Issue Number
235 March 30, 2001
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- IAC launches new website showcasing hepatitis prevention
programs!
- Hepatitis B Foundation website now includes information
in Chinese
- ASPH and CDC seek applicants for API hepatitis B
fellowship
- CDC publishes update on risk for meningococcal disease
associated with the Hajj
- CDC reports on global interruption of wild poliovirus
transmission
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(1)
March 30, 2001
IAC LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE SHOWCASING HEPATITIS PREVENTION PROGRAMS!
Health and social service professionals who develop or manage programs for populations at risk for hepatitis now
have a new online resource to find out about other programs that use innovative methods of preventing viral hepatitis.
Developed by the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), the website showcases programs across the United States that work to prevent hepatitis A, B, or C in
people who are at risk for infection.
Visitors to the website will find information about hepatitis prevention programs
organized by category, including programs for men who have sex with men (MSM), STD
and family planning clinics, drug treatment and needle exchange programs, adult and juvenile correctional
facilities, and more. Each listing includes contact information, as well as links to background information and
related organizations. Visitors can also download appropriate educational materials for their clients.
To check out this new resource, go to: http://www.hepprograms.org
If you would like your hepatitis prevention program to be included on the website, follow the "Tell us about your
program" link. To give us feedback on this new website, follow the "What do you think of this site?" link.
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(2)
March 30, 2001
HEPATITIS B FOUNDATION WEBSITE NOW INCLUDES INFORMATION IN CHINESE
Check out the Hepatitis B Foundation website for comprehensive information about hepatitis B written in
Chinese. The "Chinese chapter" on the website is available in both web text and PDF versions for easy downloading.
Aimed specifically at the Chinese community, this online resource emphasizes the following: hepatitis B is not
inherited but caused by a virus; a safe vaccine can break the cycle of infection; a simple blood test can show if
you are infected; and there are promising treatment options for those who are
chronically infected. The website also offers an English translation of this new
chapter.
Visit: http://www.hepb.org and click on the Chinese flag!
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(3)
March 30, 2001
ASPH AND CDC SEEK APPLICANTS FOR API HEPATITIS B FELLOWSHIP
The Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are seeking
applicants for a fellowship with the National Immunization Program based in Atlanta. The application
deadline for the Fellowship on Raising Hepatitis B Vaccination Among Teenage
Asians and Pacific Islanders in Physician Practices Through Assessment, Feedback, and Training is April 27, 2001.
For more information, call ASPH/CDC fellowship coordinator Gaila Youtsey at (770) 455-6898, or view the announcement on
ASPH's website at: http://www.asph.org/get_document.cfm/107/113/5781
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(4)
March 30, 2001
CDC PUBLISHES UPDATE ON RISK FOR MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE
ASSOCIATED WITH THE HAJJ
CDC published a Public Health Dispatch titled "Update: Assessment of Risk for Meningococcal Disease Associated with
the Hajj 2001" in the March 30, 2001, issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
According to the article, CDC conducted a study to assess the risk for meningococcal disease in 2001 among U.S.
pilgrims to the Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Departing pilgrims and travelers returning from Saudi Arabia were
tested for N. meningitidis. Returning pilgrims were found to be more likely
to be carriers than departing pilgrims. The article concludes that although overall
carriage of N. meningitidis was low, "the high proportion of serogroup W-135
carriage suggests continuing transmission in Saudi Arabia. Evidence of this transmission, combined with reports of cases of
invasive disease among pilgrims returning to the United Kingdom who received only bivalent vaccine
against serogroup A and C, suggests that U.S. pilgrims should continue to receive quadrivalent meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine
before travel to the Hajj."
To obtain the complete text of this article online, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5012a1.htm
To find out how to receive a free electronic subscription to MMWR, see the information following story 5.
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(5)
March 30, 2001
CDC REPORTS ON GLOBAL INTERRUPTION OF WILD POLIOVIRUS TRANSMISSION
CDC published an article titled "Apparent Global Interruption of Wild Poliovirus
Type 2 Transmission" in the March 30, 2001, issue of MMWR. The article notes that
despite substantially improved global surveillance of polio since 1999, no wild poliovirus type 2 isolates have been
reported in any region of the world since late 1999.
According to the Editorial Note: "The apparent elimination of wild poliovirus
type 2 represents a milestone for the global polio eradication initiative and an
indication that the current strategies can eradicate poliovirus types 1 and 3."
To obtain the complete text of this article, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5012a2.htm
HOW TO OBTAIN A FREE ELECTRONIC SUBSCRIPTION TO MMWR:
To obtain a free electronic subscription to Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (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.
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