Issue 1400: December 12, 2018
TOP STORIES
WORLD NEWS
FEATURED RESOURCES
JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS
TOP STORIES
Inaugural IAC Becky Payne Award presented to Vaccinate Your Family
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) has presented its inaugural IAC Becky Payne Award to the national immunization nonprofit Vaccinate Your Family (VYF).
Founded as Every Child By Two (ECBT) in 1991 by Former First Lady Rosalyn Carter and Former First Lady of Arkansas Betty Bumpers, the organization has grown into one of the nation’s leading vaccine advocacy organizations. In recent years, ECBT has expanded its mission to promote timely immunization for people of all ages, not limited to children only. As a result, the organization has changed its name to Vaccinate Your Family: The Next Generation of Every Child By Two (VYF).
VYF works tirelessly to protect families and individuals from vaccine-preventable diseases. It is particularly effective at using social media to raise awareness of the critical need for timely immunization, increasing the public’s understanding of the benefits of vaccines, and increasing confidence in the safety of vaccines. VYFs Facebook page has nearly 200,000 followers and its popular Shot of Prevention blog reaches approximately 70,000 monthly visitors. Overall, the organization reaches nearly 11 million people annually with social media messages.
“In addition to its extraordinary work in educating the public, VYF is also a leader in guiding national vaccine policy. It is VYF’s strong policy voice that we especially want to recognize with this Award,” said Dr. Deborah Wexler, IAC executive director.
Headquartered in Washington DC, VYF educates legislators on current issues surrounding vaccine safety. It also plays a central role in coordinating the efforts of federal, state, and local vaccination advocates working on the shared goal of raising immunization rates across the age span.
“All of us at Vaccinate Your Family are honored by this selection as the first recipient of the IAC Becky Payne Award. Our board of directors, including co-founder and president Rosalynn Carter, were deeply moved as our relationship with IAC goes back 20 years and we hold them in the highest regard. We look forward to continuing to work closely on increasing vaccine uptake nationally,” said Amy Pisani, VYF executive director.
The Award carries a substantial unrestricted financial contribution to support VYF’s ongoing programs.
About the IAC Becky Payne Award
Becky Payne was the first full-time staff member at IAC in 1994 when it received a grant that enabled opening an office and distributing immunization education materials nationally. It is doubtful that without Becky, IAC would be the organization it is today. In 2011, Becky died unexpectedly following surgery. Her competence, professionalism, sense of humor, grace, and tireless dedication to supporting IAC operations, from the time it opened its doors and through the years and days right before her untimely death, were critical to every aspect of IAC’s immunization education and advocacy.
The IAC Becky Payne Award honors Becky’s commitment and service to immunization by providing recognition and financial support to immunization advocates who display initiative and innovation in promoting vaccination. IAC’s goal for granting this award is twofold. We believe it is important for the entire immunization community to be aware of leading organizations and individuals that have and continue to do so much heavy lifting as part of all our efforts directed at raising immunization rates. By highlighting some of these stellar performers, we can spread and deepen the understanding of their critical work. In addition, we seek to provide a meaningful financial boost to the Awardee’s ability to further serve the goals of protecting lives with vaccines. More information about the award is available online at www.immunize.org/becky-payne.
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CDC director releases statement on the life of Betty Bumpers
On December 1, Robert R. Redfield, MD, director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released statement titled CDC Director’s Statement on Life of Betty Bumpers. The complete statement is reprinted below.
CDC today celebrates the life of one of the greatest heroes of public health America has ever known—Betty Bumpers.
As First Lady of Arkansas, Mrs. Bumpers was shocked to learn that her state had one of the lowest childhood immunization rates in the Nation. Her “Every Child by '74” immunization campaign brought together partners from government, academia, and the private sector. Her state soon had one of the highest immunization rates in the United States.
The program was so successful that CDC used it as the model for a national immunization campaign.
During the Carter presidency, Mrs. Bumpers informed the President that only 17 states required immunization for school entry. Working with First Lady Rosalynn Carter, Mrs. Bumpers tirelessly campaigned in all states in one of the most successful public health campaigns in American history.
