Issue
Number 385
May 19, 2003
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- CDC notifies readers about the end of the PCV7 vaccine
shortage and reports on pneumococcal disease among vaccinees
- CDC's 2003-2004 Inactivated Influenza Vaccine Information
Statement is now available
- Employment opportunity at the Immunization Action Coalition in
St. Paul, MN
- New: IAC adds two more valuable web pages to its website
- Gripping "Photo Notebook of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases" and
"Slide Set of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases" available
- HHS expands online health information for Asian Americans,
Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders
- Last week's "ER" episode included a powerful immunization
message. Please let NBC know you appreciated it!
- Free teleconferences update health professionals on immunizing
adults against tetanus and diphtheria
- Position opening: PKIDS seeks Coordinator of Educational
Outreach for its office in Vancouver, WA
- Many newly translated and revised Vaccine Information
Statements are available on the IAC website
- Report of proceedings of the SIGN 2002 annual meeting now
available on the Web
- CDC publishes an update of smallpox adverse events
surveillance
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May 19, 2003
CDC NOTIFIES READERS ABOUT THE END OF THE PCV7 VACCINE SHORTAGE AND REPORTS
ON PNEUMOCOCCAL DISEASE AMONG VACCINEES
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a Notice to
Readers, "Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Shortage Resolved," in the May 16
issue of the "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" (MMWR). The article is
reprinted below in its entirety, excluding references and a table of
catch-up vaccination information.
*************************
In February 2000, Prevnar, a 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
manufactured by Wyeth Lederle Vaccines (Pearl River, New York), was licensed
for use among infants and young children. Beginning in August 2001, the
supply of Prevnar failed to meet demand, resulting in shortages for
health-care providers and health departments. To conserve the limited supply
and ensure protection of children at highest risk, CDC published
interim recommendations for vaccination that called for withholding vaccine
from healthy children aged 2 years and older and deferring some doses for
healthy children aged less than 2 years. Despite the shortage, introduction
of the vaccine has been associated with a 69% decline in invasive disease
among children aged less than 2 years through 2001 (78% for vaccine
serotypes and 50% for vaccine-related serotypes).
Vaccine production and deliveries are now adequate to permit a return to the
routine vaccination schedule. According to data from CDC tracking
systems and the manufacturer, the average number of vaccine doses delivered
monthly for each of the preceding 3 months exceeded the monthly estimated
average national need, and all back orders have been filled in both the
public and private sectors.
According to the original Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
recommendations and more recent guidance from CDC, all children aged less
than 24 months and 24-59 months who are at increased risk for pneumococcal
disease (e.g., children with sickle cell disease or anatomic asplenia,
chronic illness, a cerebrospinal fluid leak, a cochlear implant, or an
immunocompromising condition) should be administered the pneumococcal
conjugate vaccine. In addition, providers should consider vaccine for all
other children aged 24-59 months, with priority given to children aged 24-35
months, American Indian/Alaska Native and black children, and those who
attend group child care.
A catch-up schedule is provided for children who are incompletely
vaccinated. The highest priority for catch-up vaccination is to ensure that
children aged less than 5 years at high risk for invasive pneumococcal
disease because of medical conditions have received a complete series.
Second priorities include vaccination of healthy children aged less than 24
months who have not received any doses of pneumococcal conjugate
vaccine and healthy children aged less than 12 months who have not yet
received 3 doses.
Because of the frequency of health-care provider visits for children during
their first 18 months, catch-up vaccination might occur at regularly
scheduled visits for most children who receive vaccines from their
primary-care provider; special notification should be considered for
children who have completed their 15-month visit and are not scheduled to be
seen again before the visit at age 2 years. Programs that provide
vaccinations but do not see children routinely for other reasons also should
consider a notification process to contact undervaccinated or unvaccinated
children.
Reporting Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Among Vaccinees
CDC is investigating situations in which invasive pneumococcal disease
occurs despite vaccination. Health-care providers are encouraged to report
invasive pneumococcal disease occurring in children aged less than 5 years
who have received 1 or more doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to CDC
through state health departments. If pneumococcal isolates are available
from vaccinated children, CDC will perform serotyping to determine whether
the strain is a type included in the vaccine. Additional information is
available at
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/diseases/pneumo/PCV-survrpts/default.htm
*************************
To obtain an HTML copy of the complete text of the article online, including
the table of catch-up vaccination information, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5219a6.htm
To obtain a camera-ready (PDF format) copy of this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5219.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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May 19, 2003
CDC'S 2003-2004 INACTIVATED INFLUENZA VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENT IS NOW
AVAILABLE
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued the
Inactivated Influenza Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) for the 2003-2004
influenza season. Dated 5/6/03, the new VIS is now available on CDC's
website and the website of the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC).
