Issue Number
224 January
24, 2001
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- NNii issues an alert regarding inaccuracies in newly
published MMR article from the UK
- Hepatitis B immunization coverage extremely low among
Vietnamese-American children
- Test your immunization knowledge with updated quizzes on
IAC's website
- Deadline extended! Abstracts for the 2001 immunization
registry conference now due January 31
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(1)
January 24, 2001
NNii ISSUES AN ALERT REGARDING INACCURACIES IN NEWLY PUBLISHED MMR ARTICLE FROM THE UK
The National Network for Immunization Information (NNii) issued an alert in the January 24, 2001, issue of "Immunization
Newsbriefs," NNii's immunization e-mail news service. The complete text of the alert reads as
follows:
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An article was published this week in Adverse Drug Reactions and Toxicological Reviews (v. 19, #4, 2000) in which British
researchers claim that the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine was licensed before
adequate research on possible adverse events had been done. The methodology and
conclusions of the article have been reviewed by the British medical authorities, who found that the authors' conclusions
are not supported by the evidence they cite. The authors inaccurately present data from studies
cited, and also failed to conduct a thorough review of available literature,
selecting only studies that support their point of view and not mentioning studies that do not support that view. The
full response from the Medicines Control Agency and the Department of Health in Britain can be found at
http://www.doh.gov.uk/mmrresponse.htm. [Note: This subject
was covered in the January 22 issue of Immunization News, in the abstract of an article
from Reuters entitled "New U.K. Row Breaks Out Over MMR Safety Fears."
***************************
To subscribe to "Immunization Newsbriefs," or to read current and past issues, go to:
http://www.immunizationinfo.org/newsbriefs/index.cfm
For more information about NNii, visit: http://www.immunizationinfo.org
For additional information about vaccines and autism, visit the Immunization
Action Coalition (IAC) website at: http://www.immunize.org/genr.d/vaxsafe.htm#autism
or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Immunization Program website at:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/vacsafe/concerns/autism/
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(2)
January 24, 2001
HEPATITIS B IMMUNIZATION COVERAGE EXTREMELY LOW AMONG VIETNAMESE-AMERICAN CHILDREN
An article titled "Hepatitis B Immunization Coverage Among Vietnamese-American Children 3 to 18 Years Old," by
Christopher N.H. Jenkins, et al., was published in the December 2000 issue of PEDIATRICS.
The study surveyed the hepatitis B immunization rates of Vietnamese-American
children 3 to 18 years old living in the Houston, Dallas, and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas. Hepatitis B
immunization rates in these three settings ranged from only 10 to 38 percent for completing the
three dose series.
The authors concluded that without successful catch-up campaigns, the low rates of hepatitis B vaccine coverage
among Vietnamese-American children and adolescents could result in a generation of unprotected adults.
To read the text of this article online, go to:
http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/106/6/e78
IAC has the following resources that can be used to inform the Vietnamese population about hepatitis B
and the need for vaccination.
"All Kids Need Hepatitis B Shots!" an IAC brochure for parents, is available
online in both English and Vietnamese, as well as fifteen other languages.
For the English version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/4055kidb.htm
For the Vietnamese version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/4055vn.pdf
An IAC brochure on hepatitis B information for adults and
children from endemic areas, titled "If you, your parents, or your children were born in any
of these places..." is also available in both English and Vietnamese.
For the English version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4170.htm
For the Vietnamese version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4170vn.pdf
"Hepatitis B and Uncle Tam's Family" (Benh viem gan B va gia
dinh bac Tam), a top-notch video in Vietnamese language with English script, is available for
$10 from IAC. This 10-minute video, produced by Vietnamese Community Health Promotions
Project, offers a series of ten brief hepatitis B vignettes that are suitable for use as public service announcements or
as an educational video. Call (651) 647-9009 for more information, or visit http://www.immunize.org/catalog
to obtain IAC's order form for requesting materials. The video is item #V4030.
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(3)
January 24, 2001
TEST YOUR IMMUNIZATION KNOWLEDGE WITH UPDATED QUIZZES ON IAC'S WEBSITE
Want a quick opportunity to check your knowledge of current immunization recommendations or vaccine administration
techniques? Take these revised editions of IAC's popular quizzes, compiled from "Ask the Experts" questions
in NEEDLE TIPS, the American Academy of Pediatrics' 2000 RED BOOK, and ACIP statements.
For Quiz #1: Immunization, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p7001qz.htm
For Quiz #2: Vaccine Administration, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p7002qz.htm
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(4)
January 24, 2001
DEADLINE EXTENDED! ABSTRACTS FOR THE 2001 IMMUNIZATION REGISTRY CONFERENCE NOW DUE JANUARY 31
The deadline for submitting abstracts for the 2001 American Immunization Registry Association conference has been
extended by two weeks to January 31, 2001. Scheduled for July 9-11 in Little Rock, Ark., this conference will
help participants exchange information, share ideas on building support for
immunization registries, and more.
For detailed guidelines on submitting abstracts or registering for the conference, call (404) 639-8816 or go
to: www.cdc.gov/nip/registry/2001broc.pdf (link discontinued)
Disregard the email address listed in the call for abstracts, however. Instead,
send abstracts and biographical data forms to Elizabeth Parra at eparra@cdc.gov
For a detailed list of additional upcoming immunization and hepatitis conferences and events, visit IAC's "Calendar of
Events" at: http://www.immunize.org/calendar/
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