IAC's Ask the Experts Human Papillomavirus (HPV) web section newly updated
IAC and CDC experts recently updated the Ask the Experts web section relating to human papillomavirus (HPV). Questions and answers were reviewed to align with the most current ACIP recommendations.
Related Links
Back to top
CDC reports on a case of human rabies in Puerto Rico
CDC published Human
Rabies—Puerto Rico, 2015 in the January 5 issue of MMWR (pages
1474–76). A media summary of the MMWR article is reprinted below.
The first human rabies death related to a mongoose bite has been reported in
Puerto Rico. It is only the third documented human rabies death on the island
in the past 100 years. This is also the first reported case of human rabies
linked to a mongoose bite in North America. Mongooses are the primary vector
of rabies in Puerto Rico. In fact, 40 percent of the mongoose population in
Puerto Rico has evidence of exposure to rabies virus. Rabies is preventable if
adequate treatment is administered following exposure. However, limited
awareness of rabies prevention by the general public likely contributed to the
patient’s death and exposure of community members, who later required
post-exposure prophylaxis. Health care workers initially didn’t consider
rabies as a diagnosis, which led to unnecessary exposures of health care
workers which could have been prevented through use of standard precautions
such as gloves. This case also highlights the need for environmental control
solutions to reduce mongoose rabies in Puerto Rico.
Related Links
Back to top
Documentary film on Dr. Maurice Hilleman, inventor of many vaccines, including MMR, now available
The documentary film Hilleman—A Perilous Quest to Save the World's
Children is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray. An excerpt from The Vaccine Makers Project is reprinted below.
This documentary tells the inspiring story of Dr. Maurice R. Hilleman, a man with a singular, unwavering focus: to eliminate the diseases of children. From his poverty-stricken youth on the plains of Montana, he came to prevent pandemic flu, develop the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, and invent the first-ever vaccine against human cancer. Now through exclusive interviews with Dr. Hilleman and his peers, rare archival footage, and 3-D animation, this film puts a human face to vaccine science, revealing the character that drove this bold, complex, and heroic man.
The film trailer can be viewed at www.HillemanFilm.com.
The complete documentary can be ordered on DVD or Blu-Ray from the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Single copies are $12 each plus shipping. Quantity discounts are available. Access the print order form with all pricing options for purchasing this inspiring documentary.
You'll also find information about
all purchase options—online, email, phone, fax, and U.S. Mail—for the DVD, as
well as other VEC educational materials, on their website.
Both the DVD and Blu-Ray formats include an educational bonus feature: 9 computer animations that describe vaccines and the immune system.
Back to top
IAC HANDOUTS
IAC posts screening questionnaire for IIV in Spanish
IAC recently posted an updated Spanish translation of its handout Screening Checklist for Contraindications to Inactivated Injectable Influenza Vaccination.
The English-language version is available here.
Access all of IAC's screening checklists.
Back to top
VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENTS
IAC posts Punjabi translation of the influenza VIS
IAC recently posted a Punjabi translation of the VIS for influenza vaccine. IAC thanks Stacy Satvinder de Peralta and Gurinder Singh Grewal for the translation.
Related Links
Back to top
WORLD NEWS
CDC and WHO report on detection of Sabin-like type 2 poliovirus from sewage in Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, India
CDC published Notes from the Field:
Detection of Sabin-Like Type 2 Poliovirus from Sewage After Global Cessation
of Trivalent Oral Poliovirus Vaccine—Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, India,
August–September 2016 in the January 6 issue of MMWR (pages
1493–94). The World Health Organization (WHO) published a similar article
titled Detection
of Sabin-like type 2 poliovirus after global cessation of trivalent oral
poliovirus vaccine in Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, India, August–September 2016 in the January 6 issue of its Weekly Epidemiological Record. An excerpt from the MMWR article is reprinted below.
During September 2–October 4, 2016, four sewage samples collected during
August 3–September 19 (Hyderabad, Telangana State, India) and one sewage
sample collected on August 30 (Ahmedabad, Gujarat State, India) tested
positive for Sabin-like type 2 polioviruses. These polioviruses were detected
approximately 4 months after April 25, 2016, when India officially ceased use
of trivalent oral poliovirus vaccine (tOPV), containing Sabin attenuated types
1, 2, and 3 polioviruses, and switched to bivalent OPV (bOPV), containing
Sabin attenuated types 1 and 3 polioviruses.
Related Links
Back to top
WHO reports on status of new vaccine introduction worldwide
The World Health Organization (WHO) published Status
of new vaccine introduction – worldwide, September 2016 in the January 6 issue of the Weekly Epidemiological Record. A section of the report is reprinted below.
Historically, new vaccines became available in low- and middle-income countries only decades after their introduction in high-income countries. Today, however, vaccines are being introduced more rapidly thanks to support from global partners, including WHO and UNICEF, who assist in prequalifying and procuring vaccines, and the GAVI Alliance (GAVI), which provides funding and influences vaccine markets through forecasting and assurances of demand in low-income countries in exchange for lower vaccine prices.
This report uses data from 194 countries on vaccine introduction obtained from the WHO immunization data website; the status of new vaccine introduction is also presented by 73 countries that have been eligible for GAVI support at any time since 2000.
Back to top
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:
Back to top
JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS
December issue of CDC's Immunization Works newsletter now available
CDC recently released the December issue of its monthly newsletter Immunization Works and posted it on the website of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). The newsletter offers the immunization community information about current topics. The information is in the public domain and can be reproduced and circulated widely.
Related Links
Back to top
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
CDC to host #PreteenVaxScene webinar titled “HPV Vaccination Partner Toolkit”
on January 12
Join CDC on January 12 at 3:00 p.m. (ET) for the next #PreteenVaxScene
webinar, “HPV Vaccination Partner Toolkit.” Jill Roark of the Adolescent
Immunization Communications team will be walking through the toolkit, highlighting the resources and information available for HPV cancer prevention partners and programs.
Registration (required) is open now.
Related Link
Back to top
ASK THE EXPERTS
Question of the Week
When I was 5 years old, I had Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) unrelated to vaccination. I am now 35 with no residual effects of the GBS. I am a nurse and my facility requires employees to receive influenza vaccine. Is it safe for me to be vaccinated?
Yes. A history of GBS unrelated to influenza vaccine is not a contraindication or precaution to influenza vaccination. GBS within 6 weeks following a previous dose of influenza vaccine is considered a precaution for use of influenza vaccines.
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.
Related Links
Back to top
