Issue
Number 379
April 14, 2003
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- American Council on Science and Health posts immunization
publications online
- April 30 is application deadline for NPI's 2003 Excellence in
Immunization Awards
- It's National Infant Immunization Week
- India launches massive polio immunization campaign
- "End of Polio" website's photo essay chronicles the
eradication of the long-prevalent disease
- New translations: Vaccine Information Statements for MMR
available in nine additional languages
- Minnesota Department of Health's "Viral Hepatitis Compendium"
a good resource for health professionals
- Free! Copies of "NEEDLE TIPS" (Summer 2002 issue) available
for the asking
- CDC publishes an update of smallpox vaccine adverse events
surveillance
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April 14, 2003
AMERICAN COUNCIL ON SCIENCE AND HEALTH POSTS IMMUNIZATION PUBLICATIONS
ONLINE
The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) has posted three
publications on vaccination on its website. One publication, "The Promise of
Vaccines: The Science and the Controversy," is a special report written for
ASCH by pediatrician David R. Smith, MD, president, Texas Tech University
Health Sciences Center, Lubbock. The others, "Vaccinations: What Parents
Need To Know" and "What's the Story? Childhood Immunizations," are adapted
from the report. Each can be ordered from ACSH or downloaded from its
website.
Following is a synopsis of each publication and the URL for each. Ordering
information for hard copies is given after the last URL.
"THE PROMISE OF VACCINES: THE SCIENCE AND THE CONTROVERSY."
September 2001; 48-page report. For health professionals or the serious lay
reader. Discusses vaccines, the science of immunity, advances in disease
prevention resulting from vaccination, recent vaccine safety controversies,
the concept of community immunity, and the possibility of preventing an
increasing number of diseases through vaccination.
To access a camera-ready (PDF) version of the report, go to:
http://www.acsh.org/publications/reports/vaccines2001.pdf
"VACCINATIONS: WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW." November 2001;
24-page booklet. For the general public. Summarizes the evidence on the
benefits and potential risks of vaccines, with an emphasis on the vaccines
used in routine childhood immunization, addresses common myths about
vaccines, and discusses vaccine safety issues recently in the news.
To access a camera-ready (PDF) version of the booklet, go to:
http://www.acsh.org/publications/booklets/vaccinations2001.pdf
"WHAT'S THE STORY? CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATIONS." November 2001;
4-page brochure. For the general public. Part of ACSH's "What's the Story?"
brochure series. Briefly describes childhood immunizations and their
benefits and discusses vaccine safety and the absence of a causal link
between immunization and the development of autism, multiple sclerosis,
diabetes, and other disorders.
To access an HTML version of the brochure, go to:
http://www.acsh.org/publications/story/vaccination/index.html
ORDERING INFORMATION
The report and booklet are $5 each; the brochure is $1. Discount rates are
available for orders of 10 or more. To place an order using MasterCard or
Visa, call (212) 362-7044.
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April 14, 2003
APRIL 30 IS APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR NPI'S 2003 EXCELLENCE IN IMMUNIZATION
AWARDS
What better way to celebrate National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM)
than by presenting the 2003 Excellence in Immunization Awards? On July 31
the National Partnership for Immunization (NPI) will kick off NIAM with a
press conference in Washington, DC, followed by a luncheon for award
recipients. April 30 is the application deadline for the awards.
The awards honor innovation in immunization services and recognize local and
state programs that are making a difference in their neighborhoods,
communities, counties, and states. Applications and nominations are being
accepted in three categories: the Coalition/Partnership Award, the
Addressing Disparities Award, and the Non-Traditional Partner Award.
For more information about the awards and to
complete an application online, visit the NPI Web site at
http://www.partnersforimmunization.org/niam_award.html
For additional information, contact Mischka Garel at
mgarel@hmhb.org or (703) 836-6110.
For information about NIAM, go to:
http://www.partnersforimmunization.org/niam.html or contact Dena
Wichansky Penner at dpenner@hmhb.org
or (703) 836-6110.
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April 14, 2003
IT'S NATIONAL INFANT IMMUNIZATION WEEK
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a Notice to
Readers, "National Infant Immunization Week--April 13-19, 2003," in the
April 11 issue of the "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" (MMWR). The
notice is reprinted below in its entirety, excluding references.
