Issue
Number 543
August 8, 2005
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- Do it today: Please thank Tim Russert for moderating the
vaccines-and-autism debate on Meet the Press
- Must read: Slate.com article sheds light on controversy
about thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism
- NIP announces temporary shortage of conjugated
meningococcal vaccine
- CDC outlines priority groups for vaccination with
injectable influenza vaccine in the event of a vaccine shortage
- Errata: MMWR corrects four errors in ACIP's newly
released influenza recommendations
- Register today: Update on 2005-06 influenza vaccine
communications and supply planned for August 16
- Three states enact immunization legislation for a
variety of vaccines
- Updated: Spanish-language version of IAC's brochure
"Immunization . . . Not Just Kids' Stuff"
- New: Interim 2005-06 VIS for injectable influenza
vaccine now available in audio format
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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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August 8, 2005
DO IT TODAY: PLEASE THANK TIM RUSSERT FOR MODERATING THE VACCINES-AND-AUTISM
DEBATE ON MEET THE PRESS
On August 7, Tim Russert of Meet the Press moderated a debate between
Institute of Medicine Director Dr. Harvey Fineberg and "Evidence of Harm"
author David Kirby. Please take time to thank him and the staff of Meet the
Press for their handling of the vaccines-and-autism issue.
To access a complete transcript and an online video of the program, go to:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608
To access the Meet the Press Mailbox, go to:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6872152
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August 8, 2005
MUST READ: SLATE.COM ARTICLE SHEDS LIGHT ON CONTROVERSY ABOUT THIMEROSAL-CONTAINING
VACCINES AND AUTISM
On August 2, the online magazine Slate.com posted "Sticking Up for
Thimerosal: Read the studies--it's safe." Written by Arthur Allen, the
article is a concise chronology of events that have led to the current
turmoil over the presence of thimerosal in childhood vaccines. It touches on
scientific issues, as well as on the role anti-vaccine activists have played
in the public debate on this issue. As such, it is a valuable resource for
healthcare providers to recommend to parents concerned about vaccine safety.
Allen, a freelance science and health writer, is writing a history of
vaccination.
To access "Sticking Up for Thimerosal," go to:
http://slate.msn.com/id/2123647
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August 8, 2005
NIP ANNOUNCES TEMPORARY SHORTAGE OF CONJUGATED MENINGOCOCCAL VACCINE
NIP website recently announced that conjugated meningococcal vaccine (MCV4)
is temporarily in short supply, owing to a high volume of demand. Vaccine is
being allocated in the public and private sectors based on estimates of
monthly needs and on available supply. The supply-and-demand mismatch is
expected to be short term. IAC Express will keep readers informed as the
situation changes.
To access further information, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/news/shortages#Which
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August 8, 2005
CDC OUTLINES PRIORITY GROUPS FOR VACCINATION WITH INJECTABLE INFLUENZA
VACCINE IN THE EVENT OF A VACCINE SHORTAGE
CDC published "Tiered Use of Inactivated Influenza Vaccine in the Event of a
Vaccine Shortage" in the August 5 issue of MMWR. The article is reprinted
below in its entirety with the exception of footnotes and one table,
"Priority groups for vaccination with inactivated influenza vaccine and
estimated vaccine coverage for 2003."
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The United States has experienced disruptions in the manufacture or
distribution of inactivated influenza vaccine during three of the last five
influenza seasons. Delays in delivery of influenza vaccine or vaccine
shortages remain possible, in part, because of inherent time constraints in
manufacturing the vaccine, given the annual updating of influenza vaccine
strains and uncertainties regarding vaccine supply (including licensure of
new vaccine preparations). Although total vaccine supply for the 2005-06
influenza season is not yet known, the minimum anticipated supply is
approximately 58-60 million doses of inactivated vaccine and 3 million doses
of live, attenuated vaccine. This estimated supply is similar to that
available during the 2004-05 season and would be adequate to satisfy
historical demand for influenza vaccine among persons considered by the
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to be at high risk for
serious complications associated with influenza virus infection, healthcare
workers, and household contacts of children aged <6 months. These groups
were prioritized for influenza vaccination in 2004-05. Additional doses of
inactivated influenza vaccine might be available for the U.S. market in
2005-06, but this cannot yet be confirmed. Availability of additional
vaccine would allow for expansion of the priority groups and, preferably,
vaccination of all persons who desire it.
