Issue
Number 330
August 12, 2002
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- Order now! IAC's new Adult Immunization Record Cards
will help your patients stay up-to-date
- Free! Copies of VACCINATE ADULTS! (Fall/Winter 2001-2002
issue) are available
- New HHS project aims to raise immunization rates for
African-American and Hispanic older adults
- Immunization seminar is set for September 25 in Erie,
Penn.
- CDC reports on fatal rabies case in California
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August 12, 2002
ORDER NOW! IAC'S NEW ADULT IMMUNIZATION RECORD CARDS WILL HELP YOUR PATIENTS
STAY UP-TO-DATE
This coming flu season, why not give ALL your adult patients who receive
influenza vaccine a permanent, personal immunization record card created by
the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC)? It's a perfect opportunity to
remind adults that vaccines aren't just for kids. Once they see the
vaccinations listed on the card, many will realize they are also due for a
tetanus booster or perhaps a pneumococcal shot. They'll want their new card
to show they are up-to-date on all of their shots. (Of course, if patients
have questions about vaccines, you can offer them IAC educational pieces or
refer them to IAC's website at
www.immunize.org.)
With their own bright canary-yellow card, adult patients will always know
their vaccination status and next-dose due dates. It comes pre-folded to fit
in a wallet alongside other important cards. Printed on rip-proof,
smudge-proof, water-proof paper, it's designed to last a lifetime--a
healthy, disease-free lifetime.
Order Adult Immunization Record Cards for your clinic or practice now! Our
first run sold out quickly after an ad for the cards appeared in the summer
issue of NEEDLE TIPS. Perhaps we can all work to make "the yellow card" a
common household term and to help increase adult immunization rates.
The cost for one 250-count box of record cards is $25; two boxes (500 cards)
cost $45; three boxes (750 cards), $60; four boxes (1,000 cards), $70.
Additional pricing for larger quantities can be found on the online order
form (see link below).
To see "actual size" color pictures of IAC's new Adult Immunization Record
Cards, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/adultizcards/pictures.htm
To order IAC's new Adult Immunization Record Cards online, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/adultizcards
To order online with a purchase order, go to:
https://www.immunize.org/adultizcards/izcards_po.htm
To print an order form to send with payment information by fax or mail, go
to:
https://www.immunize.org/adultizcards/izorder.pdf
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August 12, 2002
FREE! COPIES OF VACCINATE ADULTS! (FALL/WINTER 2001-2002 ISSUE) ARE
AVAILABLE
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) is giving away bulk copies of the
Fall/Winter issue of VACCINATE ADULTS! to make room for our new Summer 2002
issue.
If you are planning an immunization conference or an educational program for
health professionals, VACCINATE ADULTS! is an excellent item to distribute.
This issue features "Hepatitis A,B,C: Learn the Differences" and a complete
vaccination screening questionnaire to give adult patients.
Supplies are limited (1,000 copies left), so please make your request as
soon as possible. The free copies go quickly and on a first-come,
first-serve basis.
You can request your copies online at:
http://www.immunize.org/oldva/
You will be asked to specify:
1. The number of copies you want
2. How you plan to use the copies
3. Your name and complete contact information
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August 12, 2002
NEW HHS PROJECT AIMS TO RAISE IMMUNIZATION RATES FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND
HISPANIC OLDER ADULTS
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced a new
initiative to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in influenza and
pneumococcal vaccination coverage for adults aged 65 years or greater.
In the year 2000, according to HHS, while 67 percent of "older white
persons" received influenza vaccination, only 48 percent of African-American
and 56 percent of Hispanic persons did. Worse, while 57 percent of white
older adults had ever received pneumococcal vaccination, only 31 percent of
African-American and 30 percent of Hispanic older adults had.
The Racial and Ethnic Adult Disparities in Immunization Initiative (READII),
to be implemented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
and other federal agencies, will consist of two-year demonstration projects
in five sites to identify the best ways to improve vaccination rates among
African-American and Hispanic people. The sites are Rochester, N.Y.;
Chicago, Ill.; Milwaukee, Wis.; San Antonio, Tex., and rural counties in
Mississippi.
Reducing health disparities is one of HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson's two
main goals for Healthy People 2010. The other goal is to increase quality
and years of healthy life.
To learn more about READII, visit the HHS website at:
http://www.hhs.gov/news
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August 12, 2002
IMMUNIZATION SEMINAR IS SET FOR SEPTEMBER 25 IN ERIE, PENN.
This year's Professional Immunization Seminar, held by the Erie County
Department of Health and the Hamot Medical Center, is themed "Immunizations.
. .United We Stand." The seminar will take place at the Ambassador
Conference Center in Erie, Pennsylvania, on September 25.
Speakers include several prominent experts from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) and the state of Pennsylvania. Topics include
smallpox management and perceptions of immunizations.
The seminar is free, but seating is limited, so registration is required.
A seminar brochure with a registration form, agenda, continuing education
information, and lodging suggestions is available online at:
http://www.ecdh.org/documents/SemBro02.pdf
For more information, contact Angie King by phone at (814) 451-6700 or email
at aking@ecdh.org
For a detailed list of additional upcoming immunization and hepatitis
conferences and events, see IAC's "Calendar of Events" at
http://www.immunize.org/calendar
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August 12, 2002
CDC REPORTS ON FATAL RABIES CASE IN CALIFORNIA
On August 9, 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
published "Human Rabies--California, 2002" in the Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report (MMWR). A 28-year-old man in Glenn County, California, died on
March 31 from rabies encephalitis most likely caused by exposure to a rabies
virus variant in a colony of Mexican free-tailed bats in his home, according
to the report. Four household members, two other family members, 12 social
contacts, and 28 health-care workers received post-exposure prophylaxis.
The Editorial Note states in part as follows:
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In the contiguous United States, bats are a reservoir for the rabies virus,
and distinct viral variants can be distinguished and associated with
particular bat species. During 1990-2000, a total of 24 (75%) of 32 human
rabies cases were attributed to variants of rabies virus associated with
bats. Five cases were associated with the Mexican free-tailed bat rabies
virus variant; only one person reported an exposure through a bite. Although
they prefer undisturbed habitats, Mexican free-tailed bats roost in
buildings, increasing the chance of contact between bats and humans. Only
two of 24 patients with rabies caused by a bat-associated virus had been
bitten by a bat. Rabies virus can be transmitted into bite wounds, open
cuts, abrasions, or mucous membranes through saliva.
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To obtain the complete text of the article online, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5131a4.htm
To obtain a camera-ready (PDF format) copy of this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5131.pdf
For further information about rabies, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies
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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