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IAC Express 2007 |
| Issue number 701: December 17, 2007 |
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Contents
of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article. |
- Happy
holidays from all of us at IAC
- Merck
announces voluntary recall of certain lots of its Hib-containing vaccines
PedvaxHIB and COMVAX
- IAC
website posts three Spanish-language immunization print resources
- IAC
updates its print resource "MMR Vaccine Does Not Cause Autism: Examine the
evidence!"
- December
issue of CDC's Immunization Works electronic newsletter now available
online
- December
12 issue of IAC's Hep Express electronic newsletter posted on IAC's
website
-
Important: Be sure to give influenza vaccine throughout the influenza
season--from fall 2007 through spring 2008
- CDC
publishes update on U.S. influenza activity from September 30 through
December 1
-
Nomination deadline for the 2008 National Influenza Vaccine Summit's
Immunization Excellence Awards is January 17, 2008
- WHO
issues position paper on rabies vaccines
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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 701: December 17, 2007 |
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1. |
Happy holidays from all of us at
IAC
All of us at IAC wish the readers of IAC Express
a safe, happy, and relaxing holiday season--free from influenza.
We will not be producing an issue on December 24. We'll email you the next
issue on December 31.
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2. |
Merck announces voluntary recall of certain lots of its Hib-containing
vaccines PedvaxHIB and COMVAX
On December 13, Merck & Co. announced that it was
recalling 10 lots of its PedvaxHIB (haemophilus b conjugate vaccine
[meningococcal protein conjugate]) vaccine used in the United States and two
lots of its COMVAX (haemophilus b conjugate [meningococcal protein conjugate]
and hepatitis B [recombinant]) combination vaccine.
CDC is working closely with the alternative manufacturer of Hib vaccine (sanofi
pasteur) to evaluate and ensure vaccine supply. Specific updates will be
provided as soon as they are available; Future issues of IAC Express will
announce the updates.
The Front Page News article of the December issue of CDC's
Immunization Works electronic newsletter is devoted to the Hib
vaccine recall. It is reprinted below in its entirety.
The end of this IAC Express article contains links to several
addition resources: (1) information from CDC about the current
supply of Hib vaccine, which contains updates made on December 12 and
December 14; (2) a CDC Q&A web page for parents about the recall; (3) the
transcript of a 12/12/07 CDC press briefing on the recall; and (4)
information from FDA on the lots recalled.
IMMUNIZATION WORKS
FRONT PAGE NEWS
MERCK ANNOUNCES VOLUNTARY RECALL OF HIB VACCINE: Merck & Co. has
initiated a voluntary recall in the United States for eleven
lots [10 distributed in the U.S. and one used only in China] of
PedvaxHIB [Haemophilus b Conjugate Vaccine (Meningococcal
Protein Conjugate)] and two lots of COMVAX [Haemophilus b
Conjugate (Meningococcal Protein Conjugate) and Hepatitis B
(Recombinant) Vaccine]. The affected doses were distributed
starting in April 2007. No other lots of PedvaxHIB or COMVAX and
no other Merck products are affected by this recall.
Merck is taking this step as a precautionary measure. The
company cannot assure sterility for these specific vaccine lots.
The potential contamination in these specific lots was
identified as part of Merck's standard evaluation of their
manufacturing processes. In routine testing of the vaccine
manufacturing equipment used to produce PedvaxHIB and COMVAX,
Merck identified the presence of a certain bacteria called
Bacillus cereus. Sterility tests of the vaccine lots themselves
have not found any contamination. The potential for
contamination of any individual vaccine is low, and, if present,
the level of contamination would be low. However, because they
cannot guarantee the sterility of these specific lots of
vaccine, Merck is conducting this recall.
CDC has posted a fact sheet [for providers], Q&As about Recall
of Hib Vaccine
(http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/recalls/hib-recall-faqs-12-12-07.htm)
on their Vaccines website (http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines). Also,
questions about medical and other issues related to this recall
can be directed to Merck's National Service Center at
(800) 672-6372.
