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IAC Express 2008 |
| Issue number 725: April 21, 2008 |
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Contents
of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article. |
- It's
National Infant Immunization Week!
- AAP
publishes recommendations for influenza immunization of children for
2007-08
- CDC
reports interim results of a 2008 study of influenza vaccine effectiveness
in Marshfield, WI
- CDC
reports on U.S. influenza activity from September 30, 2007, through April
5, 2008, and on composition of the 2008-09 influenza vaccine
- CDC urges
U.S. travelers to Israel to protect themselves from measles
- CDC
reports on U.S. rotavirus vaccination coverage and adherence to the ACIP-recommended
vaccination schedule
- New:
Child/teen screening questionnaire now in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese,
French, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese
- New:
Multi-vaccine VIS in Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog; hepatitis B vaccine
VIS in Thai; HPV vaccine VIS in Polish
- April 16
issue of IAC's Hep Express electronic newsletter now online
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Important: Be sure to give influenza vaccine throughout the influenza
season--through the spring months
- CDC
publishes recommendations for animal rabies prevention and control
- CDC
reports on laboratory-acquired vaccinia infections and vaccinia exposure
in the U.S. during 2005-07
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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 725: April 21, 2008 |
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1. |
It's National Infant Immunization Week!
CDC published "Notice to Readers: National Infant
Immunization
Week--April 19-26, 2008" in the April 18 issue of MMWR. The
notice is reprinted below in its entirety, excluding references.
The week of April 19-26, 2008, is National Infant Immunization
Week (NIIW) and Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA).
Immunization is one of the most effective ways to protect
infants and children from potentially serious diseases. During
the week, hundreds of communities throughout the United States
are expected to sponsor activities to emphasize the health
benefits of timely vaccination and the importance to parents,
healthcare providers, and communities of maintaining high
vaccination coverage. One message stressed during this week will
be the key role of the ongoing relationship among parents and
their children's healthcare providers in vaccination programs.
CDC encourages parents to talk to their healthcare providers
about vaccinations at any time.
The week's activities provide an opportunity to showcase the
success of vaccination in saving the lives and protecting the
health of children. The currently recommended childhood
vaccination schedule includes vaccines that prevent infectious
diseases such as measles, polio, whooping cough, some forms of
meningitis and pneumonia, and liver cancer. An analysis of the
impact of seven vaccines showed that they would prevent
approximately 33,500 deaths and 14 million illnesses per annual
birth cohort.
NIIW-VWA events held in collaboration with CDC and state and
local health departments will be hosted in Rhode Island,
Connecticut, and Washington. Events held in collaboration with
CDC, state and local health departments, the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission, and the Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO), will be hosted in communities along the
U.S.-Mexico border, with kick-off events held in El Paso, Texas,
and Sunland Park, New Mexico. In all locations, events will
include education activities for healthcare providers, media
briefings, and immunization clinics.
VWA, sponsored by PAHO, targets children and other vulnerable
and underserved populations who have low vaccination coverage
rates, in all countries in the Western hemisphere. To support
NIIW and VWA events nationwide, CDC provides annually updated
English- and Spanish-language planning guides, campaign
materials, and public relations tools. These include timely key
messages, radio public service announcements, and sample media
kits. These resources and event listings are available at
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw Additional information
about VWA is available at
http://www.paho.org/english/dd/pin/vw2008.htm
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the notice, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5715a5.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5715.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. |
AAP publishes recommendations for influenza immunization of children for
2007-08
The April issue of Pediatrics, a journal of the
American Academy
of Pediatrics (AAP), includes a policy statement made by AAP's
Committee on Infectious Diseases. Titled "Prevention of
Influenza: Recommendations for Influenza Immunization of
Children, 2007–2008," the statement includes the following
sections: (1) abstract, (2) purpose of recommendations and
rationale, (3) epidemiology of influenza, (4) clinical
manifestations of influenza, (5) vaccines, (6) timing of
influenza vaccine administration, (7) contraindications and
precautions, (8) recommendations, and (9) future needs and
research. A link to the complete policy statement is given at
the end of this IAC Express article. The abstract is reprinted
below in its entirety.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends annual influenza
immunization for all children with high-risk conditions who are
6 months of age and older, for all healthy children ages 6
through 59 months, for all household contacts and out-of-home
caregivers of children with high-risk conditions and of healthy
children younger than 5 years, and for all healthcare
professionals.
