Issue Number
299
March 4, 2002
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- Advisory Committee
on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends
delaying varicella vaccination until at
least age 18 months during shortage
- IOM releases report
on safety review of multiple immunizations
- Tennessee adds
hepatitis B immunization requirement for
middle-school attendance
- Visit IAC's new
International Adoption web page for immunization
and hepatitis B information
- New poster from
California shows technique for "Comforting
Restraint" of children receiving shots
- HFI's Hepatitis
Summit is set for July 18-19 in California
- Volunteers needed
for 3-month overseas polio eradication field
assignments
----------------------------------------------------------
Back to Top
(1 of 7)
March 4, 2002
ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES (ACIP)
RECOMMENDS DELAYING VARICELLA VACCINATION
UNTIL AT LEAST AGE 18 MONTHS DURING SHORTAGE
On February 20, 2002, CDC's Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to
recommend that providers prioritize use of limited
supplies of varicella vaccine because of a
shortage in the United States. Until
supplies increase in late spring or early summer,
according to ACIP, providers should delay
vaccination of children aged 12-18 months until
age 18 months or until the "two-year visit."
Providers also should implement a system for
calling back dose-delayed children when more
vaccine becomes available.
To read about the ACIP vote on CDC's website, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/news/shortages/varicella_02-20-02.htm
----------------------------------------------------------
Back to Top
(2 of 7)
March 4, 2002
IOM RELEASES REPORT ON SAFETY REVIEW OF MULTIPLE
IMMUNIZATIONS
On February 20, 2002, the Institute of Medicine (IOM)
released its report titled "Immunization Safety
Review: Multiple Immunizations and Immune
Dysfunction." According to the 105-page report,
the current infant and childhood
immunization schedule does not increase the risk of
contracting Type I diabetes or
infections such as pneumonia or meningitis. The
review committee recommends that the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
study parental perceptions of vaccine risks and
benefits in order to develop better
communication tools.
The study was requested by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) and the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Following is an excerpt from the Question-and-Answer page
about this report on CDC's website:
*******************************
Public confidence in our immunization programs is essential
to our nation's health. In recent years,
increasing public attention has focused on issues
regarding vaccine safety. Vaccine safety concerns
may decrease public acceptance of
immunizations and result in resurgence of vaccine preventable
diseases. Issues involving the safety of vaccines,
particularly childhood vaccines, may concern certain
members of the public, health care
professionals, the public health community, the
media, Congress, vaccine manufacturers, and
federal agencies.
In response to these concerns, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention and the National Institutes
of Health have asked the National Academy of
Sciences, Institute of Medicine (IOM) to
establish an independent expert committee to review
hypotheses about existing and emerging
immunization safety concerns. These reviews
include an assessment of factors such as the
biologic mechanisms of the hypothesis, competing
alternative hypotheses, as well as the available scientific
evidence to date.
**********************************
To read the IOM press release about the report, go to:
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309083281?opendocument
To read the report for free online, go to:
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309083281/html/
For information on ordering the report in book form, go to:
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10306.html
To read an overview of the report on CDC's website, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/vacsafe/concerns/gen/multiplevac_iom.htm
----------------------------------------------------------
Back to Top
(3 of 7)
March 4, 2002
TENNESSEE ADDS HEPATITIS B IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENT FOR
MIDDLE-SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
Effective July 2002, in time for the 2002-2003 academic
year, seventh graders in the state of
Tennessee will be required to be immunized against
hepatitis B. Students will have to show proof that
they received at least one dose of
hepatitis B vaccine in order to attend school. They
then must complete the series according to
the vaccine schedule.
To see IAC's Hepatitis B Prevention Mandates web page, newly
updated to reflect Tennessee's new
requirement, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/laws/hepb.htm
IAC tracks this and other state-by-state mandates regarding
immunization on our website at:
http://www.immunize.org/laws/
Please be sure to let us know of any new immunization and
hepatitis B laws in your state. Although we
follow state activities, we also rely on readers
to keep us informed. Send emails with your updates
to
admin@immunize.org
----------------------------------------------------------
Back to Top
(4 of 7)
March 4, 2002
VISIT IAC'S NEW INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION WEB PAGE FOR
IMMUNIZATION AND HEPATITIS B INFORMATION
If you want links and bibliographic references to journal
articles about international adoptees; websites;
resources for adopting parents; and CDC
immunization recommendations, take a look at IAC's
new web page on
International Adoption issues.
