Issue Number 53
February 1, 1999
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- Do you have young patients with
chronic HBV? Clinical trials using oral medication are enrolling children
- PKIDS is a great organization for
parents of children with infectious diseases
- MMWR publishes article on the need for
increased varicella surveillance
- "Hepatitis Control Report"
is now available on the web
- A hepatitis B website from Singapore
is an excellent site to visit
- Two new hepatitis B items are
available on IAC's website
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(1)
February 1, 1999
DO YOU HAVE YOUNG PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HBV? CLINICAL TRIALS USING ORAL MEDICATION ARE
ENROLLING CHILDREN
An international multicenter clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of an
investigational oral medication for the treatment of hepatitis B in children is being
conducted in the United States.
Children between the ages of 2 and 18 may be eligible if:
1. They have been HBsAg positive for at least 6 months before
screening and at the time of screening
2. They are HBeAg positive and HBV DNA positive at the time of
screening
3. They have a mean ALT raised to >1.3 x upper limit of reference
range (established by the mean of one determination greater than or
equal to 3 months before screening, and the screening value).
Additional inclusion/exclusion criteria apply for study
eligibility.
For further information about the clinical trial and the locations of the sites in the
United States where the studies are being conducted, contact PKIDS (Parents of Kids with
Infectious Diseases) at 360-695-0293.
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(2)
February 1, 1999
PKIDS IS A GREAT ORGANIZATION FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH INFECTIOUS DISEASES
PKIDS (Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases) is a nonprofit group for parents of
children with infectious diseases. A small nonprofit with a huge mission, PKIDS works to:
1. Educate the public on infectious diseases and the prevention of the
spread of infectious diseases through videos, literature, speeches, and
other avenues of communication
2. Be a resource of emotional, financial, educational, and informational
support for children with infectious diseases and their families
3. Alert the offices of pediatricians and infectious disease specialists to
PKIDS' existence so that they may tell their patients
4. Create a repository of the latest information and resources about all
chronic infectious diseases which can affect children
5. Eliminate, via education through videos, literature, speeches, and
other avenues of communication, the stigma which is generally
attached to those living with an infectious disease
The PKIDS website includes the feature "Ask Dr. Jane," where individuals can
have their questions answered by Dr. Jane Ellen Aronson, Chief of Pediatric Infectious
Diseases and Director, International Adoption Medical Consultation Services at Winthrop
Pediatric Associates in Mineola, New York. For more information about PKIDS, visit their
website at http://www.pkids.org/pkids.htm
or call 360-695-0293.
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(3)
January 29, 1999
MMWR PUBLISHES ARTICLE ON THE NEED FOR INCREASED VARICELLA SURVEILLANCE
An article entitled "Evaluation of Varicella Reporting to the National Notifiable
Disease Surveillance System -- United States, 1972-1997" was published in the January
29, 1999, issue of the MMWR. The article describes "changes in the annual reported
incidence of varicella from 1972 to 1997 and discusses the need for increased surveillance
with the availability of a vaccine."
The "Editorial Note" states that "CDC encourages states and local areas to
make varicella a reportable disease, to investigate and report varicella deaths to CDC,
and to establish aggregate case reporting either by enhancing existing surveillance
systems or by establishing school, day care, and/or health-care-provider-based reporting
of varicella."
To access the complete article in text format, click here:
http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056339.htm
TO GET A FREE ELECTRONIC SUBSCRIPTION TO THE MMWR (delivered weekly), go to the MMWR
website and sign up. When you sign up, you will also receive all new ACIP statements which
are published as MMWR's "Recommendations and Reports." To get to the MMWR
website, click here: http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/mmwr.html
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(4)
February 1, 1999
"HEPATITIS CONTROL REPORT" IS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE WEB
The "Hepatitis Control Report" is a quarterly newsletter devoted to public
health control of viral hepatitis. Edited by Frederic E. Shaw, MD, MPH, the
"Hepatitis Control Report" is mailed to 15,000 U.S. practitioners interested in
infectious diseases and public health. Since December the "Hepatitis Control
Report" (including past issues) has been available on the Internet at: http://www.hepatitiscontrolreport.com
If you'd like to subscribe to a hard copy, call 610-664-2793. It's free!
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(5)
February 1, 1999
A HEPATITIS B WEBSITE FROM SINGPORE IS AN EXCELLENT SITE TO VISIT
"The Hepatitis B Info-Page" website aims "to provide information at a level
which is above the normal standard of a layman, yet below the standard of a scientific
article." The website includes general information about hepatitis B, a glossary of
terms, anatomical drawings, micrographs of liver cells, a chat room, as well as
specialized facts about hepatitis B in Singapore and Malaysia. Access this site at:
http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/quarrybank/159/contents.htm
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(6)
February 1, 1999
TWO NEW HEPATITIS B ITEMS ARE AVAILABLE ON IAC'S WEBSITE
"You are not alone! Information for young adults who are chronically infected with
hepatitis B virus" is a 4-page patient information piece that includes advice for
teens on how to take care of themselves as well as protect others from their infection.
The authors of this article -- Karen Y. Wainwright, RN, BS, CCRA, Department of Internal
Medicine, Alaska Native Medical Center and Sarah Jane Schwarzenberg, MD, Department of
Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology, University of Minnesota -- have counseled over
1000 teens with chronic hepatitis B virus
infection.
To download a camera-ready version of "You are not alone!" click here:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/4118.pdf
To obtain the text version of "You are not alone!" click here: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/4118.htm
Also newly available on IAC's website is "Tracking hepatitis B patients and their
contacts" which consists of two revised hepatitis B tracking pieces:
1. "Patient flow sheet to track patients who are chronically
infected with HBV"
2. "Hepatitis B testing and vaccination tracking sheet for
moderate- and high-risk households"
To download camera-ready copies of these two items, click here: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2180.pdf
To obtain the text versions of these items, click on the URLs below.
"Patient flow sheet to track patients who are chronically infected with HBV": http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2180a.htm
"Hepatitis B testing and vaccination tracking sheet for moderate-
and high-risk households": http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2180b.htm
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