Issue
Number 496
December 6, 2004
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- Updated: CDC continues to supplement its website with
information related to the influenza vaccine shortage
- Teleconference on immunization coalition advocacy
scheduled for December 14
- Updated: IAC posts revised immunization and hepatitis
parent-education pieces to its website
- Official CDC Health Advisory issued about revised
recommendations for malaria prophylaxis in Dominican Republic
- CDC reports on the expansion of the AFP surveillance
system to global surveillance of other infectious diseases
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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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December 6, 2004
UPDATED: CDC CONTINUES TO SUPPLEMENT ITS WEBSITE WITH INFORMATION RELATED TO
THE INFLUENZA VACCINE SHORTAGE
CDC recently updated its website with three significant documents related to
the influenza vaccine shortage. Following are links to the three.
(1) On November 30, CDC issued a revised version of the "Patient Screening
Form for Health Care Providers Offering FluMist Live Attenuated Intranasal
Influenza Vaccine during the 2004-05 Flu Season." The form has "Revised" in
the upper right corner; if you have copies of the older version of the form,
discard them, and use the revised version instead. To access a
ready-to-print (PDF) version of the revised form, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/flugallery/pdf/flumistscreeningform.pdf
(2) On December 2, CDC organized a variety of its individual influenza
education pieces into the "Flu Prevention Toolkit: Selected Printable
Resources and Supplemental Materials." The toolkit includes
patient-education posters, flyers, and fact sheets (some in languages in
addition to English), as well as fact sheets for health professionals.
To access an overview of the toolkit's contents, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/toolkit/resources.htm
To access the toolkit's contents in ready-to-print (PDF) format, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/toolkit/pdf/flutoolkit.pdf
(3) CDC added several new question-and-answer modules to the influenza web
page "Questions & Answers: 2004-05 Vaccine Supply." Information was added
about nationwide supply, allocation of vaccine among states and territories,
and distribution to providers. To access the information, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/0405vaccinesupply.htm
For ongoing information about new and updated additions to CDC's Influenza
web section, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/whatsnew.htm
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December 6, 2004
TELECONFERENCE ON IMMUNIZATION COALITION ADVOCACY SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 14
The National Immunization Coalition TA [technical assistance] Network has
scheduled a teleconference on immunization coalition advocacy for 1PM ET on
December 14. The network is a program of the Center for Health
Communication, Academy for Educational Development.
The teleconference facilitator is Debbie McCune Davis, program director, The
Arizona Partnership for Immunization (TAPI). TAPI advocates for immunization
funding, expansion of school requirements, and support for the Arizona State
Immunization Information System.
Learning objectives of the teleconference include the following:
- Identify coalition characteristics that
are essential to successful advocacy activities
- Learn to deliver an effective message to
policymakers that will improve relationships, increase immunization
resources, strengthen vaccination policies, and support immunization
information systems
To register for the teleconference, email
Katherine Shrout at kshrout@aed.org
In your email, include this message: "Sign me up for the Advocacy TA call."
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December 6, 2004
UPDATED: IAC POSTS REVISED IMMUNIZATION AND HEPATITIS PARENT-EDUCATION
PIECES TO ITS WEBSITE
IAC recently updated two of its parent-education pieces. Details follow.
(1) The two-page brochure "Chickenpox isn't just an itchy, contagious
rash" has been reformatted and updated; it now includes information
advising parents that it is possible for a vaccinated child to develop a
mild case of the disease.
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the revised brochure, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4070chi.pdf
To access a web-text (HTML) version of it, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4070chi.htm
(2) IAC made minor revisions to the one-page piece "Hepatitis B vaccine is
imperative for families adopting from abroad." Written by a pediatrician
who specializes in adoption medicine, the piece stresses the need for
families undertaking international adoption to be vaccinated against
hepatitis B and explains some of the issues involved in adopting a child
chronically infected with hepatitis B virus.
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the revised piece, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/4153adop.pdf
To access a web-text (HTML) version of it, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/4153adop.htm
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December 6, 2004
OFFICIAL CDC HEALTH ADVISORY ISSUED ABOUT REVISED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
MALARIA PROPHYLAXIS IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
On November 30, CDC's Health Alert Network issued an Official CDC Health
Advisory in response to recent reports of at least four cases of malaria
in the Dominican Republic. The advisory is reprinted below in its
entirety.
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This is an official CDC HEALTH ADVISORY
Distributed via Health Alert Network
Tuesday, November 30, 2004, 3:15PM ET
REVISED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MALARIA PROPHYLAXIS IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
CDC has received reports of 2 cases of malaria in November 2004 in U.S.
travelers to the Dominican Republic whose visits were limited to Punta
Cana (La Altagracia Province) and San Francisco de Macoris (Duarte
Province). During the same period at least 2 more cases have been reported
in European travelers who visited Punta Cana. CDC has recommended malaria
prophylaxis for travelers to rural areas in the Dominican Republic but not
for travel to resorts. In light of these reports, as a precautionary
measure, CDC is expanding the recommendations to include chloroquine
prophylaxis for travelers to all areas in La Altagracia Province,
including the Punta Cana area, and also to all areas of Duarte Province.
The Ministry of Health in the Dominican Republic has implemented malaria
control measures, including intensified surveillance, prompt case
management, and intensive mosquito control activities. CDC will continue
to monitor the situation and provide updates on these recommendations.
Healthcare providers needing assistance with diagnosis or management of
suspected cases of malaria should call the CDC Malaria Hotline: (770)
488-7788 (M-F, 8AM-4:30PM ET). For emergency consultation after hours,
call: (770) 488-7100 and request to speak with a CDC Malaria Branch
clinician.
Additional information about malaria and its prevention is available at
http://www.cdc.gov/malaria
and http://www.cdc.gov/travel
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To access the advisory from CDC's Health Alert Network, go to:
http://www.phppo.cdc.gov/HAN/ArchiveSys/ViewMsgV.asp?AlertNum=00217
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December 6, 2004
CDC REPORTS ON THE EXPANSION OF THE AFP SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM TO GLOBAL
SURVEILLANCE OF OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASES
CDC published "Acute Flaccid Paralysis Surveillance Systems and Other
Diseases, 2003-2004" in the December 3 issue of MMWR. A summary made
available to the press is reprinted below.
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The acute flaccid paralysis [AFP] and measles surveillance systems have
the potential to serve as the foundation for an expanded global
surveillance system that includes other infectious diseases.
This report describes the current status of global AFP surveillance,
including [its] expansion or . . . use as a model of surveillance systems
in 131 [66 percent] of 198 countries . . . to include reporting of measles
and other vaccine-preventable diseases. As poliomyelitis is eradicated,
AFP surveillance systems in these and other countries might be further
expanded or used [as] a model to improve the detection of and response to
other diseases. This approach might encourage development of additional
partnerships for global disease detection that will also help maintain the
quality of future AFP and measles surveillance.
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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the article, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5347a5.htm
To access a ready-to-copy (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5347.pdf
To receive a FREE electronic subscription to MMWR (which includes new ACIP
statements), go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwrsubscribe.html |