To more fully protect against the morbidity and mortality of
influenza, increased efforts are needed to identify and immunize
all children at high risk and all healthy children ages 6
through 59 months and to inform their parents when annual
immunizations are due. Previously unimmunized children who are
at least 6 months of age but younger than 9 years should receive
2 doses of influenza vaccine, given 1 month apart, beginning as
soon as possible on the basis of local availability during the
influenza season. If children in this cohort received only 1
dose for the first time in the previous season, it is
recommended that 2 doses be administered in the current season.
This recommendation applies only to the influenza season that
follows the first year that a child younger than 9 years
receives influenza vaccine. A child who then also fails to
receive 2 doses the next year should be given only 1 dose per
year from that point on. Influenza vaccine should also continue
to be offered throughout the influenza season, even after
influenza activity has been documented in a community.
On the basis of global surveillance of circulating virus
strains, the influenza vaccine may change from year to year;
indeed, 1 of the 3 strains in the 2007–2008 vaccine is different
from the previous year's vaccine. All healthcare professionals,
influenza campaign organizers, and public health agencies should
develop plans for expanding outreach and infrastructure to
immunize all children for whom influenza vaccine is recommended.
Appropriate prioritization of administering influenza vaccine
will also be necessary when vaccine supplies are delayed or
limited. Because the influenza season often extends into March,
immunization against influenza is recommended to continue
through late winter and early spring. Lastly, it is recommended
that for the 2007–2008 season, and likely beyond, healthcare
professionals do not prescribe amantadine or rimantadine for
influenza treatment or chemoprophylaxis, because widespread
resistance to these antiviral medications now exists among
influenza A viral strains. However, oseltamivir and zanamivir
can be prescribed for treatment or chemoprophylaxis, because
influenza A and B strains remain susceptible.
To access the complete policy statement, go to:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/121/4/e1016
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3. |
CDC reports interim results of a 2008 study of influenza vaccine
effectiveness in Marshfield, WI
CDC published "Interim Within-Season Estimate of
the
Effectiveness of Trivalent Inactivated Influenza Vaccine--Marshfield, Wisconsin, 2007-08 Influenza Season" in the April 18
issue of MMWR. Portions of the article are reprinted below. On
April 17, CDC held a media briefing related to the article; a
link to a transcript of the briefing is given at the end of this
IAC Express article.
This report summarizes interim results of a 2008 case-control
study to estimate the effectiveness of trivalent inactivated
influenza vaccine for prevention of medically attended,
laboratory-confirmed influenza during the 2007-08 influenza
season, when most circulating influenza A (H3N2) and B viruses
were suboptimally matched to the vaccine strains. Despite the
suboptimal match between two of three vaccine strains and
circulating influenza strains, overall vaccine effectiveness
(VE) in the study population during January 21-February 8, 2008,
was 44%. These findings demonstrate that, in any season,
assessment of the clinical effectiveness of influenza vaccines
cannot be determined solely by laboratory evaluation of the
degree of antigenic match between vaccine and circulation
strains. . . .
During January 21-February 8, 2008, a total of 1,779 patients
were assessed for study eligibility after a clinical encounter
for acute respiratory illness or febrile illness. A total of 850
(48%) did not meet eligibility criteria; 773 (91%) of exclusions
resulted from absence of feverishness, chills, or cough or an
illness duration 8 days or longer. Of the 929 eligible patients,
639 (69%) consented to the study and were tested for influenza
infection. Final enrollment for this interim analysis was
reduced to 616 patients after exclusion of 23 partially
immunized children who had received only 1 of 2 recommended
vaccine doses.
Influenza was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain
reaction (RT-PCR) in 191 (31%) enrollees; 75% of influenza
infections were type A. Distribution by sex was similar for
patients who tested positive and patients who tested negative
for influenza; however, the median age was higher for patients
who tested positive (21 years) than those who tested negative
(10 years). Approximately 19% of patients who tested positive
and 39% of those who tested negative had been vaccinated against
influenza.
The overall interim estimate of VE was 44%; the estimate was
higher among persons in the healthy group aged 5-49 years (54%).
The overall estimate of VE for prevention of medically attended
influenza A infections was 58%. No VE was observed for
prevention of medically attended influenza B infections. . . .
