Issue
Number 530
June 6, 2005
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- The May 2005 issue of "Vaccinate Adults" is in the mail
and on the Web
- AAP endorses new meningococcal vaccine guidelines
- New: AAP's "Red Book Online" now tracks new vaccines'
licensure and recommendation status
- Recent journal articles discuss pertussis in adults and
parents who refuse immunization for their children
- Plan ahead: Online resources are now available for
promoting National Immunization Awareness Month
- CDC reports on Colorado's surveillance of
influenza-associated hospitalizations during 2004-05
- New: Partnership for Prevention publishes its report on
strengthening adult immunization
- New VIS translation: IAC posts MMR vaccine VIS in
Ilokano
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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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June 6, 2005
THE MAY 2005 ISSUE OF "VACCINATE ADULTS" IS IN THE MAIL AND ON THE WEB
IAC recently mailed the latest issue of "Vaccinate Adults" (May 2005) to
130,000 adult medicine specialists and others who work in the field of
immunization. Packed with immunization resources for health professionals
and patients, the 12-page issue is well worth downloading. All articles and
education pieces, except editorials, have been thoroughly reviewed by
immunization and hepatitis experts at CDC.
HOW TO READ "VACCINATE ADULTS" ON THE WEB
You can view selected articles from the table of contents below or download
the entire issue from the Web.
To view the table of contents with links to individual articles, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/va.
The PDF file of the entire issue, linked below, is large at 526,246 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 a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the May issue, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/va/va15.pdf.
Below are descriptions of articles published in the May issue, followed by
links:
GENERAL IMMUNIZATION INFORMATION (three articles)
(1) In "Ask the Experts--Immunization Questions," CDC specialists answer
questions about the newly licensed meningococcal conjugate vaccine, as well
as questions about hepatitis B disease and vaccine.
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/va/va15exprt.pdf.
To access a web-text (HTML) version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/va/va15exprt.htm.
(2) "Vaccine Highlights" presents information on new vaccines that protect
against meningococcal disease and tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis; it also
gives the rates for 2003 adult vaccination with influenza and pneumococcal
(PPV23) vaccines.
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/va/va15vacc.pdf.
To access a web-text (HTML) version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/va/va15vacc.htm.
(3) "Vaccine Storage and Handling" presents links to four online IAC
resources.
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/va/vaccinestorage.pdf.
No web-text (HTML) version is available.
VIRAL HEPATITIS INFORMATION (one article)
(1) "Hepatitis B Virus Transmitted in U.S. Long-Term-Care Facilities" is
reprinted from an article published in MMWR on March 11, 2005.
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/va/hepb_ltc.pdf.
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the article as published in MMWR, go
to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5409a2.htm.
ADULT IMMUNIZATION RESOURCES (one article)
(1) Updated in May, "Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23): CDC
answers your questions" presents the latest information about pneumococcal
disease and PPV23 administration.
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2015pne.pdf.
To access a web-text (HTML) version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2015pne.htm.
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June 6, 2005
AAP ENDORSES NEW MENINGOCOCCAL VACCINE GUIDELINES
On May 25, AAP announced that it has released a policy statement endorsing
the new ACIP recommendations concerning prevention and control of
meningococcal disease. The ACIP recommendations call for routine use of the
newly licensed quadrivalent meningococcal vaccine (MCV4) to vaccinate groups
at high risk of contracting the disease. Portions of the announcement are
reprinted below.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released a new policy statement
recommending routine meningococcal vaccination for certain age groups. The
guidelines call for the quadrivalent meningococcal vaccine (MCV4) for
- Young adolescents (11-12 years of age)
- Adolescents at high school entry or 15
years of age (whichever comes first) for those who have not previously
been vaccinated
- All college freshmen living in dormitories
- Other groups at high risk such as those
with underlying medical conditions or travelers to areas with high rates
of meningococcal disease
The recommendations will help prevent
meningococcal disease, a potentially fatal bacterial infection. Although
rare, meningococcal disease is dangerous because the disease progresses
rapidly, and within hours of the onset of symptoms it may cause permanent
disability or death. . . .
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To access the complete announcement, go to:
http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/may05mv.htm.
To access the AAP policy statement, go to:
http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/mengpolicyfinal.pdf.
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the ACIP meningococcal
recommendations, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5407.pdf.
To access a web-text (HTML) version, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5407a1.htm.
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June 6, 2005
NEW: AAP'S "RED BOOK ONLINE" NOW TRACKS NEW VACCINES' LICENSURE AND
RECOMMENDATION STATUS
AAP recently announced that it has added a new information page to its
publication "Red Book Online." The page, formatted as a table, tracks the
status of licensure and recommendations for new vaccines. The table's
content is based on information from vaccine manufacturers, ACIP meetings,
and AAP. It will be updated as changes occur.
