Issue Number
225 February
1, 2001
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- Register now for CDC satellite broadcast series
"Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases"
- Revised hepatitis B education materials on IAC's website
- CDC publishes report on injection practices in Romania
- Immunization artwork by kids available free on IAC'S
website
----------------------------------------------------------
Back to Top
(1)
February 1, 2001
REGISTER NOW FOR CDC SATELLITE BROADCAST SERIES "EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PREVENTION OF VACCINE-PREVENTABLE
DISEASES"
CDC's National Immunization Program (NIP) and the Public Health Training Network
(PHTN) will cosponsor a live satellite broadcast for professionals who either give
vaccinations or set policy in their workplaces. The series, "Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable
Diseases," will be broadcast on four consecutive Thursdays, March 15, 22, 29, and April 5,
2001, from noon to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The target audience includes physicians,
nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, residents, medical and nursing students, and
their colleagues.
The first session will cover principles of vaccination, general recommendations on vaccination, and strategies to
improve vaccination coverage levels. The second will cover pertussis, pneumococcal disease
(childhood), polio, and Hib. The third session will cover measles, rubella,
varicella, and vaccine safety. The fourth session will focus on hepatitis B,
hepatitis A, influenza, and pneumococcal disease (adult).
Course instructors are medical epidemiologists William Atkinson, MD, MPH, and Raymond Strikas, MD, in addition to
nurse educator Donna Weaver, MN, RN. All three are from the National Immunization Program, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Continuing education for a variety of professions will be offered based on 14
hours of instruction.
Course participants are required to obtain their own copy of the primary course text, "Epidemiology and Prevention of
Vaccine-Preventable Diseases," 6th edition (2000). The text is available from the Public Health Foundation for
$25. To order the text, contact the PHF at (877) 252-1200 or visit their website
at http://bookstore.phf.org/prod154.htm
All other course materials will be provided on site.
For further course information, visit NIP's website at: http://www.cdc.gov/phtn/fact-sheets/epv2001.htm
To register for the course, contact your state or county immunization program. A list of state immunization
coordinators is available on NIP's website at: http://www.cdc.gov/nip/ed/coordinators.htm
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/
------------------------------------------------------------
Back to Top
(2)
February 1, 2001
REVISED HEPATITIS B EDUCATION MATERIALS ON IAC'S WEBSITE
Check IAC's website for a new version of the helpful patient education piece
"Do You Have Chronic Hepatitis B?" (formerly titled "If You Are a Hepatitis B
Carrier..."). Available in both web text (HTML) and camera-ready (PDF) formats, this
one-page document tells patients how they can best take care of themselves, how to protect others from hepatitis B, and
where to turn for more information.
To obtain a copy, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4120.htm
------------------------------------------------------------
Back to Top
(3)
February 1, 2001
CDC PUBLISHES REPORT ON INJECTION PRACTICES IN ROMANIA
CDC published an article titled "Injection Practices Among Nurses--Valcea,
Romania, 1998" in the February 2, 2001, issue of MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WEEKLY REPORT (MMWR).
The article reports that new disposable syringes and needles became standard for all injections in Romania by the late
1990s, as part of the effort to reduce human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Despite this
practice, "acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) was associated with receiving injections among
children aged <5 years," because of inadequate infection-control practices.
According to the article's Editorial Note, nurses surveyed reported injections
prepared in areas potentially contaminated with blood, multidose vial mishandling, and
inadequate infection-control supplies. The Note also states in part: "Because most of the nurses interviewed were
unaware that HBV persists in the environment for at least 1 week and that the risk for transmitting
HBV through injections can be up to 100 times greater than the risk for transmitting HIV, the nurses might not have perceived the
risks for HBV transmission associated with these practices." Recommendations to improve
standards of injection safety in Romania included establishing dedicated areas for injection
preparation, appropriately handling multidose vials, placing puncture-proof sharps containers in each room where
injections are given, and covering lacerations.
To view the complete text of this article online, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr//preview/mmwrhtml/mm5004a3.htm
HOW TO OBTAIN A FREE ELECTRONIC SUBSCRIPTION TO THE MMWR: To obtain a free electronic subscription to MMWR, visit CDC's
MMWR website at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr
Select "Free MMWR Subscription" from the menu at the left of the screen. Once
you have submitted the required information, weekly issues of the MMWR and all new ACIP statements
(published as MMWR's "Recommendations and Reports") will arrive automatically by
e-mail.
------------------------------------------------------------
Back to Top
(4)
February 1, 2001
IMMUNIZATION ARTWORK BY KIDS AVAILABLE FREE ON IAC'S WEBSITE
Looking for illustrations to liven up your immunization education materials?
Visit IAC's website for free downloadable children's artwork that you can use
in your brochures, handouts, overheads, and presentations.
These 44 whimsical drawings depict children with vaccine-preventable diseases, health professionals giving injections,
healthy children and adults, and more. Some of the illustrations were produced by IAC, and others were
donated to the collection by the state health departments of California and
New Hampshire.
Go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/kidart.htm
|
