This year, National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) will be observed the week of April 19-26. 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, 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.

To learn about events that will take place across the U.S., go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw/2008/08activities.htm

To list your activity or event, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw/2008/activity-form.htm

To access an array of planning tools, NIIW campaign materials, public relation tools, and educational materials for parents and providers, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw

The March 2008 issue of the IAC periodical Needle Tips includes an Ask the Experts Q&A concerning a dosing error in which an adult patient was mistakenly given a pediatric dose of hepatitis A vaccine. The Q&A appears at the bottom of the third column on page 22 of Needle Tips.

IAC has received some questions asking for clarification of the answer. Here is the corrected Q&A:

Q: One of our staff gave a dose of pediatric hepatitis A vaccine to an adult patient by mistake. How do we remedy this error?

A: If less than a full age-appropriate dose of any vaccine is given, the dose should not be counted. The person should be revaccinated with the appropriate dose as soon as possible.

IAC regrets the confusion the initial Q&A may have caused Needle Tips readers.

In December 2007, CDC issued interim recommendations for the use of Hib vaccine. The interim recommendations, which are still in effect, call for providers to temporarily defer giving the Hib vaccine booster to healthy children ages 12-15 months.

Providers should, however, continue to give the booster dose to children ages 12-15 months who are at increased risk for Hib disease. Children at increased risk are defined as Alaska American and Native American children, as well as those with asplenia, sickle disease, HIV or other immune syndromes, and/or malignant neoplasms.

Following are some CDC resources that explain the interim recommendations:

Flyer for clinicians:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/shortages/downloads/hib-flyer-022008.pdf

Q&A for providers and public health agencies:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/shortages/downloads/hib-faqs-recall-12-12-07.doc

Interim Hib recommendations:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5650a4.htm

Q&A for parents:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/recalls/hib-recall-parents-faqs-12-12-07.htm

IAC recently revised two educational resources on the hepatitis B vaccine birth dose. Minor changes were made to "Hepatitis B Shots Are Recommended for All New Babies," which is intended for parents. "Guidelines for Standing Orders in Labor & Delivery and Nursery Units to Prevent Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Transmission to Newborns" is intended for healthcare professionals. Changes were made in the section titled "For infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers."

To access the revised "Hepatitis B Shots Are Recommended for All New Babies," go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4110.pdf

To access the revised "Guidelines for Standing Orders in Labor & Delivery and Nursery Units to Prevent Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Transmission to Newborns," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2130.pdf

For a continually updated listing (in date order) of IAC's new and revised web materials, go to: http://www.immunize.org/new Click on "html" or "pdf" to view the pertinent resource.

Influenza is currently circulating, and vaccination should continue through the spring months. 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

New mother, actress, and television producer Salma Hayek is the spokesperson for a partnership between UNICEF and Pampers that seeks to reduce the presence of maternal and neonatal tetanus in the developing world. Under the partnership, whenever a specially marked package of Pampers diapers is bought in the U.S. or Canada, the Pampers brand will donate a dose of tetanus vaccine to UNICEF.

To access a UNICEF press release about the partnership and Salma Hayek's role in it, go to:
http://www.unicefusa.org/hidden/salma-hayek-joins-with-pampers.html

To access WHO information about neonatal tetanus in the developing world, go to:
http://www.who.int/vaccines/en/neotetanus.shtml

SnapShots, an electronic publication of USAID's IMMUNIZATIONbasics Project, is intended to provide busy public health professionals with references and periodic updates from the immunization world. Although the primary audience for SnapShots is USAID health staff and staff of USAID-funded projects, other immunization professionals will find it an excellent way to gain an international perspective on immunization.

To access the current and back issues of SnapShots, go to:
http://www.immunizationbasics.jsi.com/Newsletter/SnapShotsArchive.htm

To subscribe, go to:
http://www.immunizationbasics.jsi.com/Newsletter/Subscribe.htm

The eighth National Conference on Immunization & Health Coalitions will be held in San Francisco on May 21-23. The deadline for standard registration is May 15.

To access comprehensive conference information, including an updated conference agenda, go to:
http://www.sfimmunize.org/page2.html

A seminar on evaluating the acceptability of vaccine and vaccination programs is planned for July 7-9 at Les Pensieres Conference Center, Annecy, France.

For information on the seminar program and registration, go to:
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/en/knowledge/conferences/conferences.php Scroll down the listings under the heading "Conferences 2008" to the entry for 7-9 July 2008 and click on the pertinent link.

For additional information, email Catherine Dutel at catherine.dutel@fondation-merieux.org