Issue
Number 396
June 30, 2003
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- IAC's new "Immunization Registries" web page simplifies access
to online resources
- Every Child By Two electronic newsletter makes it easy to keep
up with federal immunization legislation
- North Carolina enacts meningococcal legislation for college
attendance
- Routine immunization of children re-established across Iraq
- CDC publishes an update on current monkeypox outbreak
- Annual SIGN meeting to be held September 18-20 in Nairobi,
back-to-back with the Africa AIDS Conference
- DHHS receives report of the National Advisory Committee on
Children and Terrorism
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June 30, 2003
IAC'S NEW "IMMUNIZATION REGISTRIES" WEB PAGE SIMPLIFIES ACCESS TO ONLINE
RESOURCES
Recently, the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) culled material about
immunization registries from professional journals and government
publications and used it to develop a new web page, "Immunization
Registries." The national health goals for 2010 specify that 95 percent of
children from birth up to age 6 years participate in a fully operational,
population-based immunization registry. One of IAC's goals in developing the
new web page is to provide those interested in registries with information
that will speed the growth of registries and help attain the 2010
objectives.
The growth of registries is a recent and welcome occurrence. Health
professionals who provide vaccinations know the frustration of trying to
track down a new patient's shot record. Because of population mobility,
changes in health plan rules, and changes in employment, patients,
particularly children, often visit multiple providers to complete
immunizations. When providers are not able to access previous records
quickly, they may defer needed vaccines or give unnecessary doses.
Immunization registries, which are centralized repositories for immunization
records, are the solution to this problem. Across the nation, many are
functioning on the state and local level.
The new "Immunization Registries" web page is located in the Topics of
Interest section in the right column of IAC's home page (www.immunize.org).
To access it, go to: http://www.immunize.org/registries
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June 30, 2003
EVERY CHILD BY TWO ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER MAKES IT EASY TO KEEP
UP WITH FEDERAL IMMUNIZATION LEGISLATION
Every other month, we at the Immunization Action Coalition are
fortunate enough to receive an outstanding electronic
newsletter published by Every Child By Two (ECBT), a nonprofit
organization committed to promoting childhood immunization.
Started in 1991 in response to the 1989-91 U.S. measles
epidemic, the group is spearheaded by former United States First
Lady Rosalynn Carter and former Arkansas First Lady Betty
Bumpers.
Every newsletter issue includes "On the Hill," a column that
describes and explains--in plain English--proposed legislation
that has the potential to affect some aspect of childhood
immunization on the national level. Subsequent newsletter issues
inform readers of the status of the legislation. In addition,
the column outlines steps readers can take to advocate for
particular legislation. Several times a year, newsletter
subscribers also receive stand-alone "On the Hill" columns that
make them aware of particularly important immunization
legislation.
Other newsletter articles concern various childhood immunization
issues, such as immunization registries, pertinent articles
published in the "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,"
relevant events on the state level, and much more.
To access the May/June 2003 newsletter, including the "On the
Hill" column, from the ECBT website, go to:
http://www.ecbt.org/new0603.html
To access previous newsletters and stand-alone "On the Hill"
columns, go to: http://www.ecbt.org/allnews.html
To subscribe to the newsletter and "On the Hill" column, email
rich@ecbt.org
For information about ECBT's myriad activities, visit the ECBT
home page at http://www.ecbt.org There you'll find links to
a host of web pages that describe the work the organization is
involved in on behalf of childhood immunization.
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June 30, 2003
NORTH CAROLINA ENACTS MENINGOCOCCAL LEGISLATION FOR COLLEGE
ATTENDANCE
The General Assembly of North Carolina passed legislation
requiring all educational institutions that offer a
postsecondary degree and that have a residential campus to
provide all students with (1) vaccination information on
meningococcal disease and (2) forms on which students will
indicate whether they have received vaccination against the
disease. The governor signed the legislation June 12; it went
into effect immediately and will apply to students beginning in
the 2003-2004 academic year.
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) has compiled information
about all states that have meningococcal prevention mandates for
colleges and universities. To access the information, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/laws/menin.htm
We depend on our readers to help us stay informed and to ensure
our website contains the most current and accurate information
available. Please let us know when any changes occur in your
state.