******************************
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is April 13-19, 2003; this year's
theme is "Love Them. Protect Them. Immunize Them." This week emphasizes the
importance of timely infant and childhood vaccination. Vaccination is one of
the most effective ways to protect children, especially infants and young
children, from potentially serious diseases. Because of increased
vaccination efforts in the United States, incidences of the majority of
vaccine-preventable diseases have decreased approximately 99% from peak
pre-vaccine levels. In 2002, a total of 37 measles cases, one diphtheria
case, and no wild poliovirus cases were reported. Approximately 11,000
babies are born each day in the United States; they need approximately 20
doses of vaccine before age 2 years to protect them from 11
vaccine-preventable diseases. Although vaccination coverage levels are high
for children of preschool-age, approximately 1 million children aged 2 years
are missing 1 or more recommended vaccine doses.
During NIIW, states and communities will sponsor activities designed to
highlight the need to achieve and maintain high childhood vaccination
coverage rates. In addition, CDC will launch a new television public service
announcement in English and Spanish and a Spanish-language immunization
education booklet. Additional information about NIIW and childhood
vaccinations is available from CDC's National Immunization Program at
http://www.cdc.gov/nip or the
National Immunization Information Hotline, telephone (800) 232-2522
(English) or (800) 232-0233 (Spanish).
******************************
To obtain the complete text of the article online, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5214a6.htm
To obtain a camera-ready (PDF format) copy of this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5214.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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April 14, 2003
INDIA LAUNCHES MASSIVE POLIO IMMUNIZATION CAMPAIGN
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the start of an enormous polio
immunization campaign on April 7. Planned to last six days, the campaign
will vaccinate more than 80 million children in six Indian states.
In 2002, northern India was the site of the largest polio epidemic in recent
years, resulting in a six-fold increase in new cases compared with 2001. The
epidemic occurred after the number of planned polio vaccination campaigns
was reduced in India in 2002.
The current campaign follows two nationwide polio immunization rounds in
January and February. Future campaigns will take place in June, September,
and November. It will require at least as many campaigns in 2004 to
interrupt wild poliovirus transmission.
To access a press release about the current campaign from the WHO website,
go to:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2003/pr30/en
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April 14, 2003
"END OF POLIO" WEBSITE'S PHOTO ESSAY CHRONICLES THE ERADICATION OF THE
LONG-PREVALENT DISEASE
Early in 2001, Brazilian photojournalist Sebastiao Salgado began documenting
the global effort to eradicate polio. Inspired to be a witness to the end of
a disease whose recorded evidence can be traced to 1580 B.C., Salgado
traveled to Somalia, Sudan, India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and
Pakistan to create a photographic record of the last of the mass campaigns
against polio. His beautifully composed black-and-white photographs are
featured on the "End of Polio" website, along with explanatory text. To
access the site, go to:
http://www.endofpolio.org
Begun in 1988, the Global Polio Eradication
Initiative has helped cut the global toll of polio paralysis from an
estimated 350,000 to 1,925 in 2002. The goal for 2005 is global eradication
certification. To offer financial help to reach the goal, go to:
http://www.endofpolio.org/howtohelp.html
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April 14, 2003
NEW TRANSLATIONS: VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENTS FOR MMR AVAILABLE IN NINE
ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES
The MMR Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) is now available on the
Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) website in nine additional languages:
Armenian, Chinese, Farsi, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Romanian, Samoan,
and Tagalog. IAC gratefully acknowledges the California Department of Health
for the translations.
To obtain a camera-ready (PDF) copy of the MMR VIS in Armenian, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/ar_mmr03.pdf
To obtain it in Chinese, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/ch_mmr03.pdf
To obtain it in Farsi, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/fa_mmr03.pdf
To obtain it in Japanese, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/jp_mmr03.pdf
To obtain it in Korean, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/ko_mmr03.pdf
To obtain it in Portuguese, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/pr_mmr03.pdf
To obtain it in Romanian, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/ro_mmr03.pdf
To obtain it in Samoan, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/sa_mmr03.pdf
To obtain it in Tagalog, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/ta_mmr03.pdf
To obtain it in English, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/mmr03.pdf
For information about the use of VISs, and for VISs in a total of 28
languages, visit IAC's VIS web page at
http://www.immunize.org/vis
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April 14, 2003
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH'S "VIRAL HEPATITIS COMPENDIUM" A
GOOD RESOURCE FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action
Coalition's "HEP EXPRESS" electronic newsletter, 3/31/03.]
