IAC Express 2007 |
Issue number 674: July 16, 2007 |
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Contents
of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article. |
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"Vaccinated" recounts the story of Maurice Hilleman's life-saving work in
twentieth-century vaccine development
- Now in
Spanish: VIS for pediatric diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTaP) vaccine
- CDC
reports on hepatitis A vaccination coverage of U.S. children ages 24-35
months during 2004-05
- MMWR
publishes ACIP's recommendations for prevention and control of influenza
- July
issue of CDC's Immunization Works electronic newsletter now available
online
- New:
Unofficial summary of June 27-28 ACIP meeting now posted on IAC website
- ACOG's
Immunization Wheel offers professionals abundant information on immunizing
adolescent and adult women
- Newly
launched: WHO/ICO Information Centre on Human Papillomavirus and Cervical
Cancer
- New: July
11 issue of IAC's Hep Express electronic newsletter now available online
- CDC
reports on worldwide progress toward interruption of wild poliovirus
transmission during January 2006-May 2007
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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; AMA, American Medical Association; CDC, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention; FDA, Food and Drug Administration; IAC, Immunization
Action Coalition; MMWR, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; NCIRD,
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; NIVS, National
Influenza Vaccine Summit; VIS, Vaccine Information Statement; VPD,
vaccine-preventable disease; WHO, World Health Organization. |
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Issue 674: July 16, 2007 |
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1. |
"Vaccinated" recounts the story of Maurice Hilleman's life-saving work in
twentieth-century vaccine development
Written by Paul A. Offit, MD, "Vaccinated: One
Man's Quest to Defeat the World's Deadliest Diseases" was recently released
to bookstores by Smithsonian Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.
The book tells the story of modern vaccines through the life of Maurice
Hilleman, the scientist who developed most of them.
In his prologue, Dr. Offit writes that many of the likely readers of his book
are well acquainted with the contributions Jonas Salk's and Louis Pasteur's
vaccines have made to the lives of people around the globe. But even many in
the immunization community know little or nothing about Maurice Hilleman's
work. Dr. Offit writes:
". . . I'd bet not one of you knows the name of the scientist who saved more
lives than all other scientists combined--a man who survived Depression-era
poverty; the harsh, unforgiving plains of southeastern Montana; abandonment
by his father; the early death of his mother; and, at the end of his life,
the sad realization that few people knew who he was or what he had done:
Maurice Hilleman, the father of modern vaccines."
"Vaccinated" received endorsement from David Oshinsky, recipient of the 2006
Pulitzer Prize in history for his book "Polio." Oshinsky wrote the following:
"Paul Offit's 'Vaccinated' brings to life one of the forgotten giants of
medical research. His superb account of Maurice Hilleman, whose vaccines have
saved untold millions of children from deadly disease, is medical writing at
its finest: expertly crafted and beautifully told. As the debate over
vaccination heats up, Offit's book is a timely reminder of the good that
vaccines have done in the past century--and of the man responsible for
developing these precious gifts of life."
Available in bookstores nationwide, "Vaccinated" is also available through
the publisher's website at
http://www.harpercollins.com/search/index.aspx?kw=vaccinated
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2. |
Now in Spanish: VIS for pediatric
diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTaP) vaccine
Dated 5/17/07, the current version of the VIS for
pediatric diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTaP) vaccines is now available on
the IAC website in Spanish. IAC gratefully acknowledges the California
Department of Health Services for the translations.
To obtain a ready-to-copy (PDF) version of the DTaP VIS in Spanish, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/spdtap01.pdf
To obtain it in English, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/dtap01.pdf
For information about the use of VISs, and for VISs in more than 30
languages, visit IAC's VIS web section at
http://www.immunize.org/vis
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3. |
CDC reports on hepatitis A
vaccination coverage of U.S. children ages 24-35 months during 2004-05
CDC published "Hepatitis A Vaccination Coverage
Among Children
Aged 24-35 Months--United States, 2004-2005" in the July 13
issue of MMWR. Portions of the article and Editorial Note are
reprinted below.