This page will point you and parents (or prospective
parents) in the direction of the International
Adoption Clinic at the University of
Minnesota, the National Adoption Information
Clearinghouse, and more. You will
also find helpful print materials for parents on topics
such as hepatitis B in children adopted
from abroad.
To visit IAC's new International Adoption web page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/adoption/
----------------------------------------------------------
Back to Top
(5 of 7)
March 4, 2002
NEW POSTER FROM CALIFORNIA SHOWS TECHNIQUE FOR "COMFORTING
RESTRAINT" OF CHILDREN RECEIVING SHOTS
The Immunization Branch of the California Department of
Health Services has created a poster that
clearly depicts the proper way for a parent to
hold a child during immunizations. The small
poster (8.5 by 11 inches) is
designed to be visible in provider offices for the benefit
of parents of infants, toddlers, and older
children.
The restraint methods demonstrated in the poster are the
same as those seen in the popular video
"Immunization Techniques: Safe, Effective,
Caring." They show how to anchor a child's legs
between an adult's legs with both
seated and how to hug a child to keep arms in place.
To obtain a camera-ready (PDF format) copy of the
"Comforting Restraint" poster in English, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/news.d/comfrten.pdf
To obtain a camera-ready (PDF format) copy of the
"Comforting Restraint" poster in Spanish, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/news.d/comfrtsp.pdf
The color posters can also be ordered from the California
Distance Learning Health Network (CDLHN)
for $2 each. These are double-sided, with the
English version on one side and the Spanish
version on the other.
To order the "Comforting Restraint" posters from CDLHN
online or to print an order form to send in by
mail or fax, go to:
http://www.cdlhn.com/default.cfm
Please note that from the CDLHN default page above, you
must click on "Courses and Materials" on
the lefthand bar and then on "Books and Materials"
to get to the order form.
For more information or for ordering assistance, call
(619) 594-3348.
----------------------------------------------------------
Back to Top
(6 of 7)
March 4, 2002
HFI'S HEPATITIS SUMMIT IS SET FOR JULY 18-19 IN CALIFORNIA
The Hepatitis Foundation International (HFI) is hosting
this 2-day education and training conference for
health providers at all levels, as well as
for patient advocates and "all others working with
people who are affected or
infected by hepatitis." The Hepatitis Summit, with the
theme "Viral Hepatitis: An Emerged
Epidemic," will take place July 18 and 19 in La
Mirada, Los Angeles County, California.
Program topics include the epidemiology of viral hepatitis,
sexual transmission and risks, and managing
the coinfected HIV/HCV patient. Experts in the
field of viral hepatitis will be present from the
National Institutes of Health, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, the Huntington Medical
Institutes, and other organizations. Continuing education
credits are available.
The registration fee is $125. Hotel and other information
will be provided upon receipt of registration.
To read about the summit and/or print out a registration
form to mail in, go to:
http://www.hepfi.org/summit.htm
For more information or to request a registration form,
contact HFI by phone at (800) 891-0707.
----------------------------------------------------------
Back to Top
(7 of 7)
March 4, 2002
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR 3-MONTH OVERSEAS POLIO ERADICATION
FIELD ASSIGNMENTS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the
World Health Organization (WHO), and the
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) seek
health professionals to assist with polio
eradication in endemic countries in
Africa, Asia, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Field
assignment activities with the
international Stop Transmission of Polio (STOP)
program include surveillance of acute flaccid
paralysis; helping to plan, monitor, and
evaluate National Immunization Days; house-to-house
immunizations; and polio case investigations.
The 3-month assignments begin in May 2002, September 2002,
and January 2003. A one-week training
course in Atlanta, Georgia, is required before the
assignment begins. Training and per diem
and travel expenses are provided, but the
assignments do not pay a salary. Qualifications
include either a graduate degree or licensure in a
health field AND at least 3 years of relevant work
experience; or at least 5 years of relevant
work experience in disease surveillance, field
epidemiology, and mass immunization
services or programs.
For more information on the STOP program, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/global
To apply to the STOP team program, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/global/stopteam/application.htm
You may also contact program staff by email at
NIPSTOPteam@cdc.gov
|
