Issue 1156: December 2, 2014

Ask the Experts–Question of the Week: I was told that it is not recommended to give vaccines using the Z-track method. Is this…read more


TOP STORIES
IAC HANDOUTS
VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENTS
OFFICIAL RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
FEATURED RESOURCES
EDUCATION AND TRAINING  
TOP STORIES
Your donation to IAC helps us prevent disease, protect health, and educate about immunization
 
A contribution to IAC helps support the dedicated healthcare professionals across the nation who work day in and day out to protect lives through immunization. When you donate to IAC, you help defeat vaccine-preventable diseases.
 
We want to thank everyone who has already contributed to our annual end-of-year fundraising campaign. If you have not donated yet, today (Giving Tuesday) is the ideal time to make your annual gift to IAC. Please visit our Immunization Action Coalition donation page at www.immunize.org/supportIAC, where you may make a contribution and read the letter from IAC Executive Director Dr. Deborah Wexler, sharing some of IAC’s accomplishments during 2014.
 
Your contribution matters. A gift today will enable IAC to continue the critical work of equipping vaccine providers and the public with the very latest in reliable vaccine information. Please help IAC prevent, protect, and educate.
 
Thank you for your generosity.
 
We wish you joy in this holiday season, and look forward to continuing our work together to save lives in 2015.
 
Happy Holidays!

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IAC enrolls six more birthing institutions into its Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll; two previously honored institutions qualify for a second year

The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) is pleased to announce that six new institutions have been accepted into its Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll. The birthing institutions are listed below with their reported hepatitis B birth dose coverage rates in parentheses.
  • Akron General Medical Center, Akron, OH (97%)
  • Dickinson County Healthcare System, Iron Mountain, MI (91%)
  • Hillsdale Community Health Center, Hillsdale, MI (94%)
  • Mercy Memorial Hospital System, Monroe, MI (91%)
  • Norton Women's and Kosair Children's Hospital, Louisville, KY (100%)
  • Oconee Memorial Hospital, Seneca, SC (98%)
In addition, the following two institutions are being recognized for a second year:
  • Lakeland Community Hospital, Niles, MI (90%)
  • Oakwood Annapolis Hospital, Wayne, MI (90%)
The Honor Roll now includes 152 birthing institutions from 27 states and Puerto Rico.

The Honor Roll is a key part of IAC’s major initiative urging the nation’s hospitals to Give birth to the end of Hep B. Hospitals and birthing centers are recognized for attaining high coverage rates for administering hepatitis B vaccine at birth and meeting specific additional criteria. The initiative urges qualifying healthcare organizations to apply for the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll online.

To be included in the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll, a birthing institution must have: (1) reported a coverage rate of 90% or greater, over a 12-month period, for administering hepatitis B vaccine before hospital discharge to all newborns, including those whose parents refuse vaccination, and (2) implemented specific written policies, procedures, and protocols to protect all newborns from hepatitis B virus infection prior to hospital discharge.

Honorees are also awarded an 8.5" x 11" color certificate suitable for framing and their acceptance is announced to IAC Express’s approximately 50,000 readers.

Please visit the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll web page that lists these institutions and their exceptional efforts to protect infants from perinatal hepatitis B transmission.

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IAC HANDOUTS
IAC updates "Evidence Shows Vaccines Unrelated to Autism" handout

IAC recently updated its resource for parents and healthcare professionals, Evidence Shows Vaccines Unrelated to Autism, by adding new information and updated references.

Related Links 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.

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VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENTS
IAC posts six new translations of the pediatric multi-vaccine VIS

CDC posted an updated version of the pediatric multi-vaccine Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) on October 22. IAC recently posted six new translations of this revised VIS.

New pediatric multi-vaccine VIS translations include Armenian, Cambodian, Farsi, Hmong, Korean, and Tagalog. All of these translations are available at www.immunize.org/vis/vis_multi_vaccine_infants.asp.

IAC thanks the California Department of Public Health for these translations. Back to top


IAC posts Spanish version of the pediatric multi-vaccine VIS in rich text format

IAC recently posted the Spanish version of the pediatric multi-vaccine VIS in rich text format (RTF).

