Five healthcare organizations join IAC's Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll for mandatory healthcare worker vaccination
More than 600 organizations are now enrolled in IAC's Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll. The honor roll recognizes hospitals, medical practices, professional organizations, health departments, and government entities that have taken a stand for patient safety by implementing mandatory influenza vaccination policies for healthcare personnel.
Since November 9, when IAC Express last reported on the Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll, five additional healthcare organizations have been enrolled.
IAC urges qualifying healthcare organizations to apply.
Newly added healthcare organizations, hospitals, government agencies, and medical practices
- DuPage County Health Department, Wheaton, IL
- Mason General Hospital, Shelton, WA
- Tohono O'odham Health Care, Sells, AZ
- Valley Regional Hospital, Claremont, NH
- Vibra Hospital, Richmond, VA
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CDC reports about influenza activity in the United States from October 2 to December 17, 2016
CDC published
Update: Influenza Activity—United States, October 2–December 17, 2016 in the December 30 issue of MMWR
(pages 1439–44). A summary made available to the press is reprinted below.
Influenza activity remained low in October but has been slowly increasing
since November in the United States, with influenza A (H3N2) viruses most
frequently identified. Almost all of the influenza viruses collected so far
are antigenically or genetically similar to the reference viruses representing
2016–17 season influenza vaccines. Annual influenza vaccination is the most
effective method of preventing influenza and its complications. Since the peak
month for influenza activity commonly ranges from December to March, and
influenza activity is increasing, receiving influenza vaccine at this time
still offers substantial public health benefit. Influenza antiviral treatment,
an adjunct to vaccination, can lessen duration and severity of illness.
Antiviral drugs work best when started within two days of illness.
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CDC reports on future of Zika virus
CDC published
Zika Virus—10 Public Health Achievements in 2016 and Future Priorities in the December 30 issue of MMWR. An excerpt is reprinted below.
Zika virus remains a serious threat to world health that is likely to continue until a safe and effective vaccine becomes available and is widely implemented. Threats from mosquito-borne infection are likely to continue until better vector control interventions are developed. The severe consequences of Zika virus infection require a long-term approach with dedicated resources. Important future priorities include continuing to protect pregnant women and fetuses and infants from Zika virus infection; developing improved diagnostics, including the ability to distinguish among flaviviruses serologically; collaborating among government and private partners to accelerate vaccine development; developing and implementing improved vector surveillance and control strategies and capacities; improving contraceptive access to reduce unintended pregnancies; and improving understanding of the long-term outcomes for infants exposed to Zika virus in utero. Much remains to be done to protect pregnant women and fetuses and infants from Zika virus infection; the rapid action, dedication, and collaboration demonstrated by the global public health community during the past year provide a solid foundation for future work.
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Voices for Vaccines launches podcasts for people interested in promoting vaccination and preventing disease
Voices for Vaccines (VFV) recently announced the release of its podcast series, Vax Talk. Vax Talk is the podcast for people who want to do something about outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. The podcast will discuss the latest news about vaccines and the impact they have on communities, families, and friendships. A promo episode is available now and the first podcast episode concerning HPV vaccines will be coming in January. The promo podcast is available on:
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IAC HANDOUTS
IAC posts 9 translations of "Screening Checklist for Contraindications to Vaccines for Children and Teens"
IAC recently posted the following 9 translations of its handout Screening Checklist for Contraindications to Vaccines for Children and Teens.
The English-language version is available here.
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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IAC posts 9 translations of "Screening Checklist for Contraindications to Vaccines for Adults"
IAC recently posted the following 9 translations of its handout Screening Checklist for Contraindications to Vaccines for Adults.
The English-language version is available here.
Access all of IAC's screening questionnaires
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IAC posts Spanish translation of "Screening Checklist for Contraindications to HPV, MenACWY, MenB, and Tdap Vaccines for Teens"
IAC recently posted a Spanish translation of Screening Checklist for Contraindications to HPV, MenACWY, MenB, and Tdap Vaccines for Teens.
The English-language version was updated March 2016.
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IAC posts updated presentation for healthcare professionals: "Quick Answers to
Tough Questions”
IAC recently posted a revised edition of its PowerPoint slide presentation for healthcare professionals titled Quick Answers to Tough Questions: Vaccine Talking Points for Healthcare Professionals. This slide set provides an outline of answers to questions about vaccine effectiveness and safety, and includes further reading suggestions for providers and helpful handouts for patients. You can download the slide set as a 6-page handout of 52 slides or request the slide set for your own use.
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VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENTS
IAC posts 8 translations of updated HPV VIS
IAC recently posted the following 8 translations of the updated HPV VIS, released 12/2/2016.
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IAC posts Marshallese translation of MMR VIS
IAC recently posted a Marshallese translation of the VIS for MMR vaccine. IAC thanks the Hawaii Department of Public Health for the translation.
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WORLD NEWS
Ebola vaccine trial results confirm protection
On December 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a news release titled Final trial results confirm Ebola vaccine provides high protection against disease. An excerpt is reprinted below.
An experimental Ebola vaccine was highly protective against the deadly virus in a major trial in Guinea, according to results published today in The Lancet. The vaccine is the first to prevent infection from one of the most lethal known pathogens, and the findings add weight to early trial results published last year.
The vaccine, called rVSV-ZEBOV, was studied in a trial involving 11,841 people in Guinea during 2015. Among the 5,837 people who received the vaccine, no Ebola cases were recorded 10 days or more after vaccination. In comparison, there were 23 cases 10 days or more after vaccination among those who did not receive the vaccine.
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Influenza is spreading and serious; please keep vaccinating your patients
Influenza vaccination is recommended for everyone six months of age 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:
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ASK THE EXPERTS
Question of the Week
We have had three employees who have tested positive for influenza by nasal swab within 2 weeks of receiving Fluarix Quadrivalent vaccine. Is there a time period after receiving influenza vaccine that a nasal swab can give a false positive result?
Inactivated influenza vaccines, including Fluarix, are not known to cause false positive nasal swab tests. However, false positive test results are possible with rapid tests, and these are more likely to occur when influenza prevalence in the area is low. For more information regarding interpretation of rapid influenza tests see www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/diagnosis/rapidlab.htm.
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 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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