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the table, go to:
http://aapredbook.aappublications.org/news/vaccstatus.pdf.
To access a web-text (HTML) version, go to:
http://aapredbook.aappublications.org/news/vaccstatus.shtml.
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June 6, 2005
RECENT JOURNAL ARTICLES DISCUSS PERTUSSIS IN ADULTS AND PARENTS WHO REFUSE
IMMUNIZATION FOR THEIR CHILDREN
In May, two journal articles were published that will be of interest to
health professionals who treat adults with prolonged coughing or who see
children whose parents refuse vaccination. On May 17, the Annals of
Internal Medicine published "Adults are whooping, but are internists
listening?" by Mark Dworkin, MD, MPH, TM. In May, Pediatrics published an
AAP clinical report, "Responding to parental refusals of immunization to
children," by Douglas S. Diekema, MD, MPH, and AAP's Committee on
Bioethics. Abstracts for both articles follow.
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"Adults are whooping, but are internists listening?"
(Source: Annals of Internal Medicine, May 17, 2005, Vol.142[10]:832-835)
Abstract. Although studies have shown that pertussis is responsible for
approximately 20% to 30% of cases of cough lasting more than 2 weeks in
adults and adolescents, physicians have generally considered pertussis a
disease that affects only children. Epidemiologic trends demonstrate that
the incidence of pertussis has been rising, especially in adolescents and
adults. Consequently, pertussis is not a "zebra" diagnosis but deserves a
place among the community-acquired list of adult pathogens. Increased
awareness among physicians about pertussis is important because adults may
transmit the infection to infants, in whom the disease often leads to
hospitalization and may result in death. Reporting this disease to the
local health department is critical to its control because both
case-patients and their close contacts should receive antimicrobial
prophylaxis. A booster vaccine for adolescents and adults is likely to
become available in the near future, so this is an important time to
ensure that all physicians, not just pediatricians, are knowledgeable
about the diagnosis, treatment, and reporting requirements for pertussis.
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The full article is available only to subscribers to the Annals of
Internal Medicine. To access the abstract, go to:
http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/142/10/832.
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"Responding to parental refusals of immunization of children"
(Source: Pediatrics, May 2005, Vol.115[5]:1428-1431)
Abstract. The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly endorses universal
immunization. However, for childhood immunization programs to be
successful, parents must comply with immunization recommendations. The
problem of parental refusal of immunization for children is an important
one for pediatricians. The goal of this report is to assist pediatricians
in understanding the reasons parents may have for refusing to immunize
their children, review the limited circumstances under which parental
refusals should be referred to child protective services agencies or
public health authorities, and provide practical guidance to assist the
pediatrician faced with a parent who is reluctant to allow immunization of
his or her child.
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To access the full article, go to:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/115/5/1428
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June 6, 2005
PLAN AHEAD: ONLINE RESOURCES ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR PROMOTING NATIONAL
IMMUNIZATION AWARENESS MONTH
August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). CDC's National
Immunization Program and the National Partnership for Immunization have
recently posted an array of promotional materials pertaining to NIAM on
their websites. Use them during August to promote immunization across the
lifespan in your community.
MATERIALS FROM CDC'S NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION PROGRAM (NIP)
NIP has created a web section of 2005 NIAM materials, including resources
such as the immunization schedules for adults, adolescents, and children
and the NIP publication "Parents Guide to Childhood Immunization."
To access the NIAM web section, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/events/niam/default.htm.
MATERIALS FROM THE NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR IMMUNIZATION (NPI)
NPI's page of promotional materials contains a variety of samples that you
can adapt to publicize NIAM through the news media in your community.
These include sample letters to the editor, press releases, talking
points, and more.
To access them, go to:
http://www.partnersforimmunization.org/niam.html.
The NPI site also offers patient-education materials such as brochures,
bookmarks, stickers, and posters.
To access them, go to:
http://www.partnersforimmunization.org/niam_prkit.html.
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June 6, 2005
CDC REPORTS ON COLORADO'S SURVEILLANCE OF INFLUENZA-ASSOCIATED
HOSPITALIZATIONS DURING 2004-05
CDC published "Surveillance for Laboratory-Confirmed, Influenza-Associated
Hospitalizations--Colorado, 2004-05 Influenza Season" in the June 3 issue
of MMWR. Portions of the article are reprinted below.