The November/December 2002 issue of the Minnesota Department of
Health's "Disease Control Newsletter" is titled "Viral Hepatitis
Compendium." A description of this project follows:
"This compendium of resources on hepatitis A virus (HAV),
hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) was
compiled to clarify distinctions between the viral hepatitides
and to facilitate diagnostic testing, reporting, and disease
prevention and control activities. These resources were derived
from recommendations and guidelines published by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices, and the American Academy of Pediatrics
Committee on Infectious Diseases."
This valuable resource is available online in PDF (camera-ready)
format at
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/dpc/ades/dcn/0211dcn.pdf
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April 14, 2003
FREE! COPIES OF "NEEDLE TIPS" (SUMMER 2002 ISSUE) AVAILABLE FOR
THE ASKING
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) is giving away bulk
copies (up to 50 per request) of the Summer 2002 issue of
"NEEDLE TIPS" to make room for our new Spring 2003 issue.
If you have an immunization conference or an educational program
coming up for health professionals, this is an excellent item to
distribute.
Because supplies are limited, it's best to make your request
right away. The free copies go quickly. Sorry, we can only mail
orders to addresses within the United States.
To request copies, fill out the online form on IAC's website:
http://www.immunize.org/oldnt
You will be asked to supply the following information:
- The number of copies you want (maximum 50)
- A description of how you plan to use the copies
- Your name and complete contact information, including
mailing address, telephone number, and email address
For further information, please contact Pat Storti, office
administrator, by email at pat@immunize.org
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April 14, 2003
CDC PUBLISHES AN UPDATE OF SMALLPOX VACCINE ADVERSE EVENTS
SURVEILLANCE
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published
"Update on Adverse Events Following Civilian Smallpox
Vaccination--United States, 2003" in the April 11 issue of the
"Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" (MMWR). It includes
reports on three new cases of myopericarditis. Excerpts from the
article are reprinted below.
******************************
During January 24-April 4, 2003, smallpox vaccine was
administered to 31,297 civilian health-care and public health
workers in 54 jurisdictions as part of an effort to prepare the
United States for a possible terrorist attack using smallpox
virus. This report updates information on all vaccine-associated
adverse events among civilians vaccinated since the beginning of
the smallpox vaccination program and among contacts of
vaccinees, received by CDC from the Vaccine Adverse Event
Reporting System (VAERS) as of April 4. . . .
As of April 4, seven cases of myopericarditis have been
reported. Three are new reports and were received during
March 31-April 4. . . .
No new cases of generalized vaccinia were reported, but five new
cases of inadvertent inoculation (nonocular) were reported. No
new ocular vaccinia cases were reported. During the vaccination
program, no cases of eczema vaccinatum, erythema multiforme
major, fetal vaccinia, post-vaccinial encephalitis or
encephalomyelitis, progressive vaccinia, or pyogenic infection
of the vaccination site have been reported.
During March 31-April 4, a total of ten other serious adverse
events were reported: one case of acute appendicitis, one case
of pneumonia, five cases of atypical chest pain, one case of
atypical chest pain with mild asthma, one case of new onset
atrial fibrillation, and one case of MI [myocardial infarction]
(Case 3). Four cases of acute MI were reported previously.
During March 31-April 4, a total of 58 other nonserious events were reported. . . .
During this reporting period, no vaccinia immune globulin was
released for civilian vaccinees. No cases of transmission from
civilian vaccinees have been reported. In addition, no cases of
transmission from 19,508 health-care workers, 8,999 of whom have
been followed for more than 1 month, have been reported. Seven
cases of transmission from military personnel to civilian
contacts have been reported.
Surveillance for adverse events during the civilian and military
smallpox vaccination programs is ongoing; regular surveillance
reports will be published in MMWR.
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To obtain the complete text of the article online, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5214a5.htm
To obtain a camera-ready (PDF format) copy of this issue of
MMWR, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5214.pdf
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