[From the article]
After the licensure of hepatitis A vaccine in 1995 for children
aged >=24 months, the Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices (ACIP) incrementally expanded the proportion of
children for whom it recommended the vaccine. In 1996, ACIP
recommended vaccinating children in communities that had high
rates of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection, including American
Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities and selected Hispanic
and religious communities. In 1999, ACIP extended the
recommendation to include routine vaccination for all children
living in states, counties, and communities with incidence rates
twice the 1987-1997 national average of 10 cases per 100,000
population (i.e., >=20 cases per 100,000 population); ACIP also
recommended considering vaccination for children living in
states, counties, and communities with incidence rates exceeding
the 1987-1997 national average (i.e., >10 to <20 cases per
100,000 population). National estimates of hepatitis A
vaccination coverage were first made available through the 2003
National Immunization Survey (NIS), which indicated an overall
national 1-dose coverage level of 16.0% (range: 6.4%-72.7%)
among children aged 24-35 months. The estimates in this report
update those findings by including 2 additional years of data
(2004 and 2005). National 1-dose vaccination-coverage levels
among children aged 24-35 months increased from 17.6% in 2004 to
21.3% in 2005. Coverage in states where vaccination was
recommended (overall in 2005: 56.5%; range: 12.9%-71.0%) was
below those for other recommended childhood vaccinations, such
as varicella (87.5% in 2004). Despite low hepatitis A
vaccination-coverage levels compared with other recommended
childhood vaccinations, incidence of acute HAV infections have
declined to the lowest level ever recorded. The 2005 licensure
of the hepatitis A vaccine for use in younger children (aged >=12 months) and the 2006 ACIP guideline for routine hepatitis A
vaccination of all children aged >=12 months should result in
improved vaccination coverage and further reductions in disease
incidence. . . .
[From the Editorial Note]
Despite low levels of 1-dose hepatitis A vaccination coverage
compared with other recommended vaccinations, the number of
cases and rates of acute hepatitis A in the United States have
declined substantially, especially among racial/ethnic groups
disproportionately affected by hepatitis A. Before the 1995
introduction of hepatitis A vaccine for children aged >=24
months, rates of acute hepatitis A were five times greater than
the national average among AI/ANs and three times greater among
Hispanics. In 2005, acute hepatitis A rates among AI/ANs were
comparable to other populations but remained greater for
Hispanics compared with non-Hispanics. This trend demonstrates
progress toward eliminating racial/ethnic disparities previously
observed in rates of acute hepatitis A.
The overall number of cases and rates of acute hepatitis A in
the United States have declined to historic lows since the last
peak in 1995. In 1995, a total of 31,582 cases were reported
(12 per 100,000 population), compared with 4,488 cases (1.5 per
100,000) in 2005, which was the lowest annual number ever
recorded. In 2005, similar rates of acute hepatitis A were
reported by states where vaccination was recommended (2.1 per
100,000), states where vaccination was to be considered
(1.5 per 100,000), and states where no specific recommendation
for vaccination was in effect (1.3 per 100,000). Even limited
vaccination coverage might reduce disease incidence through
herd effects because young children are thought to be a
major reservoir of infection. In one communitywide outbreak,
approximately 40% of adults with hepatitis A without an
identifiable source lived with a child aged <6 years who
had evidence of recent HAV infection. Declines also might
be the result of cyclic increases and decreases in HAV
infections. . . .
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5627a2.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5627.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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4. |
MMWR publishes ACIP's recommendations for prevention and control of influenza
CDC published "Prevention and Control of
Influenza:
Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices (ACIP) 2007" in the July 13 MMWR Recommendations and
Reports. Previously, the recommendations were available in
electronic format as an MMWR Early Release.
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the influenza
recommendations, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5606.pdf
To access a web-text (HTML) version of them, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5606a1.htm
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5. |
July issue of CDC's Immunization Works electronic newsletter now available
online
The July issue of Immunization Works, a monthly
email newsletter
published by CDC, is available on the website of the National
Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). The
newsletter offers members of the immunization community non-proprietary information about current topics. CDC encourages its
wide dissemination.
Some of the information in the July issue has already appeared
in previous issues of IAC Express. Following is the text of four
articles we have not covered.
FRONT PAGE NEWS
NEW ACIP RECOMMENDATIONS: On June 27-28, 2007, the Advisory
Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met in Atlanta, GA.
The ACIP meets three times annually and provides recommendations
to the Director of the CDC and the Secretary of the Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS) concerning the prevention of
vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States. Following are
summaries of key votes from the meeting:
Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine
The ACIP voted to recommend that all persons 11 through 18
years-old should be vaccinated against meningococcal disease.
This recommendation would replace the current ACIP
recommendation for routine vaccination with MCV4 of children at
11 through 12 years of age, of adolescents before high school
entry (approximately 15 years of age), and other people at
increased risk (such as college freshmen living in dorms.) An
estimated 1,400 to 2,800 cases of meningococcal disease occur in
the United States annually; morbidity and mortality are high.
