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IAC Express 2007 |
| Issue number 700: December 10, 2007 |
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Contents
of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article. |
- CDC
publishes updated recommendation for meningococcal vaccination of at-risk
children age 2-10 years
- Errors
corrected in recommendations for eliminating hepatitis B transmission in
infants, children, and teens
- In TV
interview, NCIRD's Dr. Melinda Wharton refutes claims that vaccines cause
harm
- Reminder:
Satellite broadcast on Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases is
scheduled for December 13
- Planned
for January 17, 2008, CDC net conference will focus on shingles disease
and vaccine, and adolescent vaccination recommendations
-
Important: Be sure to give influenza vaccine throughout the influenza
season--from fall 2007 through spring 2008
- CDC
updates its Seasonal Flu web section with a Q&A on influenza vaccine
efficacy
- Faces of
Influenza schedules nationwide events for December 2007 and January 2008
-
PandemicFlu.gov website posts toolkit of communication resources for
healthcare community and others
- Deadline
for abstract submission for NFID's Conference on Vaccine Research is
February 15, 2008
- Abstract
submission deadline for the National Conference on Immunization & Health
Coalitions is February 1, 2008
-
Subscribe to PATH's Vaccines for the Future e-newsletter
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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 700: December 10, 2007 |
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1. |
CDC publishes updated recommendation for meningococcal vaccination of at-risk
children age 2-10 years
CDC published "Notice to Readers:
Recommendation from the
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for Use of
Quadrivalent Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine (MCV4) in Children
Aged 2-10 Years at Increased Risk for Invasive Meningococcal
Disease" in the December 7 issue of MMWR. Portions of the
recommendation are reprinted below.
On October 17, 2007, the Food and Drug Administration approved
quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) (Menactra,
Sanofi Pasteur, Swiftwater, Pennsylvania) for use in children
aged 2-10 years, in addition to its prior approval for use in
persons aged 11-55 years. Previous Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations called for routine
vaccination with meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (MPSV4)
(Menomune, Sanofi Pasteur) of children aged 2-10 years who are
at increased risk for meningococcal disease. These children
include travelers to or residents of countries in which
meningococcal disease is hyperendemic or epidemic, children who
have terminal complement component deficiencies, and children
who have anatomic or functional asplenia. This notice provides
updated recommendations for meningococcal vaccination among
children aged 2-10 years at increased risk for meningococcal
disease. . . .
At its October meeting, ACIP revised its recommendation to state
that MCV4 is preferable to MPSV4 for vaccination of children
aged 2-10 years who are at increased risk for meningococcal
disease. These children include travelers to or residents of
countries in which meningococcal disease is hyperendemic or
epidemic, children who have terminal complement component
deficiencies, and children who have anatomic or functional
asplenia. Additionally, MCV4 is preferred to MPSV4 for use among
children aged 2-10 years for control of meningococcal disease
outbreaks. Providers may elect to vaccinate children aged 2-10
years who are infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
For children aged 2-10 years who have previously received MPSV4
and remain at increased risk for meningococcal disease, ACIP
recommends vaccination with MCV4 at 3 years after receipt of
MPSV4. Children who last received MPSV4 more than 3 years ago
and remain at risk for meningococcal disease should be
vaccinated with MCV4 as soon as possible. For children at
lifelong increased risk for meningococcal disease, subsequent
doses of MCV4 likely will be needed. ACIP will make
recommendations for revaccination with MCV4 as more data on
duration of protection become available.
Persons with a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) might be
at increased risk for GBS after MCV4 vaccination; therefore, a
history of GBS is a precaution to administering MCV4. For
children with a history of GBS, MPSV4 is an acceptable
alternative for short-term (i.e., 3-5 years) protection against
meningococcal disease.
The ACIP meningococcal vaccine workgroup is considering options
for general use of MCV4 among children aged 2-10 years.
Recommendations will be presented at a future ACIP meeting.
Recommendations for use of MCV4 in persons aged 11-55 years,
including a recommendation for routine vaccination with MCV4 of
persons aged 11-18 years, have been published previously and
remain unchanged.