(1) To access CDC information on the current supply of Hib
vaccine, which contains updates made on December 12 and December
14, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/shortages and
scroll down to Note 1.
(2) To access a Q&A about the recall for parents, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/recalls/hib-recall-parents-faqs-12-12-07.htm
(3) To access the transcript of the 12/12/07 CDC press briefing
on the recall, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/transcripts/2007/t071212.htm
(4) To access FDA information on the lots recalled, go to:
http://www.fda.gov/cber/recalls/merckhib121107.htm
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3. |
IAC website posts three Spanish-language immunization print resources
IAC recently posted Spanish-language versions of
three of its
patient-education materials: (1) "Screening Questionnaire for
Intranasal Influenza Vaccination" (2) "Are You 11-19 Years Old?
Then you need to be vaccinated against these serious diseases!"
and (3) "Questions Frequently Asked About Hepatitis B."
(1) To access the newly translated "Cuestionario de seleccion
para la vacuna inranasal contra la influenza" ("Screening
Questionnaire for Intranasal Influenza Vaccination") in ready-to-print (PDF) format, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4067-01.pdf
To access "Screening Questionnaire for Intranasal Influenza
Vaccination" in English, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4067.pdf
(2) To access the recently updated (8/07) "Tienes de 11 a 19
anos? Entonces neccesitas vacunarte contra estas enfermedades
serias!" ("Are You 11-19 Years Old? Then you need to be
vaccinated against these serious diseases!") in ready-to-print
(PDF) format, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4020-01.pdf
To access "Are You 11-19 Years Old? Then you need to be
vaccinated against these serious diseases!" in English, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4020.pdf
(3)
To access the recently updated (8/07) "Preguntas frecuentes
acerca de la hepatitis B" ("Questions Frequently Asked About
Hepatitis B") in ready-to-print (PDF) format, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4090-01.pdf
To access "Questions Frequently Asked About Hepatitis B" in
English, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4090.pdf
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4. |
IAC updates its print resource "MMR Vaccine Does Not Cause Autism: Examine
the evidence!"
In August, IAC updated its print resource "MMR
Vaccine Does Not
Cause Autism: Examine the evidence!" with six additional journal
references that concur with the bulk of the medical literature
that there is no association between receiving MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine and developing autism.
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the updated
resource, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4026.pdf
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5. |
December issue of CDC's Immunization Works electronic newsletter now
available online
The December 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.
The Front Page News article from the December issue appears as
article #1 of this issue of IAC Express. Various other articles
from the December issue of Immunization Works have already
appeared in previous issues of IAC Express. Following is the
text of six articles we have not covered.
OTHER NEWS & SUMMARIES
DRAMATIC INCREASE IN USE OF HIB VACCINE GLOBALLY: Since 2000,
the GAVI Alliance (formerly known as the Global Alliance for
Vaccines and Immunizations) has provided support for new and
underutilized vaccines to the poorest countries in the world.
While Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) vaccine has been
widely utilized in developed countries for more than 15 years,
uptake of the vaccine in developing countries has been slow. In
2005, the GAVI Alliance created the Hib Initiative to accelerate
evidence-informed adoption and sustained use of Hib vaccine in
GAVI-eligible countries. Worldwide, Hib disease is estimated to
cause 3 million cases of meningitis and severe pneumonia, and
approximately 386,000 deaths per year, in children under five
years of age. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends
that all countries adopt the Hib vaccine into routine child
immunizations. In September 2007, the GAVI Alliance received 21
applications (13 from Africa) for funding support for Hib-containing pentavalent vaccine. Of these, 16 were approved, and
five received conditional approval. The introduction of Hib
vaccine in these countries will increase the number of GAVI-eligible countries using or approved to use Hib vaccine from 31
countries to 47, and will cover a birth cohort of approximately
23 million children--a two-fold increase in existing coverage.