These preliminary data based on study enrollment during January
21-February 8 suggest several conclusions. First, when assessing
VE, laboratory data on antigenic characterization of circulating
influenza viruses compared with vaccine strains should be
interpreted together with data on the clinical effectiveness of
vaccination in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza
illnesses. Although two of three vaccine strains were not
optimally matched with circulating viruses this season, an
interim VE estimate suggests that vaccination provided
substantial protection against medically attended acute
respiratory illness in this study population. In addition,
intraseason estimates of VE, such as those from this analysis,
might be useful to public health authorities and medical
practitioners in their communications about the benefits of
vaccination, especially late in the influenza season. Such data
also might be helpful to practitioners when evaluating the need
for antiviral treatment and prophylaxis for their patients.
Therefore, creating systems that enable collection and
dissemination of timely VE data during an influenza season are a
priority for CDC. Finally, healthcare providers should be aware
of the types and subtypes of influenza circulating in their
communities over the course of each influenza season. If
influenza B strains predominate during the remainder of this
season, providers can anticipate an increased risk for vaccine
failures and should consider early use of antiviral medications
for treatment and prophylaxis of persons at high risk for
complications from influenza infection.
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5715a1.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5715.pdf
To receive a FREE electronic subscription to MMWR (which
includes new ACIP statements), go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwrsubscribe.html
To access the transcript of the April 17 media briefing, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/transcripts/2008/t080417.htm
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4. |
CDC reports on U.S. influenza activity from September 30, 2007, through April
5, 2008, and on composition of the 2008-09 influenza vaccine
CDC published "Update: Influenza Activity--United
States,
September 30, 2007-April 5, 2008, and Composition of the 2008-09
Influenza Vaccine" in the April 18 issue of MMWR. Portions of
the article are reprinted below.
This report summarizes U.S. influenza activity since September
30, 2007, the start of the 2007-08 influenza season, and updates
the previous summary. Low levels of influenza activity were
reported from October through early December. Activity increased
from mid-December and peaked in mid-February.
Viral Surveillance
During September 30, 2007-April 5, 2008, World Health
Organization (WHO) and National Respiratory and Enteric Virus
Surveillance System (NREVSS) collaborating laboratories in the
United States reported testing 185,938 specimens for influenza
viruses, and 34,380 (18.5%) tested positive. Of these, 25,456
(74.0%) were influenza A viruses, and 8,924 (26.0%) were
influenza B viruses. A total of 7,715 (30.3%) of the 25,456
influenza A viruses have been subtyped: 2,110 (27.3%) were
influenza A (H1N1) viruses, and 5,605 (72.7%) were influenza A
(H3N2) viruses. The percentage of specimens testing positive for
influenza first exceeded 10% during the week ending January 12
and peaked at 32.0% during the week ending February 16. For the
week ending April 5, 13.2% of specimens tested for influenza
were positive. Although influenza A (H1N1) viruses predominated
through mid-January, the proportion of reported influenza
viruses that were A (H3N2) viruses increased rapidly during
January, and during the week ending January 26, influenza A
(H3N2) became the predominant virus for the season overall.
This season, more influenza A viruses than influenza B viruses
have been identified in all surveillance regions. However, for
weeks 13 and 14 (March 23-April 5), more influenza B than
influenza A viruses were reported. Among influenza A viruses,
influenza A (H3N2) has predominated in the East North Central,
East South Central, Mid-Atlantic, New England, South Atlantic,
West North Central, and West South Central regions, and
influenza A (H1N1) has predominated in the Mountain and Pacific
regions.
Composition of the 2008-09 Influenza Vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration's Vaccines and Related
Biological Products Advisory Committee recommended that the
2008-09 trivalent influenza vaccine for the United States
contain A/Brisbane/59/2007-like (H1N1), A/Brisbane/10/2007-like
(H3N2), and B/Florida/4/2006-like viruses. This represents a
change in all three components from the 2007-08 influenza
vaccine formulation used in the United States. These
recommendations were based on antigenic analyses of recently
isolated influenza viruses, epidemiologic data, post-vaccination
serologic studies in humans, and the availability of candidate
vaccine strains and reagents. . . .
