Issue
Number 306
April 15, 2002
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- CDC publishes new influenza
vaccination recommendations
- Si, si! Agencies launch
Spanish-language campaign during National Infant
Immunization Week
- New Hampshire adds varicella
vaccination requirement and moves up measles
from 7th grade to kindergarten
- Submit abstracts soon for
Hepatitis Coordinators Conference in January
2003
- CDC reports on polio reduction in
Egypt
- Watch your inbox Wednesday for
important new article by Dr. Paul Offit on
vaccines and autism
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April 15, 2002
CDC PUBLISHES NEW INFLUENZA VACCINATION RECOMMENDATIONS
On April 12, 2002, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) published the 24-page
"Prevention and Control of Influenza:
Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices (ACIP)" in the Morbidity
and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Recommendations
and Reports Series (vol.
51, no. RR-3). A new influenza vaccine Vaccine
Information Statement (VIS) will be forthcoming
within the next two months.
These new influenza recommendations arrive just in time for
clinicians to plan ahead and order vaccine
for the 2002-2003 flu season. For those who are
unable to access the full MMWR RR-3, we are
excerpting from two parts here: text from
the Introduction that says who should be vaccinated against
influenza, and a list of the primary changes to the previous
recommendations.
First, the Introduction reads in part as
follows (footnotes excluded):
*******************************
Influenza vaccination is the primary method for preventing
influenza and its severe complications. In this
report from the Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices (ACIP), the primary target
groups recommended for annual
vaccination are 1) groups who are at increased risk for
influenza-related complications (e.g.,
persons aged >65 years and persons of any age with
certain chronic medical conditions); 2) persons
aged 50-64 years, because this group has an
elevated prevalence of certain chronic
medical conditions; and 3) persons who live with or care
for persons at high risk (e.g., health- care
workers and household members who have frequent
contact with persons at high risk and can
transmit influenza to persons at high
risk).
Vaccination is associated with reductions in influenza-related respiratory
illness and physician visits among all
age groups, hospitalization and death among persons at
high risk, otitis media among
children, and work absenteeism among adults.
Although influenza vaccination levels increased
substantially during the 1990s, further
improvements in vaccine coverage levels are needed,
chiefly among persons aged <65 years at
high risk. The ACIP recommends using strategies to
improve vaccination
levels, including using reminder/recall systems and
standing orders programs.
*******************************
Second, following is the entire section titled "Primary
Changes and Updates in the Recommendations":
*******************************
The 2002 recommendations include five principal changes or
updates, as follows:
- The optimal time to receive influenza
vaccine is during October and November. However,
because of vaccine
distribution delays during the past 2 years, ACIP
recommends that vaccination efforts in
October focus on persons at greatest risk for
influenza-related complications and health-care
workers and that vaccination of other
groups begin in November.
- Vaccination efforts for all groups should
continue into December and later, for as long as
vaccine is available.
- Because young, otherwise healthy children
are at increased risk for influenza-related
hospitalization, influenza vaccination of
healthy children aged 6-23 months is encouraged
when feasible. Vaccination of
children aged >6 months who have certain medical
conditions continues to be strongly
recommended.
- The 2002-2003 trivalent vaccine virus
strains are A/Moscow/10/99 (H3N2)-like, A/New
Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1)-like, and B/Hong
Kong/330/2001-like strains.
- A limited amount of influenza vaccine with
reduced thimerosal content will be available for
the 2002-2003 influenza season.
*******************************
To obtain the complete text of the Report online, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5103a1.htm
To obtain a camera-ready (PDF format) copy of the Report,
go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5103.pdf
HOW TO OBTAIN A FREE ELECTRONIC SUBSCRIPTION TO THE MMWR:
To obtain a free electronic subscription to the "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 email.
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April 15, 2002
SI, SI! AGENCIES LAUNCH SPANISH-LANGUAGE CAMPAIGN DURING
NATIONAL INFANT IMMUNIZATION WEEK
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) will promote higher immunization coverage
among Hispanic children with a new
Spanish-language TV public service
announcement and a new radio news release, both of which
will debut during National Infant
Immunization Week (NIIW) April 14-20, 2002.
Albuquerque, New Mexico, will be among
the first U.S. cities to see and hear the new Spanish
immunization-campaign materials. Dr. Walter
Orenstein, Director of CDC's National Immunization
Program, will appear in Albuquerque on
April 15 and 16 to participate in local
NIIW activities.