Eventually all states adopted this requirement. Because of Mrs. Bumpers’ efforts, more than 95 percent of American children today are protected against what once were the most dreaded childhood diseases.
We at CDC mourn the passing of this great American. Her accomplishments will continue to be an inspiration to everyone working in public health.
Access Dr. Redfield's statement online: CDC Director’s Statement on Life of Betty Bumpers.
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Three lots of infant ibuprofen recalled due to potentially high concentrations of the drug
On December 6, AAP News published an article titled Infant ibuprofen recalled. The text is reprinted here in full.
Reprinted with permission of AAP News, Dec. 6.
Three lots of infant ibuprofen have been recalled due to potentially high concentrations of the drug.
Tris Pharma Inc. has recalled Ibuprofen Concentrated Oral Suspension, USP (NSAID) 50 milligrams per 1.25 milliliters. The medication was sold in 0.5 ounce bottles under the Equate, CVS Health and Family Wellness brands at Walmart, CVS and Family Dollar stores, respectively. Additional details on lot numbers and expiration dates are available at https://prn.to/2rmfqTn.
No adverse events have been reported to Tris Pharma Inc., but the higher potency could cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tinnitus, headache and gastrointestinal bleeding, according to the company. Infants may be more vulnerable to permanent kidney damage.
Customers with questions can contact Tris at 732-940-0358 or micc_tris@vigilarebp.com. Adverse reactions also can be reported to the Food and Drug Administration’s Medwatch Adverse Event Reporting Program at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm.
The Academy recommends that children under 6 months avoid using ibuprofen unless directed by their doctor.
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Rescheduled to take place today! CDC webinar about how to make an influenza vaccination recommendation that matters to patients to be held this afternoon, December 12
The CDC-sponsored webinar titled "#HowIRecommend Flu Vaccine: How to Make Recommendations that Matter to Patients."webinar was postponed in observance of a national day of mourning for President George H. W. Bush. The new date is today, December 12, at 2:00 p.m. (ET). Please remember to register again. This webinar will assist healthcare professionals with making recommendations and addressing important questions from patients.
Registration information
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IAC Spotlight! IAC's Clinic Tools: Administering Vaccines web page is the "go-to" place for accessing a wide variety of useful resources
IAC's Clinic Tools: Administering Vaccines web page on immunize.org is the "go-to" place for resources on vaccine administration, making it easy to find a wide variety of educational materials, resources, and tools related to vaccine administration from IAC, CDC, and other IAC partner organizations. This web page can be found by selecting the "Clinic Tools" tab (third from the left) in the light blue banner across the top of every immunize.org web page and then selecting "Administering Vaccines" in the drop-down menu.
In the left-hand column of the page you will find IAC's educational materials related to vaccine administration. From here, you can access handouts and standing orders templates, as well as links to other related resources available on immunize.org.
The right-hand column of the page includes resources from CDC and other partner organizations. For example, the second resource listed under CDC, the Vaccination Administration Resource Library, brings readers directly to the web page with CDC's e-Learn 18 vaccine administration video clips. These video clips, ranging from around three to nine minutes in length, have been excerpted for quick access from the e-Learn course. In this column, additional vaccine administration educational resources can be accessed from other IAC partners as well, including the Alliance for Immunization in Michigan, California Department of Public Health's EZ-IZ website, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Visit the Clinic Tools: Administering Vaccines web page on immunize.org.
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American College of Physicians develops Adult Immunization Resource Hub as part of an initiative to raise adult immunization rates
The American College of Physicians (ACP) is offering a new online resource called the Adult Immunization Resource Hub. This resource was developed as part of ACP’s I Raise the Rates initiative to assist physicians and their teams to assess, understand, and improve adult immunization rates and patient outcomes in their clinical settings. I Raise the Rates is a collaborative, data-driven campaign to support patients, physicians, healthcare teams, systems, and communities in raising adult immunization rates and reducing vaccine-preventable diseases. The program seeks to assist internists and other primary care providers in both understanding the immunization rates of their patients and making practice changes that promote immunizations.
Access ACP's Adult Immunization Resource Hub.