CDC is a member of the Hib Initiative, along with WHO, Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the London School
of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
CDC'S PRE-TEEN VACCINE CAMPAIGN WINS NATIONAL AWARD: Women in
Government, a national organization representing women state
legislators in the United States, recently recognized CDC's Pre-teen Vaccine Campaign with a Presidential Leadership Award. The
award honors individuals and groups that are advancing efforts
to eliminate cervical cancer in the United States and worldwide.
In November, at a ceremony held at the John F. Kennedy Center in
Washington, DC, the award was accepted on behalf of the campaign
by Pre-teen Vaccine Campaign manager Kari Sapsis. The CDC's Pre-teen Vaccine Campaign is designed to engage parents and others
in a dialogue to ensure pre-teen vaccinations are not forgotten.
Through extensive audience research, CDC has created posters and
flyers, in English and Spanish, to educate parents and providers
about the three pre-teen vaccines and the 11 and 12 year old
medical check-up. More information about the campaign, and free
campaign materials, can be found at the CDC's Pre-teen Vaccine
Campaign website
(http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/spec-grps/preteens-adol/07gallery).
MEETINGS, CONFERENCES & RESOURCES
NEW CDC FLU MATERIALS: A new CDC fact sheet, Questions & Answers
about the 2007-2008 Flu Season
(http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa), can be found at CDC's
Seasonal Flu website. The fact sheet, which is intended for a
general public audience, answers questions about this year's flu
season, the effectiveness of the flu vaccine, and other common
questions. Also, CDC has posted ten new posters, including
several in Spanish, at the CDC Flu Gallery
(http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/flugallery/index.htm#nivwflupsa).
PARTNER FLU PSAs: The National Influenza Vaccine Summit, (NIVS),
which is co-sponsored by the American Medical Association, and
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has posted
a number of influenza public service announcements (PSAs) on its
website. The PSAs, many of which are free or available from
partners for a nominal fee, can be found on the on the News and
Media page under the Public Service Announcements heading of the
NIVS website (http://www.preventinfluenza.org/media.asp).
GET READY FOR NIC: The 42nd National Immunization Conference
(NIC) will be held from March 17–20, 2008, in Atlanta, Georgia,
and will comprise six topic tracks: Adolescent and Adult
Vaccination, Epidemiology and New Vaccines, Health and Risk
Communication, Immunization Information Systems, Influenza, and
Programmatic Issues. Abstract submission is now closed. More
information can be found on the NIC Website
(http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/nic/default.htm). Or,
questions can be addressed to the Conference Planning Team at
nipnic@cdc.gov
ON-SITE TRAINING IN ATLANTA: A two-day Epidemiology and
Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases course
(http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/onsite-trg.htm) will be held in
Atlanta on April 15 and 16, 2008, at CDC. Space is limited.
Issues of Immunization Works are posted on CDC's Vaccines &
Immunizations website a few days after publication. To access
the December issue, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/news/newsltrs/imwrks Click on the
link titled "Dec" under the banner titled "2007 Newsletters
Available Online."
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6. |
December 12 issue of IAC's Hep Express electronic newsletter posted on IAC's
website
The December 12 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 December 12 Hep Express; titles of articles we
have not yet covered follow.
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CDC releases new report on health disparities in HIV/AIDS,
viral hepatitis, STDs, and tuberculosis
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Washington State API [Asian Pacific Islander] Hepatitis B Task
Force offers 2008 calendar
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New APIA [Asian Pacific Islander Americans] brochure available
from Free Hepatitis Info
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Selected studies presented at November AASLD [American
Association for the Study of Liver Diseases] meeting
available online
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APAMSA's [Asian Pacific American Medical Student
Association's] November Hepatitis B Training meeting slides
available online
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VHPB [Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board] updates its website
with new resources
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Journal articles you may have missed
To access the December 12 issue, go to:
http://www.hepprograms.org/hepexpress/issue65.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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7. |
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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8. |
CDC
publishes update on U.S. influenza activity from September 30 through December 1
CDC published "Update: Influenza Activity--United
States,
September 30-December 1, 2007" in the December 14 issue of MMWR.
Portions of the article are reprinted below.
During September 30-December 1, 2007, influenza activity
remained low in the United States. This report summarizes U.S.
influenza activity since September 30, the start of the 2007-08
influenza season.
