IAC Express 2007
Issue number 675: July 23, 2007
 
Contents of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article.
  1. 2007-08 VISs for influenza vaccines now available on CDC website
  2. Official CDC Health Advisory: Hepatitis A infections linked to children adopted from Ethiopia and their family contacts
  3. Updated: IAC revises three of its immunization education print materials
  4. MMWR notifies readers of August 9 broadcast/webcast of Immunization Update 2007
  5. MMWR notifies readers that revised International Health Regulations have gone into effect for the United States
  6. Attention nurses: Earn free CE credits by reading about vaccine safety and taking an online test
  7. HHS to provide $175 million to assist states in pandemic influenza preparedness efforts
  8. New: HHS releases fourth part of its Pandemic Planning Update
 
Abbreviations
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.
  
Issue 675: July 23, 2007
1.  2007-08 VISs for influenza vaccines now available on CDC website

On July 16, CDC released the VIS for trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV; injectable) and the VIS for live, intranasal influenza vaccine (LAIV; nasal spray). Both are intended for use during the 2007-08 influenza vaccination season. In the event that the licensing information for LAIV vaccine is changed, CDC will issue an updated VIS for LAIV.

To access the 2007-08 VIS for TIV vaccine from the CDC website, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-flu.pdf

To access it from the IAC website, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/2flu.pdf

To access the 2007-08 VIS for LAIV vaccine from the CDC website, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-flulive.pdf

To access it from the IAC website, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/liveflu.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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2 Official CDC Health Advisory: Hepatitis A infections linked to children adopted from Ethiopia and their family contacts

 

On July 19, CDC's Health Alert Network issued an official CDC Health Advisory titled "Hepatitis A Infections Linked to Children Adopted from Ethiopia and Their Family Contacts." It is reprinted below in its entirety.


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently received reports of hepatitis A in children and adults linked to adoptees from Ethiopia. Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. Symptoms usually occur abruptly and include fatigue, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), and diarrhea. Jaundice is common in adults but rare in children. Most children under the age of 6 years do not get sick from the infection, but can spread it to older children and adults, who often become ill. Older persons and persons with chronic liver disease can have more serious illness. The overall mortality rate from hepatitis A is 0.3%, but it is 1.8% among persons aged >=50 years. Symptoms generally last up to 2 months; there is no chronic (long-term) form of the disease.

The virus is found in the stool (feces) of persons with hepatitis A. It is usually spread from person to person by putting something in the mouth that has been contaminated with stool. Frequent hand washing with soap and water, particularly after using the bathroom, changing a diaper, and before preparing or eating food, is very important in preventing the spread of hepatitis A.

To prevent hepatitis A virus infections, CDC recommends that travelers to areas with high rates of hepatitis A, including Ethiopia, receive hepatitis A vaccine as soon as travel is considered. CDC also recommends that all children >=1 year of age receive the hepatitis A vaccine. Other household members and caregivers of children adopted from Ethiopia should consider being vaccinated before adopted children are brought to the United States.

Adopted children, household members, or other persons experiencing symptoms of hepatitis A should contact a healthcare provider for an evaluation. Persons exposed to hepatitis A who have not been previously immunized should contact their healthcare provider or local health department to determine if they should receive an immunization or immunoglobulin that might prevent the illness. More information about hepatitis A is available at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis

CDC recommends that all international travelers consult a travel healthcare provider 4-6 weeks prior to travel to determine if any other measures, such as immunizations or medications, are indicated for the planned itinerary. Vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles and mumps, are still common in many parts of the world, including developed countries. The CDC website (http://www.cdc.gov/travel) has a specific section for Traveling with Children, which includes general health advice for international adoptees and their adoptive parents, and Travel Notices, which describe current disease information of interest to travelers.

To access the health advisory, go to:
http://www2a.cdc.gov/HAN/ArchiveSys/ViewMsgV.asp?AlertNum=00263

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3 Updated: IAC revises three of its immunization education print materials

IAC recently updated three of its immunization education print materials. Details follow:

1. "Vaccines Work! CDC statistic demonstrate dramatic declines in vaccine-preventable diseases when compared with the pre-vaccine era" (formerly titled "What would happen if we stopped vaccinations?"). This was updated with 2005 statistics, based on recently published information from CDC.

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4037.pdf

2. "Vaccinations for Adults: You're NEVER too old to get immunized!" Minor changes were made to the influenza section.

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030.pdf

3. "If you have hepatitis C, which vaccinations do you need?" Minor changes were made to the influenza section.

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4042.pdf

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4 MMWR notifies readers of August 9 broadcast/webcast of Immunization Update 2007

 

CDC published "Notice to Readers: Satellite Broadcast and Webcast: Immunization Update 2007" in the July 20 issue of MMWR. The notice is reprinted below in its entirety.


