Issue
Number 422
November 3, 2003
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- Looking for additional places to refer patients for flu
vaccine? These nationwide email and phone resources will help
- Attention adult medical specialists: The latest issue of
"Vaccinate Adults!" is on the Web
- CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis launches Spanish version of
its website
- "The Vaccine Handbook" is now available for order online or by
phone
- CDC reports on 2002 Italian measles epidemic
- The Conference on Innovative Administration Systems for
Vaccines is planned for December 18-19
- "Shots for Tots" Louisiana Infant Immunization Conference set
for December 11-12 in New Orleans
- Revised: IAC corrects an error in the October 27 issue of "IAC
EXPRESS"
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November 3, 2003
LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL PLACES TO REFER PATIENTS FOR FLU VACCINE? THESE
NATIONWIDE EMAIL AND PHONE RESOURCES WILL HELP
Are patients who don't have time to come into your office for flu vaccine
calling you for referrals? If so, you may be interested in directing them to
one of three excellent sources that have information about flu vaccine
clinics in all 50 states. Two sources are accessible on the Web and one, by
toll-free phone number.
ON THE WEB
The American Lung Association's "Find a Flu Shot" web page directs users to
nearby clinics. Users can search by their postal zip code, telephone area
code, or state.
To access the "Find a Flu Shot" web page, go to:
http://www.findaflushot.com/lungusa
The National Immunization Program, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), offers links to websites that will help the public find
clinics.
To access the "Looking for flu shot locations?" section of CDC's website, go
to:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/flu/Public.htm#locate
BY TOLL-FREE PHONE CALL
CDC's National Immunization Information Hotline will direct callers to their
local health department; the health department will give people information
about flu vaccine clinics in the local area.
The National Immunization Information Hotline is staffed Monday through
Friday from 8 am ET to 11 pm ET. The number for English speakers is (800)
232-2522; for Spanish speakers, (800) 232-0233; for TTY, (800) 243-7889.
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November 3, 2003
ATTENTION ADULT MEDICAL SPECIALISTS: THE LATEST ISSUE OF "VACCINATE ADULTS!"
IS ON THE WEB
The hard copy of the November 2003 issue of "VACCINATE ADULTS!" was just
mailed to nearly 150,000 adult medicine specialists and health departments.
You can access the entire issue or selected articles from the website of the
Immunization Action Coalition (IAC). Immunization and hepatitis experts at
the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reviewed
each article and education piece in the issue for accuracy (with the
exception of editorials).
Just in time for this year's influenza vaccination season, the new issue has
information about FluMist, the new live, attenuated influenza vaccine, as
well as a piece that will help providers implement standing orders for
administering influenza vaccine to adults. In addition, we devote two pages
to summarizing the recommendations for adult immunization. This is
information you won't find anywhere else; we hope you'll peruse the table of
contents (given below) and read articles that interest you online.
HOW TO ACCESS "VACCINATE ADULTS!" ON THE WEB
You can download the entire issue from the Web or view selected articles
from the table of contents below.
To view the table of contents with links to individual articles, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/va
Please note: The PDF file of the entire November 2003 issue,
linked below, is large at 353,640 bytes. 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 download the entire PDF version of the November 2003 issue,
go to: http://www.immunize.org/va/va11.pdf
SUMMARIES OF INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES AND FEATURES
Summaries of "VACCINATE ADULTS!" articles and features are
below, followed by URLs.
- "Ask the Experts"
CDC immunization expert William Atkinson, MD, MPH, and viral
hepatitis experts Linda Moyer, RN, and Eric Mast, MD, answer
readers' questions.
HTML: http://www.immunize.org/va/va11exprt.htm
PDF: http://www.immunize.org/va/va11exprt.pdf
- "Vaccine Highlights"
A digest of recent recommendations and news about vaccines
and vaccine resources pertaining to adults.
HTML: http://www.immunize.org/va/va11vac.htm
PDF: http://www.immunize.org/va/va11vac.pdf
- "Give These People Influenza Vaccine!"
This one-page professional education sheet has the latest
information on the populations for whom influenza vaccine is
recommended or encouraged.
HTML: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2013flu.htm
PDF: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2013flu.pdf
- "Standing Orders for Administering Influenza Vaccine
to Adults"
This one-page sheet outlines the purpose, policy, and
procedures for using standing orders for influenza vaccine
administration and presents information about
contraindications, precautions, and administration
techniques.
PDF: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p3074.pdf
- "Hepatitis B and the Health Care Worker"
Updated in September, this two-page reference sheet explains
which health care workers require hepatitis B vaccine,
serologic testing, and postexposure prophylaxis.
HTML: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2109hcw.htm
PDF: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2109hcw.pdf
- "Summary of Recommendations for Adult Immunization"
Adapted from recommendations made by the Advisory Committee
on Immunization Practices, this two-page sheet outlines
information about nine vaccines commonly given to adults,
including details about the populations for whom each is
recommended, the routine and catch-up schedule for each, and
contraindications for each.
HTML: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2011b.htm
PDF: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2011b.pdf
- "Adult Resources and Order Form"
Order materials for patients and clinic staff here.
PDF: http://www.immunize.org/va/catalog.pdf
- "Letter from the Executive Director: Stay in Touch to Keep
Receiving VACCINATE ADULTS!"
IAC's Executive Director, Deborah L. Wexler, MD, encourages
her colleagues to support IAC by becoming contributors.