The content of the new campaign materials came out of
recent focus group discussions with Hispanic
mothers aged 18 to 24 years in Atlanta, Los
Angeles, and Milwaukee. Featuring the theme "A
Promise," the materials are
designed to build feelings of trust, confidence, and
empowerment in young parents, as well as to
address barriers that Hispanic parents may face
when seeking immunization services and
information. The key message is: "Promise
your children love and protection, and to
vaccinate them!"
Additional input from health care providers who serve the
Hispanic community led to the design of a
poster and a "passport-like" booklet that provides
an easy way to maintain childhood immunization
records. The National Immunization Program
will be distributing these new materials through
state and local immunization programs
and Latino community-based organizations. Order forms will
also be available at the upcoming National
Immunization Conference in Denver, April 29-May 2,
2002.
To obtain a copy of the Spanish-language immunization-campaign poster, go
to:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/niiw/2002/02-sp-p.pdf
For further information, contact Curtis Allen, Project
Officer, CDC National Immunization Program, at
404-639-8487 or cea6@cdc.gov
For more information and materials related to NIIW, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/niiw/2002/2002.htm
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April 15, 2002
NEW HAMPSHIRE ADDS VARICELLA VACCINATION REQUIREMENT AND
MOVES UP MEASLES VACCINATION FROM 7TH GRADE
TO KINDERGARTEN
Effective January 2003, children 12 months and older in
New Hampshire must show documentation of
receipt of one dose of varicella vaccine
before attending daycare. Children entering
kindergarten or, where kindergarten is
not offered, first grade likewise must have been
vaccinated against varicella starting with
the 2003-2004 school year. Vaccination status for
varicella will be checked once more
prior to sixth-grade entrance. Natural
immunity from disease will also be acceptable.
Formerly required for attendance in grades 7 through 12 in
New Hampshire, proof of two doses of
measles vaccine will be needed starting with the
2002-2003 season for kindergartners or, where
kindergarten is not offered, first-graders.
Those in grades 7-12 must still show complete
measles vaccination documentation.
IAC tracks these 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 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
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April 15, 2002
SUBMIT ABSTRACTS SOON FOR HEPATITIS COORDINATORS
CONFERENCE IN JANUARY 2003
The Hepatitis Coordinators Conference, to be held January
27-30, 2003, in San Antonio, Texas, will be
organized around topic categories that touch on
viral hepatitis prevention, treatment, counseling,
and testing.
Conference planners are now seeking abstracts for
presentations and workshops that "demonstrate
effective implementation of programs" in one of
the five categories listed in the official Call
for Abstracts. These
categories are, briefly, special populations; program
administration issues; working in health-
elated settings; surveillance; and outreach.
The deadline for abstract submission for the Conference is
May 31, 2002.
To obtain a copy of the Call for Abstracts and the
Abstract Format instructions, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/news.d/abstract.pdf
For more information on the Hepatitis Coordinators
Conference as it becomes available, visit IAC's
Calendar of Events page at:
http://www.immunize.org/calendar
You may also direct questions to Valerie Curry, CDC Division
of Viral Hepatitis, by email at vcc0@cdc.gov
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April 15, 2002
CDC REPORTS ON POLIO REDUCTION IN EGYPT
On April 12, 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) published "Progress Toward
Poliomyelitis Eradication--Egypt, 2001" in the Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report (MMWR). According to the article, polio
remains endemic in Egypt and four other countries in the
22-country Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR).
The editorial note to the article states: "The conditions
that contributed to intense transmission, such as
extremely high population density and poor sanitation,
still exist and pose important challenges to
disease eradication efforts. To interrupt transmission, it is
essential to sustain high-quality surveillance
and conduct well-organized vaccination activities."
To obtain the complete text of the article online, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5114a4.htm
To obtain a camera-ready (PDF format) copy of the Report,
go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/wk/mm5114.pdf
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April 15, 2002
WATCH YOUR INBOX WEDNESDAY FOR IMPORTANT NEW ARTICLE BY
DR. PAUL OFFIT ON VACCINES AND AUTISM
On the eve of British physician Andrew Wakefield's speaking tour in America on the topic of MMR
vaccine as a hypothetical cause of autism, Dr. Paul Offit, Director of
the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia (CHOP), has written an article that refutes
Wakefield's claims.
Dr. Offit's article summarizes major research demonstrating that MMR vaccine does not cause autism
as well as promising research on actual causes of autism that
must not be sidetracked by continued pursuit of false
targets. On Wednesday, IAC will send out a Double Express
containing Dr. Offit's article in its entirety.
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