Viral Surveillance
During September 30-December 1, 2007, World Health Organization
(WHO) and National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance
System collaborating laboratories in the United States tested
24,897 respiratory specimens for influenza viruses, and 559
(2.2%) were positive. Of these, 515 (92%) were influenza A
viruses, and 44 (8%) were influenza B viruses. One hundred
thirty-five (26%) of the 515 influenza A viruses were subtyped;
112 (83%) of these were influenza A (H1) viruses, and 23 (17%)
were influenza A (H3) viruses. Influenza virus-positive tests
have been reported from the District of Columbia (DC) and 32
states in all nine surveillance regions since September 30.
Antigenic Characterization
WHO collaborating laboratories in the United States are
requested to submit a subset of their influenza isolates to CDC
for further antigenic characterization. Viral isolates are
necessary for antigenic characterization. Many of the positive
tests reported to CDC are from rapid antigen testing and,
therefore, cannot be characterized further. Since September 30,
2007, U.S. laboratories have submitted approximately 80
influenza isolates for antigenic characterization, the majority
of these during November 18-December 1. To date, CDC has
antigenically characterized 27 influenza viruses; 19 (70%) of
these were influenza A (H1) isolates, five (19%) were influenza
A (H3) isolates, and three (11%) were influenza B isolates.
Other isolates received since September 30 are being grown and
characterized.
All of the 19 influenza A (H1) viruses were A/Solomon
Islands/3/2006-like, a recent antigenic variant of A/New
Caledonia/20/99 and the strain recommended by WHO as the
influenza A (H1) component for both the 2007-08 Northern
Hemisphere influenza vaccine and the 2008 Southern Hemisphere
influenza vaccine. Two influenza A (H3) isolates were
A/Wisconsin/67/2005-like, the strain included in the 2007-08
Northern Hemisphere vaccine formulation. Three influenza A (H3)
isolates were antigenically similar to A/Brisbane/10/2007, the
strain recommended as the 2008 A (H3) component of influenza
vaccines for the Southern Hemisphere.
Each of the three influenza B viruses characterized belongs to
the B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage. Influenza B viruses currently
circulating worldwide can be divided into two antigenically
distinct lineages represented by the B/Yamagata/16/88 and
B/Victoria/02/87 viruses. The recommended influenza B component
for the 2007-08 influenza vaccine is a B/Malaysia/2506/2004-like
virus, belonging to the B/Victoria lineage.
Novel Influenza A Viruses
One case of novel influenza A infection was reported from
Michigan during the week ending November 3, 2007; a child aged
18 months was infected with swine influenza A (H1N2) virus in
August 2007 after attending an agricultural event where swine
were exhibited. The child walked through a barn containing pigs
but was reported to have had no direct contact with the animals.
The child recovered from the illness; no contacts of the child
were reported to be ill.
Outpatient Illness Surveillance
Since September 30, 2007, weekly percentages of outpatient
visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) reported by
approximately 1,300 U.S. sentinel providers in 50 states, New
York City, Chicago, and DC have ranged from 0.9% to 1.6%. Weekly
percentages of outpatient visits for acute respiratory illness
(ARI) reported by approximately 800 U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) BioSense outpatient treatment facilities and 350
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) BioSense outpatient treatment
facilities have ranged from 1.8% to 2.4%. During the week ending
December 1, approximately 1.6% of outpatient visits through the
U.S. sentinel providers were attributed to ILI, and 2.4% of
outpatient visits to the VA and DoD BioSense facilities were
attributed to ARI, both of which are below the respective
national baselines of 2.2% and 3.2%. For the week ending
December 1, all nine regions reported percentages of outpatient
visits for ARI below their respective region-specific baselines.
ARI data from the VA and DoD BioSense facilities also are
analyzed by age groups (0-4 years, 5-17 years, 18-49 years, 50-64 years, and >=65 years). The percentages of outpatient visits
for ARI for all five age groups were below their respective age-specific baselines.