Hepatitis A Vaccine (for Post-Exposure Prophylaxis)
The ACIP voted to recommend the option of using hepatitis A
vaccine instead of immune globulin (IG) after exposure to
Hepatitis A Virus (HAV). In deciding to use vaccine or IG,
immunization providers should take into account patient
characteristics associated with more severe manifestations of
HAV, including older age and chronic liver disease. Also, the
magnitude of the risk of HAV transmission from the exposure
should be considered. Generally, hepatitis A vaccine is
preferred for healthy persons 12 months to 40 years of age, and
IG for persons 40 years of age and older. While rates of HAV
have declined dramatically in the United States since 2000, the
need for post-exposure prophylaxis remains.
Adult Immunization Schedule
The ACIP approved the new Adult Immunization Schedule (October
2007-September 2008) to ensure that the schedule reflects
current recommendations for use of licensed vaccines in people
19 years of age and older. Changes include the addition of
zoster vaccine to the schedule. ACIP annually reviews the
recommended Adult Immunization Schedule, first approved in 2002.
This schedule also will be approved by the American Academy of
Family Physicians (AAFP), the American College of Obstetricians
and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the American College of Physicians
(ACP). Approximately 43,000 adults in the United States die each
year from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Slide presentations and the full report from the ACIP meeting
will be posted soon at
www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/acip/default.htm The next ACIP
meeting will be held at the CDC Global Communications Center in
Atlanta, Georgia, on October 24-25, 2007.
MEETINGS, CONFERENCES & RESOURCES
UPCOMING IMMUNIZATION SATELLITE BROADCASTS: Please mark your
calendars for several upcoming satellite broadcasts from the
CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
(NCIRD). These include Immunization Update 2007 (August 9, 2007)
and Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (December 13,
2007). Also, the annual four-part series broadcast, Epidemiology
and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, will occur on
January 31, February 7, February 14, and February 21, 2008. As
more information becomes available, it will be posted at
http://www2.cdc.gov/phtn
REMINDER: TRAINING RESOURCES WEBSITE: To find out about current
training opportunities for health professionals, visit the
Education and Training section of CDC's National Center for
Immunization and Respiratory Diseases website. The website,
which can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed, offers
information about satellite broadcasts, net conferences,
webcasts, podcasts, and self-study courses. Course materials,
including slide presentations, are provided. Many of these
courses can be completed anytime, and most offer continuing
education credit.
NCIRD STAFF AWARDS
NOTE: Leadership and staff from CDC's National Center for
Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) have recently been
recognized for their dedication, hard work and successes in
reducing the impact of vaccine-preventable diseases. From this
issue forward, on an occasional basis, this space will be used
to recognize those individuals and programs that have been
publicly recognized for their contributions.
CHARLES C. SHEPARD SCIENCE AWARDS: The annual Charles C. Shepard
Sciences Award ceremony honors CDC/ATSDR scientists who have
made important research contributions to public health. The
awards are given in four categories (Assessment and
Epidemiology, Laboratory and Methods, Prevention and Control,
and Lifetime Scientific Achievement). On June 14, 2007, three of
the four Shepard awards went to leaders in vaccine-preventable
disease and immunization research. Roger I. Glass, MD, MPH, PhD,
received the Lifetime Scientific Achievement award for his
leadership and accomplishments in rotavirus and norovirus
research. Dr. Glass retired from CDC in 2006 but continues his
scientific work at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Mary
A. Hoelscher, Sanjay Garg, Dinesh S. Bangari, Jessica A. Belser,
Xiuhua Lu, Iain Stephenson, Rick A. Bright, Jacqueline M. Katz,
Suresh K. Mittal, and Suryaprakash Sambhara, received the
Shepard award in the Laboratory and Methods category for their
manuscript Development of Adenoviral-Vector-Based Pandemic
Influenza Vaccine Against Antigenically Distinct Human H5N1
Strains in Mice (The Lancet 2006;367:475-481). In addition,
Cynthia G. Whitney, Tamar Pilishvili, Monica M. Farley, William
Schaffner, Allen S. Craig, Ruth Lynfield, Ann-Christine Nyquist,
Kenneth A. Gershman, Marietta Vazquez, Nancy M. Bennett, Arthur
Reingold, Ann Thomas, Mary P. Glode, Elizabeth R. Zell, James H.
Jorgensen, Bernard Beall, and Ann Schuchat received the Shepard
award in the Prevention and Control category for their
manuscript Effectiveness of Seven-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate
Vaccine Against Invasive Pneumococcal Disease: A Matched Case-Control Study (The Lancet 2006;368:1495-1502).
