IAC recently mailed the latest issue of Needle Tips (March 2008) to 190,000 health professionals and others who work in the field of immunization. Packed with immunization and hepatitis resources for health professionals, patients, and parents, the 24-page issue is well worth downloading. All articles and education pieces, except editorials, have been reviewed by immunization and hepatitis experts at CDC.

You can view selected articles from the table of contents below or download the entire issue from the Web.

To download a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the entire issue, go to: http://www.immunize.org/nslt.d/n38/n38.pdf

The PDF file of the entire issue is large. For tips on downloading and printing PDF files, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/nslt.d/tips.htm

To view the table of contents with links to individual articles, go to: http://www.immunize.org/nt

The March issue includes several notable print resources on immunization and viral hepatitis, all of which can be downloaded:

• Ask the Experts
• Vaccine Highlights
• Hepatitis B Facts: Testing and vaccination
• Hepatitis A and B Vaccines . . . Be sure your patient gets the correct dose!
• Vaccine Administration Record for Children and Teens
• Vaccine Administration Record for Adults
• Standing Orders for Administering Vaccines . . . Free and CDC-reviewed, they're ready for you to download, copy, and use!
• Recommended Immunization Schedules for Persons Ages 0-18 Years, U.S., 2008
• Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule United States, October 2007-September 2008

CDC published "Update: Recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Regarding Administration of Combination MMRV Vaccine" in the March 14 issue of MMWR. Portions of the article are reprinted below.

To receive a FREE electronic subscription to MMWR (which includes new ACIP statements), go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwrsubscribe.html

On March 13, CDC released interim editions of the VISs for MMR vaccine and varicella vaccine. The interim VIS for MMR vaccine replaces the previous edition (dated 1/15/03); the interim VIS for varicella vaccine replaces the previous edition (dated 1/10/07).

The interim VISs for MMR vaccine and varicella vaccine have been updated to incorporate information about measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccine. This includes information about the increased rates of certain adverse events such as febrile seizures after MMRV vaccine administration. (IAC Express editor's note: See story #2 above for information on changes to ACIP's recommendations for giving MMRV vaccine.)

When giving MMRV vaccine, the new interim VISs should be used. When giving MMR vaccine or varicella vaccine separately, the previously published VISs may be used until stocks are depleted.

To access the interim VIS for MMR vaccine from the CDC website, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-mmr.pdf

To access the interim VIS for MMR vaccine from the IAC website, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/mmr03.pdf

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

To access the interim VIS for varicella vaccine from the IAC website, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/varic07.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

Influenza is currently circulating, and vaccination should continue from now until May. 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

IAC recently made minor revisions to a parent-education resource, "All Kids Need Hepatitis B Shots!" and substantial revisions to a professional-education resource, "Vaccine Administration Record for Children and Teens."

To access the revised "All Kids Need Hepatitis B Shots!" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4055.pdf

To access the revised "Vaccine Administration Record for Children and Teens," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2022.pdf

The March 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 March issue is about National Infant Immunization Week; similar information can be found in article #8 of this issue of IAC Express. Various other articles from the March issue of Immunization Works are covered in this issue or in previous issues of IAC Express. Following is the text of two articles we have not covered.

Issues of Immunization Works are posted on CDC's Vaccines & Immunizations website a few days after publication. To access the March issue, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/news/newsltrs/imwrks Click on the link titled "Mar" under the banner titled "2008 Newsletters Available Online."

The CDC website recently posted an interactive training program for primary care practitioners. "Increasing Adult Vaccination Rates: WhatWorks" gives each participant the opportunity to work through a case study in a setting similar to the one the participant works in. Continuing Education credits are available.

To learn more about the program, go to:
http://www2.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/whatworks/index.html

National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is an annual observance to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases and celebrate the achievements of immunization programs and their partners in promoting healthy communities. Since 1994, NIIW has served as a call to action for parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers to ensure that infants are fully immunized against 14 vaccine-preventable diseases. This year NIIW will be held April 19-26.

During NIIW 2008, hundreds of communities across the United States will join those in the Western Hemisphere and Europe to celebrate Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) and European Immunization Week. More than sixty countries around the world will participate.

Please visit http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw for additional resources on planning an NIIW event and to download English and Spanish-language NIIW campaign materials including print ads, radio public service announcements (PSAs), sample op-ed articles, and other public relations and planning tools. You can also provide information on your 2008 NIIW activities/event through this web page.

[The following is cross posted from IAC's Hep Express electronic newsletter, 3/13/08.]

CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis is sponsoring a national poster contest in honor of World Hepatitis Day, which will take place on May 19.

Individual artists of amateur and professional status are eligible to participate. Organizations who would like to submit a group entry are also eligible. There are three categories (General Viral Hepatitis Awareness, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C). Each individual or organization is allowed only one entry per category. Posters may be computer-generated/enhanced or handmade in any medium.

Submissions must be received by midnight Friday, April 18, 2008. A grand prize of $1000 will be awarded to the best poster from all the contest entries. A $250 prize will be awarded to the top entry in each category. Winning posters will be featured on CDC's website, printed, and distributed nationally.

Please tell colleagues, clients, family, and friends about the contest and encourage them to submit an entry. If your organization has a website or newsletter, please consider promoting the contest via these channels.

For official contest rules, or to submit an entry, visit http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/postercontest

The March 13 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 March 13 Hep Express; titles of articles we have not yet covered follow.

• IAC adds information to its hepatitis prevention programs website
• Washington State API Hepatitis B Task Force develops new brochure for pregnant women
• HCV [hepatitis C virus] infections traced to Nevada endoscopy clinic
• HBF [Hepatitis B Foundation] posts Winter 2008 issue of "B Informed" newsletter on its website
• HBF offers seven podcasts related to hepatitis B
• New York State Department of Health sponsoring hepatitis C conference on March 25
• North American Syringe Exchange Convention to be held April 30-May 3, in Tacoma, WA
• Digestive Disease Week to be held May 17-22, in San Diego
• International Harm Reduction Conference scheduled for May 11- 15, in Barcelona, Spain
• National Harm Reduction Conference set for November 13-16, in Miami

To access the March 13 issue, go to:
http://www.hepprograms.org/hepexpress/issue68.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

Since its 2002 launch date, IAC's izcoalitions.org website (http://www.izcoalitions.org) has posted information from 165 immunization coalitions. The site includes data from coalitions at all levels (local, state, regional, and national) and of all types, vaccine-specific as well as age-specific (childhood, adult, senior).

This online database allows health professionals, immunization advocates, parents, and others to contact specific coalitions to find resources, share ideas, and form strategic partnerships. Searches can be done by coalition name or geographic area.

Be sure your coalition is part of this powerful web-based networking tool by logging on and checking for your coalition's listing. If your coalition is not listed, sign up today. If you're already signed up, and information about your coalition has changed, be sure to update your listing to help us keep izcoalitions.org current and accurate.

To search the izcoalitions.org website, go to:
http://www.izcoalitions.org

If you have questions or difficulties using the website, send an email to Janelle at janelle@immunize.org or call her at (651) 647-9009.

CDC published "Progress Toward Measles Mortality Reduction and Elimination--Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1997-2007" in the March 14 issue of MMWR. Portions of a summary made available to the press are reprinted below.

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5710.pdf