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[From the article text]
The number of annual hospitalizations for influenza and pneumonia
associated with influenza viruses in the United States is estimated at
95,000; however, no state-based or national surveillance system exists to
monitor these events in all age groups, and population-based numbers of
laboratory-confirmed, influenza hospitalizations are unknown. Certain
existing surveillance systems provide population-based national estimates
of influenza-related hospitalizations based on sampling methodology (i.e.,
the National Hospital Discharge Survey) or sentinel surveillance; however,
these systems are not timely, population-based for all ages, and available
at the state level. . . . The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
recommends that states develop strategies to monitor influenza-related
hospitalizations. This report describes a surveillance system for
laboratory-confirmed, influenza-associated hospitalizations in all age
groups in Colorado that was implemented for the 2004-05 influenza season.
The findings indicate that implementation of statewide, population-based
surveillance for influenza-associated hospitalizations is feasible and
useful for assessing the age-specific burden of serious
influenza-associated morbidity and the relative severity of influenza
seasons.
On September 30, 2004, influenza-associated hospitalizations became a
condition reportable by Colorado healthcare providers. An
influenza-associated hospitalization was defined for surveillance purposes
as a hospital admission accompanied by an appropriate laboratory test
result for influenza, including results from rapid diagnostic tests.
Population estimates for 2003 (overall 4.6 million) by age group were
obtained from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and used to compute
annual age-specific rates of influenza-associated hospitalization. Case
reports of influenza-associated hospitalization contained the same core
variables that are collected for all reportable diseases in Colorado,
including patient identifying, locating, and demographic information; name
of reporting agency; physician name and contact information; specimen
collection date, specimen type, and test type; test result and date, and
report date. . . .
As of April 16, 2005, a total of 964 influenza-associated hospitalizations
had been reported by 50 hospitals, producing a rate of 21.0 per 100,000
persons during the 2004-05 influenza season. Reported cases peaked during
the week ending February 19, 2005, which was also the peak week for the
percentage of patient visits for ILI [influenza-like illness] reported by
sentinel healthcare providers in Colorado. Influenza virus type-specific
testing results were available for 896 (92.9%) reported cases, of which
86.3% were influenza A and 13.7% were influenza B. The most frequently
reported test type was rapid influenza testing (88.0%), followed by direct
fluorescent antibody (5.8%) and viral culture (5.6%). The highest
influenza-associated hospitalization rates were in persons aged >=80 years
(207.3 per 100,000 population) and children aged <6 months (183.0 per
100,000), followed by persons aged 70-79 years (78.0 per 100,000) and
children aged 6-23 months (66.3 per 100,000). Persons aged >=60 years
accounted for 51.4% of reported cases. . . .
[From the Editorial Note]
Surveillance for influenza-associated hospitalizations can provide
multiple benefits to Colorado and other states that might adopt similar
systems. The system provides improved ability to assess the severity of
influenza seasons, track the time course of the season, determine which
populations are most affected by severe influenza-related illness, and
focus prevention and control efforts on those populations.
A national surveillance system similar to the one implemented in Colorado
could provide data to (1) monitor and describe the incidence,
distribution, and basic epidemiologic characteristics of hospitalizations
related to influenza virus infection; (2) guide future influenza
immunization policy (e.g., expansion of immunization recommendations for
children); (3) rapidly recognize influenza seasons in which the number of
hospitalizations appears unusually high; and (4) help identify an
influenza pandemic and direct public health response. The recent
development and widespread use of rapid influenza testing makes it
feasible and desirable to use case reporting based on positive laboratory
testing to monitor influenza-associated hospitalizations.
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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5421a3.htm.
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5421.pdf.
To receive a FREE electronic subscription to MMWR (which includes new ACIP
statements), go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwrsubscribe.html.
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June 6, 2005
NEW: PARTNERSHIP FOR PREVENTION PUBLISHES ITS REPORT ON STRENGTHENING
ADULT IMMUNIZATION
In February, the Partnership for Prevention convened a panel of experts to
identify feasible policies for reducing VPDs among U.S. adults by
increasing adult vaccination rates. The result was a 24-page report,
"Strengthening Adult Immunization: A Call to Action," published in April.
The report presents six actions the federal government should take to
increase adult immunization rates.
To access the full report, go to:
http://www.prevent.org/docs/CalltoAction.pdf.
To access the two-page report summary, go to:
http://www.prevent.org/docs/CalltoActionSummary.pdf.
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June 6, 2005
NEW VIS TRANSLATION: IAC POSTS MMR VACCINE VIS IN ILOKANO
Dated 1/15/03, the current version of the VIS for measles-mumps-rubella (MMR)
vaccine is now available on the IAC website in Ilokano. IAC gratefully
acknowledges the Hawai'i Department of Health for the translation.
To obtain a ready-to-copy (PDF) version of the VIS for MMR in Ilokano, go
to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/il_mmr03.pdf.
To obtain it in English, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/mmr03.pdf.
For information about the use of VISs, and for VISs in a total of 33
languages, visit IAC's VIS web section at
http://www.immunize.org/vis. |