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November's Technically Speaking column by IAC executive director Dr. Deborah Wexler describes CDC's collection of four-minute videos and web-based training programs related to vaccine administration
Technically Speaking is a monthly column written by IAC executive director Dr. Deborah Wexler for Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers, a monthly e-newsletter from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The column covers practical topics in immunization, such as vaccine administration, immunization scheduling, vaccine storage and handling, and vaccine recommendations.
November's column is titled CDC's Vaccine Administration Training Materials – A Great Collection of Four-minute Videos and Web-based Training Programs and is reprinted below.
CDC's Vaccine Administration Training Materials – A Great Collection of Four-minute Videos and Web-based Training Programs
Published November 2018
The Vaccine Administration Resource Library on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website provides you with an extensive collection of brief videos (approximately four minutes in length) on a wide variety of vaccine administration topics. In addition, the site offers two web-based courses to help you train staff about proper techniques for administering vaccines. Links to all the videos and both web-based training programs are listed below.
Videos
The videos are listed in the order of those most frequently viewed on CDC’s website (highest counts at the top). Start at the beginning and work your way down, or pick your topic(s) of choice! (The counts in parentheses following each title were total views as of November 2.)
- How to Identify Intramuscular (IM) Injection Sites – (40,476 views)
- How to Identify Subcutaneous (SC or Subcut) Injection Sites (4,155 views)
- How to Select Equipment Needed to Prepare an Intramuscular (IM) Injection (Children Birth through 18 Years of Age) (3,984 views)
- How to Administer a Subcutaneous (SC or Subcut) Injection (3,266 views)
- Supplies Needed to Prepare an Intramuscular (IM) Injection (Adults 19 Years of Age and Older) (2,711 views)
- How to Prepare Vaccine from a Multidose Vial (2,642 views)
- Recommendations for Comfort and Restraint Techniques for Children of Various Ages (2,070 views)
- How to Administer Live, Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV, FluMist) (2,004 views)
- How to Prepare Vaccine from a Single-Dose Vial (1,972 views)
- How to Reconstitute Lyophilized (Freeze-dried) Vaccine (1,746 views)
- How to Administer Rotarix® (RV1) Rotavirus Vaccine (1,356 views)
- How to Assemble a Manufacturer-Filled Syringe (1,005 views)
- How to Administer RotaTeq® (RV5) Rotavirus Vaccine (977 views)
- How to Accurately Document Vaccinations After Administration as Required by the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (922 views)
- How to Calculate a Vaccine’s Beyond Use Date (BUD) (840 views)
- How to Determine When a Vaccine or Diluent Expires (602 views)
- How to Select Supplies Needed to Prepare Subcutaneous (SC or Subcut) Injections (335 views)
Web-based training courses
- Vaccine Administration e-Learn—Just scroll down the page to Vaccine Administration and click on the link to access the self-paced course that provides comprehensive training using videos, job aids, and other resources.
- You Call the Shots—An interactive, web-based immunization training course that includes the latest guidelines and recommendations in vaccine practice.
Additional resources available on vaccine administration
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Immunization Action Coalition
California Department of Public Health Immunization Program
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IAC enrolls one new birthing institution into its Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll; six previously honored institutions qualify for additional years' honors
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) is pleased to announce that one new institution has been accepted into its Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll. The birthing institution is listed below with its reported hepatitis B birth dose coverage rates in parentheses.
- HealthPark Medical Center, Fort Myers, FL (95%)
The following institution is being recognized for a second year:
- William Newton Hospital, Winfield, KS (94%)
The following institution is being recognized for a third year:
- UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, MA (95%)
The following institution is being recognized for a fourth year:
- Harrison Memorial Hospital, Cynthiana, KY (99%)
In addition, the following institutions are being recognized for a fifth year:
- Highlands Regional Medical Center, Prestonsburg, KY (96%)
- Myrtue Medical Center, Harlan, IA (95%)
Finally, the following institution is being recognized for a sixth year:
- Laughlin Memorial Hospital, Greeneville, TN (97%)
The Honor Roll now includes 424 birthing institutions from 40 states, Puerto Rico, Guam, and an overseas U.S. military base. One hundred two institutions have qualified for two years, 45 institutions have qualified three times, 22 institutions have qualified four times, ten institutions have qualified five times, three institutions have qualified six times, and one institution has qualified seven times.