To access a copy of the new influenza VIS in camera-ready (PDF) format, go
to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/2flu.pdf
For information about the use of VISs, as well as VISs for additional
vaccines (some in up to 28 languages), visit IAC's website at
http://www.immunize.org/vis
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May 19, 2003
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AT THE IMMUNIZATION ACTION COALITION IN
ST. PAUL, MN
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) is looking for a full-time administrative assistant to join its crew of more than a
dozen talented, friendly, dedicated people. If you live in the
Twin Cities area and have administrative assistant skills (or
know of someone who does), check out the job description and
application instructions on IAC's website at
http://www.immunize.org/admin/jobopp6.htm
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May 19, 2003
NEW: IAC ADDS TWO MORE VALUABLE WEB PAGES TO ITS WEBSITE
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) recently supplemented
its website with two noteworthy new web pages: "International
Organizations Preventing Disease Through Vaccination" and
"Potential New Vaccines."
Located in the Miscellaneous section of the left column of IAC's
homepage (www.immunize.org), "International Organizations
Preventing Disease Through Vaccination" describes the work of 12
groups that operate on the international level to decrease
disease by increasing vaccination rates. At least one link is
given for each organization; more organizations will be added
over time. To access the new web page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/international
Interested users can find "Potential New Vaccines" in the Topics
of Interest section in the right column of IAC's home page. The
new web page has links to journal articles describing advances
in vaccine research. To access the new web page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/newvaccines
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May 19, 2003
GRIPPING "PHOTO NOTEBOOK OF VACCINE-PREVENTABLE DISEASES" AND
"SLIDE SET OF VACCINE-PREVENTABLE DISEASES" AVAILABLE
Two powerful visual aids--the "Photo Notebook of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases" and the "Slide Set of Vaccine-Preventable
Diseases"--will be of interest to health departments and medical
practices that don't already have them. Developed by the
Immunization Action Coalition (IAC), the notebook and slide set
are intended for clinic staff and community outreach workers who
conduct immunization presentations. Whether they are viewed as
photos on a tabletop or as slides on a screen, many people have
found these images to be worth more than a thousand words each.
PHOTO NOTEBOOK
A three-ring binder holds 20 plastic-protected, 8"x10" color
photographs of children and adults with vaccine-preventable
diseases. Each picture is accompanied by simple text that
explains the disease portrayed. When you show your patients a
picture of an infant with severe varicella disease and other
infections, they will begin to understand the seriousness of the
diseases that vaccines can prevent.
To view an image of the Photo Notebook, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/images/r2053.jpg
To order your own "Photo Notebook of Vaccine-Preventable
Diseases" online (item R2053, $75 each), go to:
https://www.immunize.org/photobook/order_photonote.htm
The images also can be downloaded for free from IAC's website
at:
http://www.immunize.org/photobook
Be sure to scroll down to the thumbnail images and click on the
"live labels" next to them to view photos at different sizes.
SLIDE SET
The Slide Set contains eight more images than the Photo
Notebook. To assist you with slide presentations, an English-language script comes with the Slide Set. A Spanish-language
script is also available upon request. (The Puerto Rico
Immunization Program generously provided the Spanish-language
translation to IAC.)
To order a Slide Set online (item S3010, $25 each), go to:
http://www.immunize.org/slideset
To access the English-language script, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/3010slid.pdf
To access the Spanish-language script, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/3010-01.pdf
You may also order Photo Notebooks or Slide Sets by sending a
check to IAC, Orders Dept., 1573 Selby Avenue, Suite 234, St.
Paul, MN 55104, or faxing your order along with your credit card
information to (651) 647-9131. Questions? Call (651) 647-9009
(no phone orders, please).
Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery of these items.
If you would like to view more than 150 additional images of
vaccine-preventable diseases, go to IAC's web page of Vaccine-Preventable Disease Photos at
http://www.vaccineinformation.org/photos (This is one of IAC's
most popular web pages--click the link and you'll find out why!)
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May 19, 2003
HHS EXPANDS ONLINE HEALTH INFORMATION FOR ASIAN AMERICANS,
NATIVE AMERICANS, AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS
In recognition of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Health
and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced
the launch of two new online health resources of special
interest to Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific
Islanders.
The department's consumer oriented "healthfinder" website now
includes a new section devoted to Asian Americans, Native
Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders, which includes
information on many health topics, including hepatitis B.
