Ask the Experts—Question of the Week: Multiple children were
vaccinated with DTaP vaccine in the last month…read more
TOP STORIES
IAC HANDOUTS
VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENTS
OFFICIAL RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
FEATURED RESOURCES
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
TOP STORIES
Leading professional societies, CDC, and IAC unite to release national call-to-action emphasizing the importance of second dose of MCV4 vaccine
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College Health Association (ACHA), Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) have issued a joint
“Dear Colleague” letter, urging health care professionals to strongly recommend and administer the second (booster) dose of meningococcal ACWY vaccine (MenACWY or MCV4) at age 16.
According to CDC, the meningococcal meningitis booster vaccination rate is an estimated 28.5% for eligible teens, compared to 79.3% for the primary dose. Despite CDC recommendations for a booster dose at age 16, after an initial vaccination at age 11 or 12, fewer than 30% of 17-year-olds have received the second vaccination needed to enhance protection against meningococcal meningitis caused by serogroups A, C, W, and Y.
The “Dear Colleague” letter supports a national call-to-action for health care
professionals to improve this alarming statistic.
CDC strongly recommends a booster dose at age 16 because protection wanes in
most teens within five years after the primary vaccination. By vaccinating
fewer than 1 in 3 eligible teens, we are leaving millions of young adults
without the protection they need against potentially deadly and crippling
meningococcal disease. Meningococcal meningitis has a 10–15% fatality rate and
cases have occurred in which an otherwise healthy young person contracts the
illness, becomes severely sick, and dies in as few as 24 hours after the first
symptoms appear.
The “Dear Colleague” letter includes a statement from Anne Schuchat, MD,
principal deputy director of CDC, who notes, “A clinician’s endorsement of
immunization has long been recognized as a key factor in improving
immunization rates.”
To help health care professionals in their efforts to recommend meningococcal meningitis vaccine and improve immunization rates, IAC has developed several resources that are available on its website at www.immunize.org/meningococcal. In addition, health care professionals can visit www.Give2MCV4.org to download free educational materials and tools, including fact sheets, talking points, an overview of adolescent immunization recommendations, Q&As, and other useful resources.
The joint “Dear Colleague” letter serves as a rallying cry for all health care
providers to assure your adolescent patients are adequately protected.
Remember—You’re not done if you give just one! Give 2 doses to strengthen
protection.
Related Links
“Dear Colleague” letter
Meningococcal resources from Give2MCV4 project
Meningococcal Resources from IAC
Meningococcal Resources from CDC
Back to top
New! November issue of Vaccinate Adults available online
The November 2015 issue of Vaccinate Adults is now available online. Vaccinate Adults is an abbreviated version of Needle Tips with the pediatric content removed.
The focus of this issue is meningococcal vaccine recommendations for MenB and MenACWY, including many new related "Ask the Experts" Q&As from CDC medical officer Andrew T. Kroger, MD, MPH, and nurse educator Donna L. Weaver, RN, MN. An updated version of IAC's 5-page "Summary of Recommendations for Adult Immunization" is also included, along with several additional items.
Click on the image below to download the entire November 2015 issue of Vaccinate Adults (PDF).
Related Links
Back to top
Reminder! November issue of Needle Tips available online
The November 2015 issue of Needle Tips is available online. The focus of this issue is meningococcal vaccine recommendations for MenB and MenACWY.
Click on the image below to download the entire November issue of (PDF) Needle Tips.
Related Links
If you would like to receive immediate email notification whenever new issues of Needle Tips or Vaccinate Adults are released, visit IAC's subscribe page to sign up.
Back to top
Reminder! Register today for IAC’s "Take a Stand™” workshops; next up:
Nashville, TN (Nov. 18) and Little Rock, AR (Nov. 19)
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC), with support from Pfizer, has launched Take
a Stand™, a new national effort designed to improve adult immunization rates by increasing the use of standing orders in medical practices.*
At the core of this project are free workshops led by national experts, including L.J Tan, MS, PhD, William Atkinson, MD, MPH, and Deborah Wexler, MD, from IAC, and Alexandra Stewart, JD, from George Washington University. These workshops will be presented in 22 cities across the United States beginning in October 2015 and continuing through June 2016.
Seating is limited for the next two fast-approaching workshops:
If you are a medical staff member in a medical practice serving adults near Nashville or Little Rock, register today for this free educational workshop. Physicians, practice managers, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and nurses in medical offices that serve adults are encouraged to attend.
Wondering if these workshops are coming to a city near you? You can find details about the workshop locations and schedule, a preliminary agenda, and online registration information on the Take a Stand website.