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 percent 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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WORLD NEWS
WHO reports on the October meeting of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization in Weekly Epidemiological Record
The December 7 edition of the WHO periodical Weekly Epidemiological Record reported on the October 2018 meeting of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization in an article titled Meeting of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, October 2018—Conclusions and recommendations.
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NFID releases new online toolkit developed to increase awareness about the dangers of influenza in adults with chronic health conditions
The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) has developed a new online toolkit to increase awareness of the dangers of influenza in U.S. adults with chronic health conditions and the importance of annual vaccination. Estimates indicate that 31% of U.S. adults age 50–64 and 47% of those age 65 and older have at least one chronic health condition that puts them at high risk for flu-related complications, including hospitalization, catastrophic disability, and even death.
These tools are all available at www.nfid.org/flu-chronic-health-conditions, including:
Access NFID's Flu and Chronic Health Conditions online toolkit.
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Influenza is spreading and serious; please keep vaccinating your patients
Influenza season is now under way. CDC stated in its Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report, FluView, that as of the week ending December 1, the geographic spread of influenza in one state was reported as widespread; nine states reported regional activity; 18 states reported local activity; and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 22 states reported sporadic activity.
No influenza-associated pediatric deaths were reported this week; five influenza-associated pediatric deaths have been reported for the 2018–2019 season. Last season, there was a record-setting number of pediatric deaths in the U.S. (172), so be sure to protect all your patients for whom vaccination is recommended.
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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Reminder: Check out CDC's "Keys to Storing and Handling Your Vaccine Supply” video
A reminder that earlier this year, CDC updated its web-on-demand vaccine storage and handling video, Keys to Storing and Handling Your Vaccine Supply—2018. This training video is designed to decrease vaccine storage and handling errors by demonstrating recommended best practices and addressing frequently asked questions. Continuing education credit is available until April 18, 2020.
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IAC's 142-page book, Vaccinating Adults: A Step-by-Step Guide, describes how to implement adult vaccination services in your healthcare setting and provides a review for staff who already vaccinate adults; IAC Guide available for free download
In late 2017, the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) announced the publication of its new book, Vaccinating Adults: A Step-by-Step Guide (Guide).
This completely updated guide on adult immunization (originally published in 2004) provides easy-to-use, practical information covering important “how-to” activities to help providers enhance their existing adult immunization services or introduce them into any clinical setting, including:
- setting up for vaccination services,
- storing and handling vaccines,
- deciding which people should receive which vaccines,
- administering vaccines,
- documenting vaccinations (including legal issues), and
- understanding financial considerations and billing information.
In addition, the Guide is filled with hundreds of web addresses and references to help providers stay up to date on the latest immunization information, both now and in the future.
The entire Guide is available to download/print free of charge at www.immunize.org/guide. The downloaded version is suitable for double-sided printing. Options are available online to download the entire book or selected chapters. The development of the Guide was supported by the National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Expert staff from both agencies also provided early technical review of the content.
The Guide is a uniquely valuable resource to assist providers in increasing adult immunization rates. Be sure to get a copy today!
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JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS
CDC publishes report on an avian influenza H7N8 outbreak in an Indiana turkey flock
CDC published Public Health Response to an Avian Influenza H7N8 Outbreak in Commercial Turkey Flocks—Indiana, 2016 in the December 7 issue of MMWR. A summary made available to the press is reprinted below.
Surveillance for influenza among responders to an outbreak of avian influenza in turkeys in Indiana in 2016 did not detect any human illnesses. Highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks are animal health emergencies that require aggressive control measures. If the virus causing an outbreak is capable of causing human illness, then there could be health risks for the responders. The Indiana State Department of Health and the Dubois County Health Department worked together to monitor the health of people who responded to an outbreak of avian influenza in commercial turkey flocks in 2016. No human cases of avian influenza were detected.
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