Selected materials are available in Cambodian, Chinese, Hmong,
Korean, Laotian, Samoan, Thai, Tongan, and Vietnamese. To access
this website, go to http://www.healthfinder.gov/justforyou and
click on the "Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Other
Pacific Islanders" link.
Complementing this website is a companion website, "Asian
American Health," launched by the National Institutes of
Health's (NIH) National Library of Medicine. The site features
census data on major Asian American populations, background on
cultural traditions and heritage, links to health policy
offices, online medical databases, publications, and other
organizations. Visit "Asian American Health" at
http://asianamericanhealth.nlm.nih.gov
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LAST WEEK’S "ER" EPISODE INCLUDED A POWERFUL IMMUNIZATION MESSAGE.
PLEASE LET NBC KNOW YOU APPRECIATED IT!
The end-of-the-season "ER" episode that appeared on Thursday,
May 15, provided a powerful message on the value of vaccines.
A nurse who reads IAC EXPRESS wrote to us, suggesting that we let
NBC know that the program had great impact. This is what she
wrote:
******************************
I hope some of your staff saw "ER" last night. While volunteering
in an international clinic, Dr. Carter saw a child with polio
and another with pertussis. He and a team went out into the
countryside to immunize persons awaiting their arrival; they
took "DPT, MMR ..." Conversation followed from a disgruntled
Dr. Carter, after learning an inappropriate antibiotic for
pertussis treatment, only, was available as their resource,
to another doctor. Dr. Lucca responded yes, the child likely
would die, however, remember: "we immunized 200 persons here
today---have you ever saved 200 lives in a shift in the ER
back at home?" Priceless, is it not!?
Perhaps someone in your organization could find a way to
notify the directors of "ER" re: this advocacy for
immunization was very well received and thank them for this
very touching program and its wonderful impact. My husband,
who is not a health care employee, was truly touched and
remarked on this "pro-immunization "advocacy brought forth
in the show. Thanks!
****************************
To read NBC’s plot summary, go to:
http://www.nbc.com/ER/episode_guide/203.html
Please let NBC know that you appreciated their message that
immunization saves lives. You can do either of the following:
Send an email message to ER@nbc.com
Send your message via the U.S. Postal Service to one or both
of the following contacts:
John Wells
Executive Producer, "ER"
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522
Joe Sachs, M.D.
Supervising Producer, "ER"
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522
Please reference Episode #175172, “Kisangani.”
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May 19, 2003
FREE TELECONFERENCES UPDATE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ON IMMUNIZING
ADULTS AGAINST TETANUS AND DIPHTHERIA
A series of free, hour-long teleconferences about tetanus and
diphtheria prevention is ongoing through July 15. Four are still
available for May, seven for June, and four for July.
Sponsored by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore
Medical Center, and the University of Tennessee College of
Pharmacy, the teleconferences are designed to assist physicians,
nurses, and pharmacists in maximizing the protection of their
adult patients against tetanus and diphtheria. The
teleconferences provide practical information regarding the
diseases, diagnosis, and use of the Td vaccine. Each
teleconference consists of a 40-minute live presentation and a
20-minute interactive session, during which participants can ask
questions and exchange comments. CME and CPE credit and CE
contact hours are available to participants.
Teleconference participants will receive a monograph for home
study, "Beyond the Rusty Nail: Assessing Risk and Ensuring
Protection Against Adult Tetanus and Diphtheria." The monograph
can be requested without participating in the teleconference.
To register, receive a monograph, or receive additional
information, call (866) 295-9123 between 9 am and 8:30 pm ET.
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May 19, 2003
POSITION OPENING: PKIDS SEEKS COORDINATOR OF EDUCATIONAL
OUTREACH FOR ITS OFFICE IN VANCOUVER, WA
PKIDS (Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases) recently posted
a job announcement for a Coordinator of Educational Outreach for
its office in Vancouver, WA. The organization educates the
public about infectious diseases, methods of prevention and
transmission, and medical advances. It works to eliminate the
social stigma surrounding infected persons and assists the
families of children living with hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, or other
chronic viral infectious diseases.
For a job description of the position and application
information, visit the PKIDS website at
http://www.pkids.org/jobs.htm
For further information about PKIDS, go to:
http://www.pkids.org
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May 19, 2003
MANY NEWLY TRANSLATED AND REVISED VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENTS
ARE AVAILABLE ON THE IAC WEBSITE
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) has recently posted new
translations and revisions to its Vaccine Information Statement
(VIS) web page. It has (1) posted the revised PCV7 Vaccine
Information Statement (VIS) in 12 languages; (2) added Cambodian
translations of VISs for DTaP and hepatitis B vaccines; and
(3) posted revised English-language VISs for DTaP, PCV7, IPV,
Hib, hepatitis B, and varicella vaccines.