During periods of inactivated influenza vaccine shortfall, vaccination is
prioritized on the basis of risk for serious influenza-associated
complications. CDC and ACIP recommend use of vaccination priority groups
only in the event of vaccine supply disruptions. At present, CDC and ACIP do
not recommend prioritization of inactivated influenza vaccine for the
2005-06 season. Current recommendations for use of influenza vaccine were
published recently. However, to help vaccine providers develop contingency
plans for the upcoming influenza season in the event of a shortfall, this
report details the priority groups for vaccination [IAC Express editor's
note: these details are given in the table, which IAC Express readers can
access by clicking on the links given at the end of this article].
Announcement of a need for prioritization will be made promptly upon receipt
of information indicating a potential disruption to the vaccine supply, if
necessary.
ACIP and CDC determined the priority groups, ranked in three tiers, on the
basis of influenza-associated mortality and hospitalization rates. In the
event of an influenza vaccine shortfall, persons in tier 1 should be
vaccinated preferentially, followed by persons in tier 2, then persons in
tier 3. On rare occasions when local vaccine supply is extremely limited,
state and local health officials and vaccination providers should prioritize
persons in group 1A before all other groups. However, in all other vaccine
shortfall situations, persons in groups 1A, 1B, and 1C should be considered
equivalent and should be vaccinated simultaneously. Eligible persons in
group 1C and tiers 2 and 3 should be encouraged to receive live, attenuated
influenza vaccine during periods of inactivated influenza vaccine shortfall.
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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the article, which includes the table
"Priority groups for vaccination with inactivated influenza vaccine and
estimated vaccine coverage for 2003," go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5430a4.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5430.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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August 8, 2005
ERRATA: MMWR CORRECTS FOUR ERRORS IN ACIP'S NEWLY RELEASED INFLUENZA
RECOMMENDATIONS
CDC published "Errata: Vol. 54, No. RR-8" in the August 5 issue of MMWR. The
article is reprinted below in its entirety.
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In the MMWR Recommendations and Reports, "Prevention and Control of
Influenza: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices (ACIP)," the following errors occurred:
On page 2, the fourth bullet should read, "The 2005-06 trivalent vaccine
virus strains are A/California/7/2004 (H3N2)-like, A/New Caledonia/20/99
(H1N1)-like, and B/Shanghai/361/2002-like antigens."
On page 6, under the section "Children," the first sentence should read,
"Children aged >=6 months can develop protective levels of anti-influenza
antibody against specific influenza virus strains after influenza
vaccination, although the antibody response among children at high risk for
influenza-related complications might be lower than among healthy children."
On page 18, under the section "LAIV Dosage and Administration," the fourth
sentence should read, "Alternatively, the vaccine can be thawed in a
refrigerator and stored at 2 degrees C to 8 degrees C for up to 60 hours
before use."
On page 20, under the section "Vaccination Before October," the last
sentence should read, "For previously vaccinated children, 1 dose is needed
to provide optimal protection against influenza."
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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the article, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5430a6.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5430.pdf
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August 8, 2005
REGISTER TODAY: UPDATE ON 2005-06 INFLUENZA VACCINE COMMUNICATIONS AND
SUPPLY PLANNED FOR AUGUST 16
A National Immunization Coalition TA [technical assistance] Network
teleconference will update participants on influenza vaccine communications
and supply for the 2005-06 influenza season. The teleconference will be held
at 1PM ET on August 16. The facilitator is Karena Sapsis, health
communications specialist, CDC/NIP.