About the Workshops
Adult vaccine-preventable diseases contribute to significant morbidity, mortality, and cost in the United States, but adult immunization rates remain low. Strong evidence supports the use of standing orders programs to improve these rates, and their use is recommended by numerous agencies and provider associations. However, adoption of this important intervention may be inhibited by poor understanding of the benefits of standing orders programs or the misperception that they are difficult to implement. The workshops are designed to help physicians and their practice staff easily obtain the information and training they need to overcome these perceived barriers. An additional unique feature of the training is the availability of one year of direct support for workshop attendees as they install or enhance a standing orders program in their practices.
Please “take a stand” with us and spread the
word about this unique opportunity for medical clinics to improve their adult
immunization rates while empowering staff and streamlining facility
operations.
* Standing orders are written protocols approved by a physician or other authorized practitioner that allow qualified health care professionals (who are eligible to do so under state law, such as registered nurses or pharmacists) to assess the need for vaccination and to vaccinate patients meeting certain criteria.
Workshop Information
Related Links
Back to top
Vaccine Education Center plans Current Issues in Vaccines webinar on November 18
The Vaccine Education Center (VEC) at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, together with the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, will present a one-hour webinar, beginning at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on November 18. Part of its Current Issues in Vaccines series, the webinar will feature Paul Offit, MD, director of VEC. Dr. Offit's topic for this webinar will be: "Influenza Vaccines: Making Sense of All the Choices."
Free continuing education credits (CME, CEU, and CPE) will be available for both the live and archived events.
Registration (required) is open now.
Related Link
Back to top
IAC Spotlight! "Unprotected People Reports" provide compelling real-life accounts of people who have suffered or died from vaccine-preventable diseases
IAC's Unprotected People Reports web section features 109 real-life accounts of people who have suffered or died from vaccine-preventable diseases: compelling personal testimonies, remembrances, case reports, and newspaper articles. The reports can be sorted by topic or number, and are available in HTML and PDF formats. Feel free to reprint (with appropriate credit) or otherwise share these articles to highlight the seriousness of vaccine-preventable diseases and the life-saving potential of vaccines.
Back to top
Join the Voices for Vaccines' November 19 call on a study about the types of non-vaccinators
A recent study in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences asserts that it's important to understand why parents do not vaccinate before attempting to craft policies to increase immunization uptake. The article outlines four main reasons parents do not vaccinate their children.
Join one of the study authors, Gretchen Chapman, PhD, on Voices for Vaccines' next conference call for an enlightening discussion about using behavioral insights to craft vaccination policy. The call is scheduled for November 19, at 12:00 p.m. (ET). Dr. Chapman is a professor of psychology at Rutgers University and currently serves as acting co-director of the Rutgers University Center for Cognitive Science.
To register for this call, you must email info@voicesforvaccines.org.
Voices for Vaccines is a national organization of parents and others who are dedicated to raising the level of the voices of immunization supporters. VFV invites everyone who appreciates vaccines to become a member of their organization. Please spread the word to your friends and colleagues to register for the conference call and to join VFV!
Related Links
Back to top
CDC launches #VaxWithMe selfie photo campaign to promote influenza vaccination
CDC has launched the #VaxWithMe selfie campaign as an innovative way to capture and share influenza vaccination promotion across various digital platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube). This campaign encourages individuals to share photos and videos of themselves during or after getting vaccinated against influenza, using the hashtag #VaxWithMe.
View an interactive display of selfies posted for the campaign.
Back to top
IAC HANDOUTS
IAC posts its updated Batman and Robin coloring page
IAC has posted its updated original Batman and Robin themed coloring page, featuring artwork that appeared as the Immunization Action Coalition's logo 20 years ago. If you have young patients in your medical setting, we encourage you to print copies for them to color while waiting for their visit.
For another trip down memory lane, take a look back at IAC's website in 1996, compliments of the Wayback Machine archive.
IAC's Handouts for Patients & Staff web section offers health care 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
VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENTS
Bengali, Hindi, Polish, Urdu, and Yiddish translations of the 2015–16
influenza VISs are now available
IAC recently posted Bengali, Hindi, Polish, Urdu, and Yiddish translations of
the Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) for use with the 2015–16 inactivated
influenza vaccine (IIV), as well as the VIS for use with the 2015–16 live,
intranasal influenza vaccine (LAIV) on its website. IAC thanks the New York
City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene for these translations.
Related Links
Back to top
IAC posts Portuguese translations of the VISs for influenza and meningococcal serogroup B vaccines
IAC recently posted Portuguese translations of
the 2015–16 inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV), the 2015–16 live, intranasal
influenza vaccine (LAIV), and the serogroup B meningococcal vaccine VISs. IAC
thanks the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for the translations.
Related Links
Back to top
IAC posts Indonesian translations of the inactivated influenza vaccine and Tdap VISs
IAC recently posted Indonesian translations of the VISs for inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) and Tdap. IAC thanks Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, Dover, NH, for these translations.