State-Specific Activity Levels
For the week ending December 1, 2007, influenza activity was
reported as local in four states (Colorado, Florida, Texas, and
Virginia) and as sporadic in 33 states and DC. Thirteen states
reported no activity. To date, no states have reported regional
or widespread influenza activity this season.
Pneumonia- and Influenza-Related Mortality
For the week ending December 1, 2007, pneumonia and influenza
(P&I) was listed as an underlying or contributing cause of death
for 6.1% of all deaths reported through the 122 Cities Mortality
Reporting System. This percentage is below the epidemic
threshold of 6.4% for that period. During the 2007-08 influenza
season, the weekly percentage of deaths attributed to P&I has
ranged from 5.7% to 6.1%. The percentage of deaths attributed to
P&I exceeded the epidemic threshold for 3 consecutive weeks
during September 30-October 20 but has remained below the
epidemic threshold since the week ending October 27.
Influenza-Associated Pediatric Hospitalizations
Pediatric hospitalizations associated with laboratory-confirmed
influenza infections are monitored by two population-based
surveillance networks, the Emerging Infections Program (EIP) and
the New Vaccine Surveillance Network (NVSN). To date, no
influenza-associated pediatric hospitalizations have been
reported from NVSN this season. During September 30-November 24,
2007, the preliminary laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated
hospitalization rate reported by EIP for children was within the
expected range for this time of year. For children aged 0-17
years, the influenza-associated hospitalization rate was 0.006
per 10,000. For children aged 0-4 years and 5-17 years, the
rates were 0.01 and 0.003 per 10,000, respectively.
Influenza-Related Pediatric Mortality
One influenza-associated pediatric death occurring during the
2007-08 season has been reported to CDC through the National
Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. The death occurred in
Texas during the week ending November 10, 2007, and was reported
to CDC during the week ending December 1. . . .
Editorial Note:
Vaccination is the best method for prevention of influenza and
its potentially severe complications. Influenza vaccine should
be administered to any person who wants to reduce the likelihood
of becoming ill with influenza or transmitting influenza to
others. Annual influenza vaccination, as recommended by the
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), is targeted
toward persons at increased risk for influenza-related
complications and severe disease (e.g., children aged 6-59
months, pregnant women, persons aged >=50 years, and persons
aged 5-49 years with certain chronic medical conditions) and
their close contacts (e.g., healthcare workers and household
contacts of persons at increased risk, including contacts of
children aged <6 months). In addition, all children aged 6
months-9 years who have not been vaccinated previously at any
time should receive 2 doses of influenza vaccine, and those who
only received 1 dose in their first year should receive 2 doses
in the following year.
To maximize the benefit from vaccination, persons should be
vaccinated before increases of influenza activity occur in their
community. Because influenza activity remains low in all parts
of the United States and does not typically peak until January
or later, persons not yet vaccinated should get vaccinated and
vaccine providers should continue to encourage vaccination in
December and beyond. . . .
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5649a3.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5649.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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9. |
Nomination deadline for the 2008 National Influenza Vaccine Summit's
Immunization Excellence Awards is January 17, 2008
The National Influenza Vaccine Summit recently
posted the
nomination form for its Immunization Excellence Awards. The
awards recognize individuals and organizations that have made
extraordinary contributions toward improved adult and/or
childhood influenza vaccination within their communities. Awards
will be presented during the National Immunization Conference,
which will be held in Atlanta during March 17-20, 2008. The
deadline for nominations is January 17, 2008.
To access a downloadable nomination form and additional
information, go to:
http://www.preventinfluenza.org/nominationform2008.pdf
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10. |
WHO issues position paper on rabies vaccines
The December 7 issue of the WHO periodical
"Weekly
Epidemiological Record" covered the latest WHO position paper on
rabies vaccines. To access it, go to:
http://www.who.int/wer/2007/wer8249_50.pdf
A collection of WHO position papers on vaccines is available in
alphabetical order at
http://www.who.int/immunization/documents/positionpaper
They are available in chronological order on the IAC website at
http://www.immunize.org/who
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