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5648a4.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5648.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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2. |
Errors corrected in recommendations for eliminating hepatitis B transmission
in infants, children, and teens
CDC published "Errata: Vol. 54,
No. RR-16" in the December 7
issue of MMWR. It concerns errors that appeared in the MMWR
Recommendations and Reports titled "A Comprehensive Immunization
Strategy to Eliminate Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus
Infection in the United States: Recommendations of the Advisory
Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)--Part 1: Immunization
of Infants, Children, and Adolescents," which was published
December 23, 2005. The errata are reprinted below in their
entirety.
The errata concern one correction to Table 2 of the
recommendations and several corrections to Table 4. It is easier
to follow the text of the errata with the corrected Table 4 at
hand. Here is the link to the corrected Table 4:
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hbv/pdfs/correctedtable4.pdf
In the MMWR Recommendations and Reports, "A Comprehensive
Immunization Strategy to Eliminate Transmission of Hepatitis B
Virus Infection in the United States: Recommendations of the
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)--Part 1:
Immunization of Infants, Children, and Adolescents," the
following errors occurred:
On page 8, in Table 2, in the first row, "Infants (<1 yr),"
under the column heading "Combination vaccine, Pediarix, Dose
(microgram)," the text should read, "10."
On page 9, in Table 4, under the column heading
"Recommendation," the second bullet should read, "Administer 3
additional hepatitis B vaccine doses with single-antigen vaccine
at ages 1, 2-3, and 6 mos or hepatitis B-containing combination
vaccine at ages 2, 4, and 6 mos (Pediarix) or 2, 4, and 12-15
mos (Comvax)."
The fourth bullet should read, "Test for HBsAg and antibody to
HBsAg 1-2 mos after completion of >=3 doses of a licensed
hepatitis B vaccine series (i.e., at age 9-18 mos, generally at
the next well-child visit). Testing should not be performed
before age 9 mos nor within 4 wks of the most recent vaccine
dose."
The seventh bullet should read, "Administer 3 additional
hepatitis B vaccine doses with single-antigen vaccine at ages 1,
2-3, and 6 mos or hepatitis B-containing combination vaccine at
ages 2, 4, and 6 mos (Pediarix) or 2, 4, and 12-15 mos
(Comvax)."
The 10th bullet should read, "Complete the hepatitis B vaccine
series with single-antigen vaccine at ages 2 mos and 6-18 mos or
hepatitis B-containing combination vaccine at ages 2, 4, and 6
mos (Pediarix) or 2, 4, and 12-15 mos (Comvax)."
The following footnote should be added to Table 4: "The final
dose in the vaccine series should not be administered before age
24 weeks (164 days)."
The corrected Table 4 is available in its entirety at
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hbv/pdfs/correctedtable4.pdf
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the errata, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5648a6.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of "A Comprehensive
Immunization Strategy to Eliminate Transmission of Hepatitis B
Virus Infection in the United States: Recommendations of the
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)--Part 1:
Immunization of Infants, Children, and Adolescents," go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5416.pdf
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3. |
In TV interview, NCIRD's Dr. Melinda Wharton refutes claims that vaccines
cause harm
On November 28, Dr. Melinda
Wharton, deputy director, NCIRD, was
interviewed on NBC's Atlanta affiliate. In the course of the 30-minute interview, Dr. Wharton addressed a number of vaccine-safety issues, among them the claim made by actress Jenny
McCarthy that vaccines harm children, specifically that they
cause autism. McCarthy, mother of an autistic child, is the
author of the recently published book "Louder than Words: A
Mother's Journey in Healing Autism."
To view Dr. Wharton's interview, go to:
http://www.11alive.com/video/player.aspx?aid=83962&bw=
PLEASE NOTE: The video of Dr. Wharton's interview may be
preceded by a short ad. Once the ad stops, the interview will
begin immediately. Also, please note that the video of Dr.
Wharton's interview will be available for only three months
after the date it was aired (November 28, 2007).
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4. |
Reminder: Satellite broadcast on Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
is scheduled for December 13
The CDC-sponsored satellite
broadcast Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases is scheduled for December 13 from noon to
3:30PM ET. The course is designed to provide information on case
investigation, outbreak control, and disease reporting for
vaccine-preventable diseases. Continuing education (CE) credit
is available.
The broadcast will feature a live Q&A session in which
participants nationwide can interact with the course instructors
by toll-free telephone lines, fax, and email. A webcast will be
available through the Internet for one month following the
broadcast.
