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