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June 30, 2003
ROUTINE IMMUNIZATION OF CHILDREN RE-ESTABLISHED ACROSS IRAQ
On June 16, the United Nations International Children's
Emergency Fund (UNICEF) issued a press release announcing the
resumption of routine immunization of Iraqi children. Routine
immunization was halted for almost three months after the start
of military action in March. Excerpts from the press release
follow.
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BAGHDAD, 16 June 2003 - With support from UNICEF, the Iraqi
Ministry of Health has begun the process of immunizing the
country's 4.2 million children under the age of five against
preventable diseases such as polio, tetanus, diphtheria,
pertussis, measles, and tuberculosis. The World Health
Organization is also contributing to the reactivation of Iraq's
Expanded Programme of Immunization by re-establishing the
country's vital disease surveillance system.
According to UNICEF, no child in Iraq has been routinely
immunized since the start of military action on 20 March 2003.
"In the past three months, approximately 210,000 children have
been born in Iraq," said Carel de Rooy, UNICEF's Representative
in Iraq. "Not one of these children has been vaccinated against
the myriad of deadly and debilitating diseases young children
are susceptible to."
"Parents know how important these immunizations are to their
newborn and young children. An infant's immune system is very
fragile and vulnerable to contracting disease without these
vaccines, and given the current conditions in the country,
children are at greater risk than ever if they are not
vaccinated right away," added de Rooy.
With the fall of the former regime came the breakdown of much
of Iraq's health system. The Ministry of Health stopped
functioning, communication between the capital and the
governorates became impossible, and vital services like routine
immunization collapsed leaving children vulnerable to disease.
The war also affected the country's store of vaccines. The
country's vaccines were kept in a building at the Vaccine and
Serum Institute of Baghdad. The institute was struck by missiles
during the war and all electricity to the store room was
cut. . . .
To overcome this situation, UNICEF has been bringing millions
of doses of vaccines into Iraq to restart the country's routine
immunization programme in partnership with the reactivated
Ministry of Health. The 25 million doses of vaccines were
purchased through a $3.2 million grant from USAID. . . .
"UNICEF and the Ministry of Health have been focusing our
health initiatives on re-establishing the country's routine
immunization system. It is our main priority for protecting the
health of Iraqi children," said de Rooy. "The size and
importance of this endeavour can not be underestimated, and we
are extremely pleased that immunization will begin across Iraq
today."
With support from UNICEF and WHO, Iraq has been certified polio-free, measles has been brought under control, and maternal and
neonatal tetanus eliminated.
However, according to UNICEF all of these gains would be lost if routine immunization were not restarted quickly. The
re-emergence of polio in Iraq would also risk transmission to
neighbouring countries, thereby threatening the region.
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To access the press release from the UNICEF website, go to:
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/2003/03nn53iraq.htm
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June 30, 2003
CDC PUBLISHES AN UPDATE ON CURRENT MONKEYPOX OUTBREAK
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published
"Update: Multistate Outbreak of Monkeypox--Illinois, Indiana,
Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin, 2003" in the June 27
issue of the "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" (MMWR).
The article reports the number of confirmed cases has been
revised, based on the updated case definition, issued June 17.
In addition, the article reports on the use of smallpox vaccine
to prevent further transmission of monkeypox and refers readers
to an updated interim guidance on the use of smallpox vaccine,
cidofovir, and vaccinia immune globulin, issued June 25.
Excerpts of the article are reprinted below.
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CDC and state and local health departments continue to
investigate cases of monkeypox among persons who had contact
with wild or exotic mammalian pets or persons with monkeypox.
This report updates epidemiologic, laboratory, and smallpox
vaccine use data for U.S. cases.
As of June 25, a total of 79 cases of monkeypox had been
reported to CDC from Wisconsin (39), Indiana (20), Illinois
(16), Missouri (two), Kansas (one), and Ohio (one); these
include 29 cases laboratory-confirmed at CDC and 51 cases under
investigation by state and local health departments. A total of
19 cases were excluded from those reported in the previous
update because they met the exclusion criteria outlined in the
updated case definition, and 11 were added. . . .
To prevent further transmission of monkeypox, 26 residents of
five states have received smallpox vaccine since June 13;
recipients included 24 adults and two children. Vaccine was
administered to two laboratory workers pre-exposure and to 24
persons post-exposure (11 health-care workers, seven household
contacts, three laboratory workers, two public health
veterinarians, and one work contact). One adult who was
vaccinated as a child did not have a major vaccine reaction or
"take" 7 days after vaccination and required revaccination.
