Issue
Number 343
October 21, 2002
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- ACIP voted to expand
recommendations on smallpox vaccine administration at its October 16-17
meeting
- New! IAC creates
"Improving Immunization Practices" web page
- IAC's updated
"Hepatitis B Facts: Testing and Vaccination" now in PDF and HTML formats
- IAC's Revised "Labor
& Delivery and Nursery Unit Guidelines to Prevent Hepatitis B Virus
Transmission" now in PDF and HTML formats
- MMWR notifies
readers about pneumococcal vaccination for cochlear implant recipients
- TeleClinics on
rabies, tetanus, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B set for October 22, 24, and
28
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October 21, 2002
ACIP VOTED TO EXPAND RECOMMENDATIONS ON SMALLPOX VACCINE ADMINISTRATION AT
ITS OCTOBER 16-17 MEETING
During its October 16-17 meeting, the Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices (ACIP), made recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) on the following eight vaccine implementation issues:
- Types of health care workers that should
be included in Smallpox Health Care Teams
- Care of the smallpox vaccination site
- Need for administrative leave for
vaccinated health care workers
- Screening for atopic dermatitis as a
contraindication for vaccination
- Screening for pregnancy as a
contraindication for smallpox vaccination
- Screening for HIV infection as a
contraindication for smallpox vaccination
- Simultaneous administration of smallpox
vaccines with other vaccines
- Vaccination of smallpox vaccinators
ACIP made the recommendations at CDC's
request for additional guidance and after consulting with CDC's Hospital
Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) and the Department
of Health and Human Services (DHHS). ACIP is forwarding its recommendations
to HICPAC for review and consideration on October 22 and 23. In coming
weeks, the joint ACIP-HICPAC recommendations will be forwarded to CDC and
DHHS for review and consideration.
For a camera-ready (PDF) version of "ACIP Smallpox Vaccination
Recommendations: Summary," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/acip/acip1021.pdf
To access CDC's ever-expanding website of information on smallpox, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/smallpox
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October 21, 2002
NEW! IAC CREATES "IMPROVING IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES" WEB PAGE
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) has recently developed a one-stop
source of practical information for immunization providers.
The "Improving Immunization Practices" web page has resources on the
following topics: Storage and handling of vaccines, screening for
contraindications/precautions and needed vaccines, rules and
recommendations, vaccine administration, explaining the risks/benefits of
vaccines, record keeping, and assessing and improving vaccination rates.
To view the new web page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/izpractices/
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October 21, 2002
IAC'S UPDATED "HEPATITIS B FACTS: TESTING AND VACCINATION" NOW IN PDF AND
HTML FORMATS
Earlier in October, the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) made minor
editing and formatting revisions to its one-page professional education
piece "Hepatitis B Facts: Testing and Vaccination." The factual
content did not change.
A valuable resource for health professionals, the piece presents information
on the following: who needs hepatitis B vaccine, who needs serologic
testing, hepatitis B nomenclature, and how to interpret the hepatitis B
panel.
A camera-ready (PDF) version of the revised piece is available at
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2110.pdf
The HTML version can be accessed at
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2110.htm
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October 21, 2002
IAC'S REVISED "LABOR & DELIVERY AND NURSERY UNIT GUIDELINES TO PREVENT
HEPATITIS B VIRUS TRANSMISSION" NOW IN PDF AND HTML FORMATS
Earlier in October, the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) updated its
one-page professional education piece "Labor & Delivery and Nursery Unit
Guidelines to Prevent Hepatitis B Virus Transmission." The piece is intended
to help hospitals establish standing orders for preventing perinatal
hepatitis B virus transmission in labor and delivery and nursery units. The
revision contains minor editing changes only.
For a camera-ready (PDF) version of the revised piece, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2130per.pdf
The HTML version can be accessed at
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2130.htm
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October 21, 2002
MMWR NOTIFIES READERS ABOUT PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINATION FOR COCHLEAR IMPLANT
RECIPIENTS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a Notice to
Readers titled "Pneumococcal Vaccination for Cochlear Implant Recipients" in
the October 21 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
The entire notice, excluding the six footnoted references, reads as follows:
***************
CDC and the Food and Drug Administration, in collaboration with state health
departments, are investigating the occurrence of bacterial meningitis among
cochlear implant recipients. The implant, as a foreign body, and the design
of the electrode are considered possible risk factors. Other potential
risk factors for meningitis among cochlear implant recipients include a
history of meningitis (a leading cause of sensorineural hearing loss), a
history of recurrent otitis media, immunodeficiency, a pre-existing inner
ear abnormality, and an occult cerebrospinal fluid leak.
As of October 4, 2002, a total of 53 cases of meningitis were reported in
the United States among cochlear implant recipients. In the United States,
approximately 21,000 persons have cochlear implants. Of the 23 cases for
which bacterial culture results were available, 16 were caused by
Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus).
Vaccination against pneumococcal disease is recommended by the Advisory
Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for persons at increased risk for
pneumococcal meningitis. Because preliminary data suggest a higher risk for
pneumococcal meningitis in cochlear implant recipients, CDC recommends that
all persons with cochlear implants receive age-appropriate vaccination
against pneumococcal disease as recommended for other persons at high risk
for invasive pneumococcal disease; recommendations will be reviewed after
completion of the investigation. These persons should receive the
7-valent pneumococcal conjugate (Prevnar) or 23-valent pneumococcal
polysaccharide (Pneumovax and Pnu-Imune) vaccine, or both, according to ACIP
schedules for persons at high risk. During the current pneumococcal
conjugate vaccine shortage, children aged 5 years and under with
cochlear implants should be given the same priority for available vaccine as
children in other high-risk groups. Additional information on the use
of vaccines for cochlear implant recipients is available from CDC's National
Immunization Program at
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/issues/cochlear/cochlear-hcp.htm
***************
To obtain the complete text of the article online, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5141a5.htm
To obtain a camera-ready (PDF format) copy of this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5141.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 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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October 21, 2002
TELECLINICS ON RABIES, TETANUS, HEPATITIS A, AND HEPATITIS B SET FOR OCTOBER
22, 24, AND 28
The interactive TeleClinic "Immunization Update: Rabies, Tetanus, and
Hepatitis A & B" will be held this Tuesday, October 22, at 10a.m. ET, and
this Thursday, October 24, at 4p.m ET. Another session will be held on
Monday, October 28, at 1p.m. ET. Participants may earn 1 continuing medical
education (CME) or nursing contact hour.
The presenter is William H. Schoff, MD, Associate Professor, Director, PENN
Travel Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of
Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia.
To register for a TeleClinic online, go to:
http://www.interactiveTeleClinics.com/BAYRAB_contact.shtml
To register for a TeleClinic by phone, call (800) 870-8376.
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