RTF files are intended for use in electronic systems, such as electronic medical records, immunization information systems, or other electronic databases. CDC supplies RTF files of the English-language VISs, and IAC develops Spanish RTF files of VISs for each routinely recommended vaccine. Back to top


OFFICIAL RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
AAP issues new recommendations for pneumococcal vaccination of at-risk children
 
On November 24, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a new policy statement online titled Immunization for Streptococcus pneumoniae Infections in High-Risk Children. The abstract is reprinted below.

Routine use of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV7 and PCV13), beginning in 2000, has resulted in a dramatic reduction in the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) attributable to serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae contained in the vaccines. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend the expanded use of PCV13 in children 6 through 18 years of age with certain conditions that place them at elevated risk of IPD. This statement provides recommendations for the use of PCV13 in children 6 through 18 years. A single dose of PCV13 should be administered to certain children in this age group who are at elevated risk of IPD. Recommendations for the use of PCV13 in healthy children and for pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) remain unchanged.

Access a related AAP press release: AAP Makes Recommendations for Pneumococcal Vaccines in At-Risk Children

Related Links
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FEATURED RESOURCES
Influenza is serious; many resources are available to aid healthcare professionals in vaccinating

Vaccination remains the single most effective means of preventing influenza, and is recommended for everyone age six months and older. 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: Back to top


EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Medscape offers special report on recent ACIP recommendations related to adult vaccination

Medscape recently released Special Report: Adult Vaccines—New ACIP Recommendations. This collection of presentations about adult vaccination by various experts includes:
  • Pneumococcal Vaccination: Applying the ACIP Algorithms
  • Pneumococcal Vaccine in Older Adults: New ACIP Recommendations
  • Flu Vaccine 2014: The New ACIP Recommendations
  • High-Dose Flu Vaccine in Older Adults: Worth It?
  • Serogroup B Meningococcal Vaccine: Who Should Get It?
  • First Serogroup B Meningococcal Vaccine Approved by FDA
  • Update on Recommendations for Use of Herpes Zoster Vaccine
  • Hot Topics in Adult Immunization, 2014
There is no charge to use Medscape, but you must be registered to access these presentations. Once you log in, search for "Special Report: Adult Vaccines—New ACIP Recommendations." You can also search under the topic "Immunization" for a broader selection of resources.

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ASK THE EXPERTS
Question of the Week

I was told that it is not recommended to give vaccines using the Z-track method. Is this correct?  

Answer: The Z-track method is not contraindicated for IM vaccinations, but is not deemed necessary for vaccine administration. The Z-track technique is most beneficial for administering irritating medications, such as iron preparations. 

About IAC's Question of the Week

Each week, IAC Express highlights a new, topical, or important-to-reiterate Q&A. This feature is a cooperative venture between IAC and CDC. William L. Atkinson, MD, MPH, IAC's associate director for immunization education, chooses a new Q&A to feature every week from a set of Q&As prepared by experts at CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

We hope you enjoy this new feature and find it helpful when dealing with difficult real-life scenarios in your vaccination practice. Please encourage your healthcare professional colleagues to sign up to receive IAC Express at www.immunize.org/subscribe.

If you have a question for the CDC immunization experts, you can email them directly at nipinfo@cdc.gov. There is no charge for this service.

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About IZ Express

IZ Express is supported in part by Grant No. NH23IP922654 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

Editorial Information

  • Editor-in-Chief
    Kelly L. Moore, MD, MPH
  • Managing Editor
    John D. Grabenstein, RPh, PhD
  • Associate Editor
    Sharon G. Humiston, MD, MPH
  • Writer/Publication Coordinator
    Taryn Chapman, MS
    Courtnay Londo, MA
  • Style and Copy Editor
    Marian Deegan, JD
  • Web Edition Managers
    Arkady Shakhnovich
    Jermaine Royes
  • Contributing Writer
    Laurel H. Wood, MPA
  • Technical Reviewer
    Kayla Ohlde

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