CDC has issued updated interim guidance on the use of smallpox
vaccine, cidofovir, and vaccinia immune globulin for prevention
and treatment in the setting of an outbreak of monkeypox.
Principal changes in the updated guidance include a revision of
the definition of close contact with an ill animal,
recommendations for vaccination of clinical laboratory workers
handling specimens from ill animals and persons infected with
monkeypox virus, and instructions for reporting smallpox
vaccine-related serious adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse
Event Reporting System (VAERS).
["IAC EXPRESS" editor's note: To access the updated interim
guidance from CDC's monkeypox web page, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/monkeypox/treatmentguidelines.htm]
Health-care providers, veterinarians, and public health
officials who suspect monkeypox in animals or humans should
report such cases to their state and local health departments.
State health departments should report suspect cases to CDC,
telephone (770) 488-7100. Clinical specimens should be submitted
for testing after consultation with the state and local health
department. Interpretation of laboratory results requires
completion of specimen submission forms, which are available at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/monkeypox/diagspecimens.htm Additional
information about monkeypox is available at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/monkeypox
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To obtain the complete text of the article online, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5225a4.htm
To obtain a camera-ready (PDF format) copy of this issue of
MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5225.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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June 30, 2003
ANNUAL SIGN MEETING TO BE HELD SEPTEMBER 18-20 IN NAIROBI,
BACK-TO-BACK WITH THE AFRICA AIDS CONFERENCE
The 2003 annual meeting of SIGN (Safe Injection Global Network)
will be held September 18-20 in Nairobi, Kenya, as a satellite
symposium of the 13th International Conference on AIDS and STIs
in Africa (ICASA). The AIDS conference follows on
September 21-26.
SIGN meets annually to aid collaboration and synergy among its
participants worldwide. Specific objectives include (1)
reviewing progress achieved; (2) exchanging information and
ideas; (3) identifying upcoming key issues and future
challenges. Online information on the upcoming SIGN meeting is
currently under construction. To check its progress, go to:
http://www.who.int/injection_safety/sign/meetings/en
For further information about the meeting, contact the SIGN
secretariat by email at sign@who.int, by phone in Switzerland
at +41 22 791 1275, or by fax in Switzerland at +41 22 791 4836.
To subscribe to "SIGNpost," SIGN's weekly electronic newsletter,
go to:
http://www.who.int/injection_safety/newsletter/SIGNPost/en
For an array of information about the Africa AIDS Conference,
go to: http://www.icasanairobi2003.org/index.php or email the
conference secretariat at icasa2003@todays.co.ke
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June 30, 2003
DHHS RECEIVES REPORT OF THE NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON
CHILDREN AND TERRORISM
On June 12, Tommy G. Thompson, Secretary of the Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS), received the report of the
National Advisory Committee on Children and Terrorism (NACCT).
The advisory committee was established a year ago for the
purpose of making consensus recommendations to the DHHS
secretary on matters related to terrorism and its impact on
children.
A paragraph from the report's executive summary outlining the
committee's conclusions is reprinted below in its entirety,
excluding references.
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The NACCT has reached remarkable consensus that (1) a
comprehensive public health strategy to meet the needs of
children in planning and responding to terrorism will require
review of all current DHHS programs and guidance to assertively
require that a specific focus be placed on meeting the needs of
children and families, (2) funding decisions for terrorism-related programs and initiatives should be linked to
confirmation that children's needs have been specifically
accounted for, (3) structures within DHHS should be created to
ensure continued oversight and adequate response to the needs of
children and families in DHHS programs and initiatives, (4)
significant new pediatric and psychosocial initiatives are
needed to address the needs of the nation's children and
families in light of the continued threat of terror events, and
(5) addressing the needs of children and families in the face of
terrorism should be recognized to be an essential part of
America's national security response to terrorism.
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To access an online copy of the 38-page report from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) bioterrorism website,
go to:
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/children/word/working/Recommend.doc
To access a camera-ready (PDF) copy of the report, go to:
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/children/PDF/working/Recommend.pdf
To access DHHS's June 16 press release about the report, go to:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20030616.html
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