For complete information, including course materials,
registration, and details on accessing the broadcast and
qualifying for CE credit, go to: http://www2a.cdc.gov/phtn/vpd-07
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5. |
Planned for January 17, 2008, CDC net conference will focus on shingles
disease and vaccine, and adolescent vaccination recommendations
The next NCIRD live Net Conference will cover
shingles (zoster)
disease and vaccine and adolescent vaccination recommendations.
It is scheduled from noon to 1PM ET on January 17, 2008. Dr.
Rafael Harpaz will speak on zoster and zoster vaccine; Dr.
Shannon Stokley will speak on adolescent vaccination
recommendations. Dr. Andrew Kroger will moderate. Participation
in the Q&A section of the program is available by phone and
Internet.
For additional information, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/ciinc
This is a limited-entry event. Registration will close on
January 15 at midnight ET or when the course is full. To
register, go to: http://www2.cdc.gov/nip/isd/ciinc
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6. |
Important: Be sure to give influenza vaccine throughout the influenza
season--from fall 2007 through spring 2008
Influenza vaccination should continue from now
into the early
months of 2008. Visit the following websites often to find the
information you need to keep vaccinating. Both are continually
updated with the latest resources.
The National Influenza Vaccine Summit website at
http://www.preventinfluenza.org
CDC's Seasonal Flu web section at http://www.cdc.gov/flu
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7. |
CDC updates its Seasonal Flu web section with a Q&A on influenza vaccine
efficacy
CDC recently updated a patient Q&A on its
Seasonal Flu web
section: "Questions & Answers: How Well Does Seasonal Flu
Vaccine Work?" (11/30/07).
To access this resource, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/whatsnew.htm#updated and click on the
pertinent link.
To access a broad range of continually updated information on
seasonal influenza, avian influenza, pandemic influenza, and
swine influenza, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/flu
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8. |
Faces of Influenza schedules nationwide events for December 2007 and January
2008
Faces of Influenza, an educational website of the
American Lung Association, recently announced that it will hold four
influenza-related events for the public in December 2007 and January 2008.
The dates and locations follow:
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December 11--Detroit
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December 13--Philadelphia
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January 8--Seattle
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January 15--Minneapolis/St. Paul
For information on the events, contact Elizabeth
Margulies at emargulies@lungusa.org
For information on Faces of Influenza, go to:
http://www.facesofinfluenza.org
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9. |
PandemicFlu.gov website posts
toolkit of communication resources for healthcare community and others
As part of the federal government's efforts to
prepare the
nation for pandemic influenza, the PandemicFlu.gov website
recently posted a toolkit of comprehensive communication
resources. Titled "Take the Lead: Make an Impact!" the toolkit
is intended for the healthcare community, employers, faith-based
organizations, and neighborhood groups. It includes sample
newsletter and email messages; posters, flyers, talking points,
and checklists; and suggested activities such as brown-bag
meetings, food drives, and more.
For additional information, go to:
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/takethelead
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10. |
Deadline for abstract submission for NFID's Conference on Vaccine Research is
February 15, 2008
The eleventh annual Conference on Vaccine
Research, sponsored by
the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), will be
held in Baltimore on May 5-7, 2008. The deadline for abstract
submission is February 15, 2008.
To access conference information, including instructions for
submitting an abstract and an online abstract submission form,
go to: http://www.nfid.org/conferences/vaccine08
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11. |
Abstract submission deadline for the National Conference on Immunization &
Health Coalitions is February 1, 2008
The eighth National Conference on Immunization &
Health
Coalitions will be held in San Francisco on May 21-23, 2008. The
deadline for abstract submission is February 1, 2008; the
deadline for early-bird registration is February 28.
To access comprehensive conference information, go to:
http://www.sfimmunize.org/page2.html
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12. |
Subscribe to PATH's Vaccines for the Future e-newsletter
Vaccines for the Future provides a periodic
update on PATH's
vaccine development program, which works to develop new,
appropriate, and affordable vaccines against the two leading
causes of death in children under age five--pneumonia and
diarrhea.
To subscribe to Vaccines for the Future, send a message to
pvs@path.org
To learn more about and to subscribe to other PATH e-newsletters, go to:
http://www.path.org/news/e-newsletters.php
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