HTML: http://www.immunize.org/va/va11back.htm
PDF: http://www.immunize.org/va/va11back.pdf
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November 3, 2003
CDC'S DIVISION OF VIRAL HEPATITIS LAUNCHES SPANISH VERSION OF
ITS WEBSITE
[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action
Coalition's "HEP EXPRESS" electronic newsletter, 10/30/03.]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of
Viral Hepatitis recently created a Spanish mirror site of their
viral hepatitis website. Check out the resources available on
this site and recommend it to your Spanish-speaking patients,
clients, and friends.
The website can be accessed directly at
http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/enfermedades/hepatitis
The site can also be accessed by clicking on the "CDC en
Español" link found throughout the English-language version.
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November 3, 2003
"THE VACCINE HANDBOOK" IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR ORDER ONLINE OR
BY PHONE
"The Vaccine Handbook: A Practical Guide for Clinicians" by
Gary S. Marshall, MD, is now in stock and available for order
online or by phone. Published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins,
the handbook discusses a spectrum of vaccines, each separately,
and presents information about the disease the vaccine prevents
and its epidemiology, the vaccine's efficacy and safety, and the
practical questions most frequently asked about the vaccine's
use. A chapter addresses specific parental concerns about
vaccines and their safety. The book is softbound and costs
$39.95.
To order online from the publisher, go to:
http://www.lww.com/products/?6073 To order by phone, or for
additional information, call (800) 638-3030.
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November 3, 2003
CDC REPORTS ON 2002 ITALIAN MEASLES EPIDEMIC
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published
"Measles Epidemic Attributed to Inadequate Vaccination
Coverage--Campania, Italy, 2002" in the October 31 issue of
"Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" (MMWR). A summary made
available to the press is reprinted below in its entirety.
***********************
Measles can be severe and sometimes fatal, even in
industrialized countries.
The interruption of measles transmission can be achieved only
with coordinated and uniform actions, aimed to improve
vaccination coverage. A large measles outbreak occurred in 2002
in Campania, a large region in southern Italy. The outbreak
occurred as a result of low vaccination coverage and affected
primarily unvaccinated school-aged children. Four measles-associated deaths, 15 encephalitis [cases], and 594
hospitalizations were detected. The epidemic, although limited
initially to Campania, spread to other areas, affecting mainly
other Italian southern regions.
***********************
To obtain the complete text of the article online, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5243a4.htm
To obtain a camera-ready (PDF format) copy of
this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5243.pdf
HOW TO OBTAIN A FREE ELECTRONIC SUBSCRIPTION TO THE MMWR:
To obtain a free electronic subscription to "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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November 3, 2003
THE CONFERENCE ON INNOVATIVE ADMINISTRATION SYSTEMS FOR VACCINES IS
PLANNED FOR DECEMBER 18-19
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published "Notice to
Readers: Vaccine Delivery Technologies" in the October 31 issue of
"Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" (MMWR). The notice is reprinted
below in its entirety.
***********************
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is sponsoring the
Conference on Innovative Administration Systems for Vaccines, to be held
December 18-19, 2003, in Rockville, Maryland. The conference will feature
recent scientific and clinical developments in existing and
investigational methods to administer vaccines by routes that avoid the
dangers and drawbacks of needle and syringe and that facilitate rapid
implementation of mass vaccination programs. Sessions will include
presentations on vaccination by the transcutaneous and mucosal (nasal,
oral, and pulmonary) routes and by needle-free jet injection. The
conference is coordinated by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Public Health Preparedness of DHHS and sponsored by five DHHS agencies:
National Vaccine Program Office, Food and Drug Administration, National
Institutes of Health, the Strategic National Stockpile, and CDC.
Exhibition facilities will be available. Additional information about the
conference, including registration and hotel reservations, is available
from Science Applications International Corporation at telephone, (301)
228-3124; e-mail,
vaccine750@saic.com and from CDC at
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/dev#administration
***********************
To obtain the complete text of the article online, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5243a10.htm
To obtain a camera-ready (PDF format) copy of this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5243.pdf
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November 3, 2003
"SHOTS FOR TOTS" LOUISIANA INFANT IMMUNIZATION CONFERENCE SET FOR DECEMBER
11-12 IN NEW ORLEANS
The Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel, New Orleans, is the site for the 12th annual
"Shots for Tots" Louisiana Infant Immunization Conference. To take
advantage of the early-bird registration rate of $25, make sure to mail
your registration no later than November 5.
For information about the conference program and registration, go to:
http://www.shotsfortots.com/html/11th_annual.html or call Gina
Deris at (504) 483-1900.
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November 3, 2003
REVISED: IAC CORRECTS AN ERROR IN THE OCTOBER 27 ISSUE OF "IAC EXPRESS"
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) made an error in the title of one
of the articles published in the October 27 issue of "IAC EXPRESS." The
incorrect title read "CDC Health Advisory: Unvaccinated Philadelphia Man
Reported to Have Contracted Respiratory Diphtheria in Haiti." The correct
information is that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
identified the man as a Pennsylvania resident, not a Philadelphia
resident.
IAC regrets the error and any confusion it may have caused our readers. We
extend our thanks to Perrianne Lurie, MD, MPH, FACPM, of the Pennsylvania
Department of Health, for bringing the error to our attention.
To access a corrected version of the title from the IAC website, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/genr.d/issue420.htm#n5 |