The teleconference program will provide an update on the influenza vaccine
supply situation, an overview of how CDC is going to communicate about
influenza vaccine in light of the vaccine shortage experienced last year,
and an overview of educational materials CDC has developed for the upcoming
influenza season.
To register, send an email IZTA@aed.org.
Include this message in the subject line: "Sign me up for the Influenza
Vaccine Communications Update call."
For additional information go to:
http://www.izcoalitionsta.org/confcall.cfm
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August 8, 2005
THREE STATES ENACT IMMUNIZATION LEGISLATION FOR A VARIETY OF VACCINES
Arizona, Texas, and Washington recently enacted legislation requiring
immunization against various diseases. Arizona and Washington now require
varicella vaccination, and Texas requires pneumococcal conjugate and
hepatitis A vaccination.
VARICELLA VACCINATION
Arizona: On June 7, the Arizona Department of Health Services enacted a rule
requiring varicella vaccination (or proof of disease) for children attending
child-care facilities, kindergarten, and first and seventh grades. The rule
becomes effective at the beginning of the 2005-06 school year. Two
additional grades will be added each year until grades K-12 are covered.
Washington: On July 13, the Washington State Board of Health voted to add
varicella vaccination to the state's immunization requirements for children
younger than 13 years. The new requirement will be phased in beginning July
1, 2006. It calls for vaccination for children ages 19 months and older
attending child-care facilities and either vaccination or verification of
disease history for students enrolling in kindergarten and grade six.
The Immunization Action Coalition has compiled information about all states
that have varicella prevention mandates for day care, elementary, and middle
school entry. To access the information, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/laws/varicel.htm
This information is also depicted visually on a map of the United States. To
access the map, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/laws/varimap.pdf
PNEUMOCOCCAL CONJUGATE AND HEPATITIS A VACCINATION
Texas: On June 17, the governor signed a bill into law to expand
immunization requirements for children attending child-care facilities,
effective September 1, 2005. Age-appropriate vaccination against invasive
pneumococcal disease and hepatitis A are now required. The law allows
children who have not completed the full series of vaccinations needed to be
protected against these diseases to be provisionally enrolled in child care
as long as they have begun the vaccination series.
The Immunization Action Coalition has compiled information about state
hepatitis A vaccination recommendations and policies. To access the
information, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/laws/hepa.htm
This information is also depicted visually on a map of the United States. To
access the map, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/laws/hepamap.pdf
We depend on our readers to help us stay informed and ensure our website
contains the most current and accurate information available. Please let us
know when any changes occur in your state by emailing us at
admin@immunize.org
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August 8, 2005
UPDATED: SPANISH-LANGUAGE VERSION OF IAC'S BROCHURE "IMMUNIZATION . . . NOT
JUST KIDS' STUFF"
IAC recently posted an updated Spanish-language version of its
patient-education brochure "Immunization. . .Not Just Kids' Stuff." We are
grateful to the New York State Department of Health Services for the
translation.
In addition, IAC made a slight change to the English-language version of the
brochure to update the phone number of the CDC-INFO Contact Center.
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the Spanish-language brochure,
go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4035-01.pdf
To access a web-text (HTML) version of it, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4035-01.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the English-language brochure,
go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4035.pdf
To access a web-text (HTML) version of it, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/nslt.d/n17/p4035.htm
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August 8, 2005
NEW: INTERIM 2005-06 VIS FOR INJECTABLE INFLUENZA VACCINE NOW AVAILABLE IN
AUDIO FORMAT
The interim 2005-06 VIS for injectable trivalent inactivated influenza
vaccine (dated 7/18/05) is now available on IAC's website in audio format.
The audio VIS is intended for use with low-literacy, English-speaking
patients. IAC is grateful to Healthy Roads Media for providing the audio
version. Healthy Roads Media offers health information in a variety of
formats and languages. For information, go to:
http://www.healthyroadsmedia.org
To access the audio version of the VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/#influenza In the Inactivated
Influenza Vaccine section, click on the link titled "English 7/18/05 (audio
VIS*)."
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) hard-copy version of the VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/2flu.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 |