APAOC AWARD GOES TO PAMELA CHING: Pamela Ching, RD/LD, MS, ScD,
CAPT, USPHS, Senior Research Epidemiologist with CDC's National
Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD)
received the RADM Samuel Lin Award from the Asian Pacific
American Officers Committee (APAOC) of the U.S. Public Health
Service (USPHS). The award, announced at a USPHS Symposium held
in Cincinnati, OH, in June, recognizes a senior USPHS officer
for contributions to the advancement of the nation's health,
outstanding leadership qualities, and dedication and involvement
in professional/community organizations/activities.
Issues of Immunization Works are posted on CDC's Vaccines &
Immunizations website a few days after publication. To access
the July issue, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/news/newsltrs/imwrks Click on the
link titled "Jul" under the banner titled "2007 Newsletters
Available Online."
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6. |
New: Unofficial summary of June 27-28 ACIP meeting now posted on IAC website
IAC recently posted an unofficial summary of the
most recent
ACIP meeting, which was held June 27-28. To access it, go to: http://www.immunize.org/acip/ACIP_meeting_summary607.pdf
The PowerPoint presentations given at the meeting will be
available on the ACIP website within the next several days, and
the official meeting minutes will be posted on the ACIP website
within 90 days of the meeting. IAC Express will notify readers
when these documents become available.
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7. |
ACOG's Immunization Wheel offers professionals abundant information on
immunizing adolescent and adult women
The American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists (ACOG)
recently developed an Immunization Wheel intended to simplify
the task of immunizing adolescent and adult women. The plastic
coated, 8-1/2"-diameter wheel offers busy health professionals
abundant information in a compact, easy-to-use format.
Information is presented on the following diseases and vaccines:
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Hepatitis A virus
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Hepatitis B virus
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Human papillomavirus
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Influenza
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Measles-mumps-rubella
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Meningococcal conjugate
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Pneumococcal polysaccharide
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Tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis
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Varicella
One side of the wheel succinctly describes who is at risk for
these VPDs, general contraindications to vaccination, and
general considerations for vaccination. The other side lists
indications, contraindications, and dosages pertinent to the
vaccines listed above and whether the vaccine can be
administered during pregnancy. A chart of vaccine administration
guidelines presents the following information on the vaccines:
storage temperature, route of administration, site, needle
length, and needle gauge.
To view the wheel and place an online order, go to:
http://www.acog.org/bookstore/Immunizations_Wheel_P566C60.cfm
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8. |
Newly launched: WHO/ICO Information Centre on Human Papillomavirus and Cervical
Cancer
WHO and the Institut Catala d'Oncologia (ICO)
recently launched
the WHO/ICO Information Centre on HPV and Cervical Cancer. It is
intended to accelerate the development and introduction of
prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines in countries
with the highest burden of cervical cancer and reduce the
incidence of this disease and related lesions among women.
To learn more, go to: http://www.who.int/hpvcentre/en
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9. |
New:
July 11 issue of IAC's Hep Express electronic newsletter now available online
The July 11 issue of Hep Express, an electronic
newsletter
published by IAC, is now available online. It is intended for
health professionals, program planners, and advocates involved
in prevention, screening, and treatment of viral hepatitis.
IAC Express has already covered some of the information
presented in the July 11 Hep Express; titles of articles we have
not yet covered follow.
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New CDC report examines drug use and sexual behavior
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Hepatitis B Foundation posts conference proceedings online
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New issue of "Viral Hepatitis" available on VHPB [Viral
Hepatitis Prevention Board] website
To access the July 11 issue, go to:
http://www.hepprograms.org/hepexpress/issue58.asp
To sign up for a free subscription to Hep Express, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/subscribe
To access previous issues of Hep Express, go to:
http://www.hepprograms.org/hepexpress
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10. |
CDC reports on worldwide progress toward interruption of wild poliovirus
transmission during January 2006-May 2007
CDC published "Progress Toward Interruption of
Wild Poliovirus
Transmission--Worldwide, January 2006-May 2007" in the July 13
issue of MMWR. A portion of a summary made available to the
press is reprinted below.
The transmission of wild poliovirus type 1--the most common type
of poliovirus--has been substantially curtailed in the remaining
endemic countries of Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
Challenges to achieving polio eradication continue in these
countries, including low coverage during supplementary
immunization activities and routine services in Nigeria, intense
virus circulation in some districts in northern India, and
accessing children in insecure areas of Afghanistan-Pakistan
border areas. Strategies are being implemented to address each
of these challenges. With collective global will and sustained
political commitment from the highest levels, the world has the
opportunity to reach the goal of global polio eradication.
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5627a3.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5627.pdf
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