CDC and the Public Health Training Network will present a satellite broadcast and webcast, Immunization Update 2007, on August 9, 2007. The 2-1/2-hour broadcast will occur live during 9:00-11:30 a.m. EST and will be rebroadcast the same day during 12:00-2:30 p.m. EST. Both broadcasts will feature a live question-and-answer session in which participants nationwide can interact with the course instructors via a toll-free telephone number. Anticipated topics include influenza, rotavirus, varicella, and zoster vaccines and other emerging vaccine topics. Continuing education (CE) credits will be provided. Additional information about the program is available at http://www2a.cdc.gov/phtn/immup-2007

Information for site administrators about establishing and registering a viewing location is available at http://www.cdc.gov/phtnonline This website also provides information for individual participants who would like to register to view the satellite broadcast from a specific location or for those seeking CE credit.

No registration is necessary to view the webcasts via the Internet; the link to the live webcast is available at http://www2a.cdc.gov/phtn/webcast/immup-2007 The webcast will be accessible via the Internet connection until September 11, 2007. The program will become available as a self-study DVD and Internet-based program in September 2007.


To access a web-text (HTML) version of the notice, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5628a4.htm

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5628.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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5 MMWR notifies readers that revised International Health Regulations have gone into effect for the United States

 

CDC published "Notice to Readers: Revised International Health Regulations effective for the United States" in the July 20 issue of MMWR. The notice is reprinted below in its entirety.


On July 18, 2007, the revised International Health Regulations (IHRs) entered into effect for the United States. IHRs are an international legal framework designed to help contain or prevent serious risks to public health while discouraging unnecessary or excessive restrictions on travel or trade. The revised IHRs (1) describe the obligations of World Health Organization (WHO) member states to assess and manage serious health threats that have the potential to spread beyond their borders and (2) provide guidance for meeting those obligations.

Under the revised IHRs, member states must report to WHO cases of smallpox, poliomyelitis caused by wild-type poliovirus, human influenza caused by a new virus subtype, and severe acute respiratory syndrome. In addition, member states must notify WHO in a timely way of any threat that qualifies as a public health emergency of international concern, whether that threat is associated with an infectious, chemical, biologic, or radiologic agent.

Several federal agencies are working to implement the revised IHRs. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has assumed the lead role in carrying out the reporting requirements. The DHHS Operations Center is the central body responsible for reporting events to WHO. The United States will build upon existing state and local reporting and response networks, including the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, to receive information at the federal level. After briefings from CDC on the need for state and local support to implement the revised IHRs, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists on June 28, 2007, approved a resolution that the organization will support the new regulations (available at http://www.cste.org/ps/2007ps/2007psfinal/id/07-id-06.pdf).

Additional information regarding the revised IHRs is available from WHO at http://www.who.int/csr/ihr/en Information is also available from DHHS at http://www.globalhealth.gov/ihr


To access a web-text (HTML) version of the notice, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5628a5.htm

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5628.pdf

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6 Attention nurses: Earn free CE credits by reading about vaccine safety and taking an online test

The April issue of the journal Nursing2007 published an article titled "How Can You Promote Vaccine Safety?" It provides nursing professionals with the latest information and resources for preventing adverse events related to immunizations and for managing them if they occur.

Nurses can earn 2.0 hours of continuing education (CE) credit by taking a free online test. The test can also be completed and mailed to the publisher for a discounted registration fee of $9.95.

To access the article and online test, go to:
www.nursingcenter.com/prodev/ce_article.asp?tid=707168

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7 HHS to provide $175 million to assist states in pandemic influenza preparedness efforts

On July 17, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a press release titled "HHS Announces $896.7 Million in Funding to States for Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response." In the release, it was announced that $175 million was earmarked for pandemic influenza preparedness to assist public health departments in their pandemic influenza planning efforts.

To access the press release, go to:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2007pres/07/pr20070717c.html

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8 New: HHS releases fourth part of its Pandemic Planning Update

On July 18, Michael Leavitt, Secretary of HHS (Department of Health and Human Services), released a report titled "Pandemic Planning Update IV." It provides an update on the department's priorities related to pandemic planning, which were outlined in the original report, "Pandemic Planning Update," dated March 13, 2006. The second part of the report was issued June 29, 2006, and the third part on November 20, 2006.

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the July 18 report, go to: http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/panflureport4.pdf

To access the November 13 report, go to:
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/pdf/panflureport3.pdf

To access the June 29 report, go to:
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/pdf/PanfluReport2.pdf

To access the March 13 report, go to:
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/pdf/panflu20060313.pdf

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About IZ Express

IZ Express is supported in part by Grant No. 1NH23IP922654 from CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Its contents are solely the responsibility of Immunize.org and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC.

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Editorial Information

  • Editor-in-Chief
    Kelly L. Moore, MD, MPH
  • Managing Editor
    John D. Grabenstein, RPh, PhD
  • Associate Editor
    Sharon G. Humiston, MD, MPH
  • Writer/Publication Coordinator
    Taryn Chapman, MS
    Courtnay Londo, MA
  • Style and Copy Editor
    Marian Deegan, JD
  • Web Edition Managers
    Arkady Shakhnovich
    Jermaine Royes
  • Contributing Writer
    Laurel H. Wood, MPA
  • Technical Reviewer
    Kayla Ohlde

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