves Lives!" In the March 4 issue of IAC Express, we announced that the provider education piece "Give the Birth Dose... Hepatitis B Vaccine at Birth Saves Lives!" had been updated and redesigned. However, a sharp-eyed reader noticed that some text had been inadvertently dropped in the introduction. If you downloaded a copy last week, please recycle it and download the corrected version here. We apologize for the inconvenience. For additional information and resources about the hepatitis B vaccine birth dose, visit the following:
Back to top OFFICIAL RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS UNICEF announces that IPV will be available to low-income countries for as little as $1 a dose to help implement new WHO polio recommendations On February 28, WHO published new recommendations on polio vaccines, a primary change being that all countries currently using OPV only should add at least one dose of IPV to the schedule. The primary purpose of the IPV dose is to maintain immunity against type 2 polio viruses during and after the planned global switch from trivalent to bivalent oral vaccines. IPV is more expensive than OPV, which could be a barrier to vaccination in low-income countries. UNICEF has announced that its bidding process has made it possible to offer IPV for as little as $1 per dose. The vaccine will be available at this price to countries supported by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI). Related Links
FEATURED RESOURCES Influenza season is not over—please keep vaccinating your patients! Vaccination remains the single most effective means of preventing influenza, and is recommended for everyone age six months and older. Since the onset, duration, and severity of influenza season is unpredictable, and different types and strains of influenza circulate throughout the season, ACIP recommends that providers continue to provide influenza vaccination into the spring months, as long as they have vaccine in the refrigerator and unvaccinated patients in their office. If you don't provide influenza vaccination in your clinic, please recommend vaccination to your patients and refer them to a clinic or pharmacy that provides vaccines or to the HealthMap Vaccine Finder to locate sites near their workplaces or homes that offer influenza vaccination services. Following is a list of resources related to influenza disease and vaccination for healthcare professionals and the public:
JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS Study finds that childhood immunizations save thousands of lives and billions of dollars in the U.S. Economic Evaluation of the Routine Childhood Immunization Program in the United States, 2009, an article published online in Pediatrics on March 3, presented an analysis showing that childhood immunizations save thousands of lives and billions of dollars. A press release from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) follows. A new economic analysis of the childhood immunization schedule shows it will prevent 42,000 early deaths and 20 million cases of disease, with a savings of $13.5 billion in direct costs and $68.8 billion in total societal costs in a single cohort. The study, “Economic Evaluation of the Routine Childhood Immunization Program in the United States, 2009,” in the April 2014 Pediatrics (published online March 3), used population-based vaccination coverage, vaccine efficacy data, historical data on disease incidence before vaccination, and disease incidence data after vaccination to calculate the lifetime economic impact of vaccinating a hypothetical cohort of all U.S. children born in 2009. The study updates a prior analysis published in 2005. Researchers conclude that from a societal perspective, the average savings per dollar spent on vaccination is at least $10. According to the study authors, “the vaccines currently recommended for young children represent not only a major public health victory in terms of disease prevention, but also an excellent public health ‘buy’ in terms of dollars and cents.” Access the abstract online, or read the complete article in the forthcoming print edition of the April 2014 issue of Pediatrics. Related Links
EDUCATION AND TRAINING CDC offers video on protecting people with chronic health conditions from influenza On February 5, CDC sponsored a webinar titled Protecting People with Chronic Conditions from Influenza/Flu. You can now watch this 54-minute session on YouTube. Related Links
CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS Registration deadline for June 25–26 ACIP meeting is June 2 for non-citizens and June 9 for citizens CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will hold its next meeting on June 25–26 in Atlanta at CDC's Clifton Road campus. To attend the meeting, ACIP attendees (participants and visitors) must register online. The registration deadline for non-citizens is June 2; it's June 9 for citizens. Registration is not required to watch the live webcast of the meeting. The ACIP meeting web section will be updated with detailed information about the meeting, including live webcast instructions and the meeting agenda. Be sure to check back often. Back to top NACCHO annual conference scheduled for July 8–10 in Atlanta; poster submission deadline is March 16 The annual conference of the National Association of County & City Health Officers (NACCHO) will take place in Atlanta on July 8–10. The conference workgroup invites poster submissions for the conference's poster showcase. The deadline for poster proposals is March 16, 11:59 p.m. (ET). Information on poster submission and NACCHO conference registration 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.
IZ Express Disclaimer
ISSN 2771-8085
IZ Express Disclaimer
ISSN 2771-8085
Editorial Information
-
Editor-in-ChiefKelly L. Moore, MD, MPH
-
Managing EditorJohn D. Grabenstein, RPh, PhD
-
Associate EditorSharon G. Humiston, MD, MPH
-
Writer/Publication CoordinatorTaryn Chapman, MS
Courtnay Londo, MA -
Style and Copy EditorMarian Deegan, JD
-
Web Edition ManagersArkady Shakhnovich
Jermaine Royes -
Contributing WriterLaurel H. Wood, MPA
-
Technical ReviewerKayla Ohlde