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IAC Express 2006 |
| Issue number 630: October 16, 2006 |
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Contents
of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article. |
- CDC designates November
27-December 3 as National Influenza Vaccination Week and encourages
vaccination throughout influenza season
- National Influenza Vaccine
Summit's new website is packed with information and resources for National
Influenza Vaccination Week and beyond
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| Abbreviations |
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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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Issue 630: October
16, 2006 |
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1. |
CDC designates November 27-December 3 as National Influenza Vaccination Week
and encourages vaccination throughout influenza season
On November 13, CDC announced that it has
designated the week of November 27-December 3 as National Influenza
Vaccination Week (NIVW). The agency is encouraging anyone not yet vaccinated
who wants protection against the disease to get the vaccine in December and
beyond.
Portions of a press release announcing NIVW are reprinted below. Also on
November 13, CDC held a press conference to update the nation on influenza
vaccine supplies and vaccination efforts. A link to a transcript of the
conference appears at the end of this IAC Express article, as does a link to
a CDC document announcing NIVW and the availability of free materials for
promoting influenza vaccination.
For immediate release
November 13, 2006
CDC ANNOUNCES WEEKLONG EVENT TO FOCUS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF INFLUENZA
VACCINATION: 77 million doses of vaccine supply delivered, with record
numbers expected by end of year
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced the
designation of the week after Thanksgiving as National Influenza Vaccination
Week. This year, National Influenza Vaccination Week will run from November
27 to December 3. This event is designed to raise awareness of the importance
of continuing influenza (flu) vaccination, as well as [to] foster greater use
of flu vaccine through the months of November, December, and beyond. CDC is
recommending that people take this opportunity to be vaccinated and is
hopeful that flu vaccine providers will use this time to enhance flu vaccine
availability by scheduling additional clinics; extending clinic hours; and
enabling a larger role for mass vaccination at places such as retail
locations.
"Getting vaccinated is the single best way for people to protect not only
themselves against flu, but their loved ones as well," said Dr. Julie
Gerberding, CDC director. "National interest in getting a flu vaccination has
traditionally tapered off after Thanksgiving. Since flu activity typically
does not peak until February or later, November and December are also good
times to be vaccinated. National Influenza Vaccination Week is an excellent
opportunity for providers to utilize their resources to help fully realize
the potential of influenza vaccination."
As National Influenza Vaccination Week approaches, 77 million flu vaccine
doses have already been distributed and vaccine supply is expected to reach
an all-time high. Flu vaccine manufacturers have reported they expect 110-115
million doses of flu vaccine to be distributed this year. This is at least
27-32 million more doses than have been distributed in any past season and
29-34 million more doses than were distributed last year. . . .
"Doses are still shipping and will continue to be shipped through November
and into early December," said Dr. Gerberding. "The good news is that plenty
of vaccine will be out there. We are already hearing from providers who are
anxious to get their complete orders of flu vaccine and vaccinate their
patients this season—and that is wonderful."
Vaccinations are recommended for anyone who wants to decrease the risk of
influenza. . . .
Each year in the United States, between 5 and 20 percent of the population is
infected with influenza, about 36,000 people die, and more than 200,000
people are hospitalized because of influenza complications. Since influenza
is unpredictable, and different types and strains of influenza circulate
throughout the flu season, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices (ACIP) recommends that influenza vaccine be offered throughout the
influenza season—even after influenza has appeared or begun appearing in a
community.
For more information about influenza and influenza vaccine visit
www.cdc.gov/flu . . . .
To access the complete press release, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r061113.htm
To access a transcript of the November 13 press conference on influenza
vaccine supplies and vaccination efforts, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/transcripts/t061113.htm
To access a CDC document announcing NIVW and the online location
of free promotional materials, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/nivw06.htm
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2. |
National Influenza Vaccine Summit's new website is packed with information
and resources for National Influenza Vaccination Week and beyond
The National Influenza Vaccine Summit recently
launched a new
website (http://www.preventinfluenza.org) that offers healthcare
professionals, the public, and the media an array of resources
intended to encourage and facilitate influenza vaccination
throughout December and into the first months of 2007.
User friendly and easy to navigate, the website brings together
EVERYTHING needed to provide late-season influenza vaccination
services: recommendations, dosing and vaccine administration
resources, toolkits, VISs, standing orders, screening
questionnaires, patient-education materials, Medicare billing
information, and more.
Another significant feature is the website's calendar for winter
2006-07, which lists events that will promote influenza vaccination
from November through February.
Resources for healthcare professionals, patients, and the media
include the following:
For healthcare professionals:
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Disease information
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Vaccine recommendations and priority populations for vaccination
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Vaccine procedures and strategies
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Healthcare worker vaccination, including toolkits
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Strategies for targeting special populations
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Late season vaccination
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Patient information
For patients:
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Flu vaccine facts and myths
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Top three reasons to get your flu vaccine
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Influenza and your child
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Posters that encourage vaccination
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Faces of Influenza (website with photos and firsthand accounts
about the seriousness of influenza)
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Q&A about influenza disease and the injectable influenza vaccine
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Families Fighting Flu (website with compelling stories of how
influenza affected children of the featured families)
For the media:
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Pertinent and timely press releases about the status of influenza
disease and vaccine during the 2006-07 season
The website also offers visitors links leading to resources on
other websites, such as the American Lung Association's flu clinic
locator website (http://www.flucliniclocator.org) and the American
Medical Association's Influenza Vaccine Availability Tracking
System, which provides healthcare professionals looking for vaccine
with continually updated information on distributors who have
vaccine to sell.
The preventinfluenza.org website is designed and maintained by IAC.
The material you see on it now is just the beginning. We will be
adding to it in the weeks and months ahead. Be sure to visit it now
and often throughout the influenza season for new and updated
resources. To access the website, go to:
http://www.preventinfluenza.org
The National Influenza Vaccine Summit is co-sponsored by the
American Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention and has more than 100 partnering organizations.
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