Related Links
Back to top
OFFICIAL RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
November 12 is World Pneumonia Day; CDC releases related announcement
The 7th annual World Pneumonia Day will be held on November 12. CDC published Announcement:
World Pneumonia Day—November 12, 2015 in the November 6 issue of MMWR (page 1227). The first paragraph is reprinted below.
November 12, 2015, is the seventh annual World Pneumonia Day, observed to raise awareness and promote interventions to protect against, treat, and prevent pneumonia, which continues to be a global public health concern. Each year approximately 900,000 children aged <5 years die from pneumonia worldwide; 70% of childhood pneumonia hospitalizations in the United States are in this age group. Pneumonia is also a leading infectious cause of hospitalization and death among U.S. adults, resulting in >$10 billion in hospital expenses in 2011. Preventing future pneumonia-related deaths and illnesses among children and adults globally depends on vaccination against some of the pathogens that cause pneumonia; reductions in medical conditions and behaviors, such as smoking, that increase the risk for pneumonia; improved diagnostic tests; and appropriate antimicrobial therapy and supportive care.
Related Links
Back to top
Influenza is serious; many resources are available to help health care 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 health care professionals and the public:
Back to top
IAC makes available The Vaccine Handbook: A Practical Guide for Clinicians, a.k.a. "The Purple Book," by Dr. Gary Marshall
The Vaccine Handbook: A Practical Guide for Clinicians (“The
Purple Book,” 2015, 560 pages) is a uniquely comprehensive source of
practical, up-to-date information for vaccine providers and educators. Its
author, Gary S. Marshall, MD, has drawn together the latest vaccine science
and guidance into a concise, user-friendly, practical resource for the private
office, public health clinic, academic medical center, and hospital.
IAC Executive Director Deborah Wexler, MD, is
enthusiastic about helping get this book circulated as widely as possible.
“During more than 20 years in the field of immunization education, I have not
seen a book that is so brimming with state-of-the-science vaccine
information,” she states. "This book belongs in the hands of every medical
student, physician-in-training, doctor, nursing student, and nurse who
provides vaccines to patients.”
The Vaccine Handbook provides:
- Information on every licensed vaccine in the United States
- Rationale behind authoritative vaccine recommendations
- Contingencies encountered in everyday practice
- A chapter dedicated to addressing vaccine concerns
- Background on how vaccine policy is made
- Standards and regulations
- Office logistics, including billing procedures, and much more
About the Author
Gary Marshall, MD, is professor of pediatrics at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky, where he serves as chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases and director of the Pediatric Clinical Trials Unit. In addition to being a busy clinician, he is nationally known for his work in the areas of vaccine research, advocacy, and education.
The newly released fifth edition of this
invaluable guide is now available on IAC’s website at www.immunize.org/vaccine-handbook.
The price of the handbook is $29.95 each, plus shipping charges. Discount pricing is available for more than 10 copies. Order copies for your staff or for distribution at an upcoming conference.
Quantity Discount Pricing
- 1–10 books: no discount + shipping
- 11–50 books: 5% + shipping
- 51–100 books: 10% + shipping
- 101–500 books: 15% + shipping
- 501–1000 books: 20% + shipping
For quotes on larger quantities, email admininfo@immunize.org.
Order your copy today!
Back to top
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Listen to any of the archived sessions of CDC's webinar series on "The Pink Book" chapter topics; opportunity to earn continuing education credit ends 30 days after posting
CDC has just completed a 15-part webinar series that provided a chapter-by-chapter overview of the 13th edition of
Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (also known as "The Pink Book").
Read more about the series.
All 15 sessions are now archived and can be viewed online; a transcript of each broadcast is also available.
Continuing education credit is available for 30 days after each session was posted. If you are interested in obtaining credit, plan to view the last session before the date listed.
Download Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Order Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Email CDC with comments, questions, or suggestions about the contents of this book.
Back to top
CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
June 2015 ACIP meeting minutes are now available; ACIP will meet next on
February 24–25
ACIP recently posted the minutes from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
meeting held on June 24–25. Presentation slides and archived video broadcast footage from the meeting were made available earlier.
ACIP will hold its next meeting on February 24–25 in Atlanta. To attend the
meeting, ACIP attendees (participants and visitors) must register online. The
registration deadline for non-U.S. citizens is February 3; for U.S. citizens,
it's February 10. Registration is not required to watch the live webcast of
the meeting.
Related Link
Back to top
ASK THE EXPERTS
Question of the Week
Multiple children were vaccinated with DTaP vaccine in the last month. We discovered after the fact that the vaccine was exposed to freezing temperatures on two occasions before the vaccines were administered. Should these children be revaccinated, and does revaccination depend on the dose number?
You need to repeat all the doses that were exposed to freezing temperatures regardless of dose number. There is no need for an interval with inactivated vaccines. Repeat the doses as soon as possible.
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 health care 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.
Related Links
Back to top