REVISED PCV7 VIS IN 12 LANGUAGES
Dated 9/30/02, the most recent VIS for pneumococcal conjugate
vaccine (PCV7) is now available on the IAC website in the
following languages: Armenian, Chinese, Farsi, Japanese, Korean,
Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Samoan, Serbo-Croatian, Tagalog,
and Vietnamese. IAC gratefully acknowledges the California
Department of Health for the translations.
To access a camera-ready (PDF) copy of the PCV7 VIS in Armenian
from the IAC website, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/arpnPCV7.pdf
To access it in Chinese, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/chpnPCV7.pdf
To access it in Farsi, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/fapnPCV7.pdf
To access it in Japanese, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/jppnPCV7.pdf
To access it in Korean, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/kopnPCV7.pdf
To access it in Portuguese, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/prpnPCV7.pdf
To access it in Punjabi, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/pupnPCV7.pdf
To access it in Romanian, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/ropnPCV7.pdf
To access it in Samoan, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/sapnPCV7.pdf
To access it in Serbo-Croatian, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/scpnPCV7.pdf
To access it in Tagalog, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/tapnPCV7.pdf
To access it in Vietnamese, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/vnpnPCV7.pdf
CAMBODIAN TRANSLATIONS OF VISs FOR TWO VACCINES
Cambodian-language VISs for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis
vaccine (DTaP) and hepatitis B vaccine are now available on
IAC's website. IAC gratefully acknowledges the Minnesota
Department of Health for the translations.
To access a camera-ready (PDF) copy of the Cambodian-language
DTaP VIS from the IAC website, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/cadtap01.pdf
To access the Cambodian-language hepatitis B VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/ca_hpb01.pdf
REVISED ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VISs FOR SIX VACCINES
CDC recently made a minor revision to VISs for six vaccines. It
changed the Web address for the National Vaccine Injury
Compensation Program (VICP) to www.hrsa.gov/osp/vicp
on VISs for the following vaccines: diphtheria, tetanus, and
pertussis (DTaP), pneumococcal conjugate (PCV7), inactivated
polio (IPV), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), hepatitis B,
and varicella. Note that CDC did not change the issue date of
these VISs.
To access a camera-ready (PDF) copy of the revised VIS for DTaP
vaccine from the IAC website, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/dtap01.pdf
To access the revised VIS for PCV7, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/pnPCV7.pdf
To access the revised VIS for IPV, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/ipv-00.pdf
To access the revised VIS for Hib, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/hib99.pdf
To access the revised VIS for hepatitis B, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/hepb01.pdf
To access the revised VIS for varicella, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/varic99.pdf
For more 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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May 19, 2003
REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE SIGN 2002 ANNUAL MEETING NOW
AVAILABLE ON THE WEB
The 2002 annual meeting of the Safe Injection Global Network
(SIGN) took place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on October 24-26,
2002. During the meeting many countries shared their experiences
in managing the safe and appropriate use of injections through a
systematic approach that included assessment, planning,
implementation, and evaluation.
To access an HTML version of the meeting report from the website
of the World Health Organization, go to:
http://www.who.int/injection_safety/sign/meetings/past/Meeting2002/en/print.html
To access a camera-ready (PDF) version of the final report, go
to:
http://www.who.int/injection_safety/sign/meetings/past/2002MeetingReport.pdf
Please note: The PDF file of the final report is large at
983 kb. Some printers cannot print such a large file. For tips
on downloading and printing PDF files, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/nslt.d/tips.htm
To view the PowerPoint slide presentations, go to:
http://www.who.int/injection_safety/sign/meetings/past/MeetingPresentation2002/en
To visit the SIGN website, go to:
http://www.who.int/injection_safety/sign/en
To sign up for "SIGNPost," the SIGN electronic newsletter, go
to: http://www.who.int/injection_safety/newsletter/SIGNPost/en
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May 19, 2003
CDC PUBLISHES AN UPDATE OF SMALLPOX VACCINE ADVERSE EVENTS
SURVEILLANCE
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published
"Update: Adverse Events Following Civilian Smallpox
Vaccination--United States, 2003" in the May 16 issue of the
"Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" (MMWR). Five serious
adverse events were reported during the most recent reporting
period, April 26-May 2. The five serious events were one case of
chest tightness with electrocardiogram changes, one case of
polyneuropathy, and three cases of atypical chest pain.
To obtain the complete text of the article online, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5219a5.htm
To obtain a camera-ready (PDF format) copy of this issue of
MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5219.pdf
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