Issue
Number 488
October 27, 2004
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- Please tell CBS your thoughts about the importance of
their Oct. 20 broadcast on the public health impact of vaccine refusal
- Updated: CDC's "Influenza" web section adds new
professional- and patient-education information on influenza vaccine
shortage
- Erratum: "IAC EXPRESS" article about NIP's audio VISs
contains an error
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ABBREVIATIONS: AAFP, American Academy of Family Physicians; AAP, American
Academy of Pediatrics; ACIP, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices;
CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; FDA, Food and Drug
Administration; IAC, Immunization Action Coalition; MMWR, Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report; NIP, National Immunization Program; VIS, Vaccine
Information Statement; VPD, vaccine-preventable disease; WHO, World Health
Organization.
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October 27, 2004
PLEASE TELL CBS YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR OCT. 20
BROADCAST ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT OF VACCINE REFUSAL
On October 20, "60 Minutes Wednesday" aired "The Vaccine Question," which
CBS promoted prior to broadcast as follows:
"Once upon a time, whooping cough used to be a parent's nightmare and a
child killer. A half-century ago, a vaccine turned the disease into just a
vivid name in history books. But history is starting to repeat itself.
Today, there are more cases of whooping cough than at any time in 40 years.
Doctors and public health officials point to several reasons for this--and
one in particular worries them. It turns out that a growing number of
Americans are refusing to vaccinate their children, and not just against
whooping cough, but most of the other vaccinations routinely given children
before the age of four. One reason: They hear claims that vaccines cause
autism or other diseases."
CBS correspondent Dan Rather interviews parents and physicians, including
Paul Offit, MD, director, Vaccine Education Center, Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia; and Barbara Loe Fisher, president, National Vaccine
Information Center.
During the broadcast Offit states definitively, "I'm prepared to say that
vaccines don't cause autism. When you choose not to get a vaccine, you're
not going to lower your risk of autism. All you're going to do is increase
your risk of getting a severe and potentially fatal infection."
The 12-minute segment includes video footage of three young children with
wrenching paroxysms of cough from pertussis, and an interview with a mother
whose 6-week-old infant nearly died from pertussis. (He was too young to
have been vaccinated.)
If you missed the program, you can read the full transcript by going to the
60 Minutes II website at
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/20/60II/main650368.shtml To
view a video segment from the broadcast, click on the film icon under the
words "FREE VIDEO," above Paul Offit's photo at the left of the screen.
The staff of IAC thinks CBS did an outstanding job in investigating the
complex, controversial issue of vaccine refusal and in presenting it to a
broad, general audience during prime time. It's important that health
professionals let the media know when they've hit a bull's-eye, just as it
is to let them know when they've missed the mark.
We urge "IAC EXPRESS" readers to take a few minutes to let the "60 Minutes
Wednesday" staff know your thoughts about the broadcast or the transcript
(if you missed the broadcast). Even writing only a couple of sentences will
give CBS useful feedback.
You can send an email to
60II@cbsnews.com (mailto:60II@cbsnews.com)
or use the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this web page:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/20/60II/main650368.shtml
You can also write the program at the following address:
60 Minutes Wednesday
524 West 57th St.
New York, NY 10019
To order a transcript, call (800) 777-8398; to order a videotape, call (800)
848-3256.
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October 27, 2004
UPDATED: CDC'S "INFLUENZA" WEB SECTION ADDS NEW PROFESSIONAL- AND
PATIENT-EDUCATION INFORMATION ON INFLUENZA VACCINE SHORTAGE
In the past few days, CDC posted newly developed or updated resources
related to the influenza vaccine shortage on its "Influenza" web section.
Following are links to the newly posted resources:
PROFESSIONAL-EDUCATION INFORMATION
"Questions & Answers: Information for Clinicians" has been updated as
recently as October 23. New additions include information on procedures
providers should take when they don't have enough influenza vaccine to
vaccinate their high-risk patients. To access the Q&A section, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/qa_clinician.htm
"Fact Sheet: Who Should Get Flu Vaccine This Season" was updated on October
25. To access a ready-to-copy (PDF) version, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/pdf/0405shortage.pdf
PATIENT-EDUCATION INFORMATION
"Questions & Answers: 2004-05 Influenza Season" has been updated as recently
as October 26. New additions include information on vaccinating
international travelers, people with HIV, laboratory workers, and other
topics. To access the Q&A section, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/0405season.htm
The one-page patient-education flyer "Who should and should not get a flu
shot?" is now available in Spanish: "¿Quien debe vacunarse contra la gripe
(la influenza o flu)?" To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/flugallery/images04_05/whoshould2_sp.pdf
The CDC web page "Influenza information in other languages" has been updated
as recently as October 27. To access it, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/languages.htm
CDC's "2004-05 flu vaccine shortage" web section is being continually
updated. Check it often at
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccineshortage.htm
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October 27, 2004
ERRATUM: "IAC EXPRESS" ARTICLE ABOUT NIP'S AUDIO VISs CONTAINS AN ERROR
In the October 25 issue of "IAC EXPRESS," we inadvertently issued incorrect
information about NIP's audio versions of VISs. The last sentence of the
article titled "New: NIP makes audio versions of almost all VISs available
on its website," states that a CD-ROM of the audio files is available. NIP
informs us that a CD-ROM is NOT available.
"IAC EXPRESS" regrets the error and any difficulties it may have caused NIP
or our readers. |