Pneumonia and Influenza-Related Mortality
Pneumonia and influenza (P&I) was listed as an underlying or
contributing cause of death for 8.9% of all deaths reported
through the 122 Cities Mortality Reporting System for the week
ending April 5, 2008. This percentage was above the epidemic
threshold of 6.9% for the week and marked the thirteenth
consecutive week that the proportion of all deaths attributed to
P&I was above the epidemic threshold. The proportion of deaths
from P&I exceeded the epidemic threshold during week ending
January 5 and peaked at 9.1% during the week ending March 15.
Influenza-Related Pediatric Mortality
During September 30, 2007-April 5, 2008, a total of 65 pediatric
deaths among children aged <18 years associated with laboratory-confirmed influenza were reported from 26 states, New York City,
and Chicago through the National Notifiable Diseases
Surveillance System. The median age of decedents was 4.5 years
(range: 1 month to 17.8 years). During the preceding three
influenza seasons, the total number of influenza-related
pediatric deaths reported to CDC ranged from 46 to 74. . . .
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5715a4.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5715.pdf
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5. |
CDC urges U.S. travelers to Israel to protect themselves from measles
On April 14, CDC issued a press release, "CDC
Urges Travelers to
Israel to Protect Themselves from Measles: Concern raised over
Americans traveling to Israel for Passover." It is reprinted
below in its entirety.
As Americans travel to Israel for the Jewish holiday of
Passover, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises
all travelers to ensure they are protected from measles before
departing, because of a measles outbreak in Israel. Since
September, more than 900 cases of measles have been reported in
Israel, with about 700 cases in the cities of Jerusalem and Beit
Shemesh.
The outbreak has raised concern that Americans traveling to
Israel for Passover, which is celebrated April 19–27, may be
exposed to measles and could become ill if they have never had
measles or have not been properly vaccinated.
CDC recommends that
- Travelers who plan to go to Israel check their immunization
status and visit their doctor if they are not immune to
measles or are unsure of immunity status.
- Unvaccinated travelers should get vaccinated as early as
possible before leaving for Israel.
- Travelers returning from Israel should see a healthcare
provider if they develop signs or symptoms of measles.
Travelers who develop fever and other symptoms of measles
while still in Israel should get prompt medical attention
before returning to the United States. Contact U.S. consular
services at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv or the U.S. Consulate
General in Jerusalem for assistance in locating healthcare
providers.
- Travelers with fever and other symptoms of measles should
limit their contact with others as much as possible, to
prevent the potential spread of the disease.
- Clinicians seeing a patient with fever and other symptoms of
measles should ask about vaccination history and any recent
international travel.
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness spread by
contact with an infected person, through coughing and sneezing.
Measles virus can also remain active and contagious for up to 2
hours on infected surfaces. Symptoms include rash, high fever,
cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Some people with
measles can also get an ear infection, diarrhea, serious lung
infection, or, even more rarely, inflammation of the brain
(encephalitis).
The disease can be especially severe in people who are
malnourished or have a weak immune system. In the United States,
most people born before 1957--or those who have had a documented
case of measles, laboratory evidence of immunity, or received
two doses of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine or measles
vaccine--are considered immune.
Vaccination even shortly before or after exposure may prevent
disease or lessen the symptoms in people who are infected with
measles. Immune globulin given up to six days after exposure may
prevent disease among people at high risk for complications of
measles (such as pregnant women, people with weak immune
systems, and children).
For more information about the measles outbreak in Israel and
measles precautions, please visit
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentMeasles.aspx For more
information on general travel precautions when traveling to
Israel for Passover, please visit
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentIsraelPassover.aspx
To access the press release, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/2008/r080414a.htm
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6. |
CDC reports on U.S. rotavirus vaccination coverage and adherence to the ACIP-recommended
vaccination schedule
CDC published "Rotavirus Vaccination Coverage and
Adherence to
the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)-Recommended Vaccination Schedule--United States, February 2006-May 2007" in the April 18 issue of MMWR. Portions of the article
are reprinted below.
Worldwide, rotavirus is the leading cause of severe
gastroenteritis in children aged <5 years. In February 2006, a
new human-bovine rotavirus vaccine, RotaTeq (Merck & Co., Inc.,
Whitehouse Station, New Jersey), was recommended by the Advisory
Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for routine
vaccination of U.S. infants. Three doses of RotaTeq are
recommended at ages 2, 4, and 6 months. The first dose should be
administered between ages 6 and 12 weeks, and vaccination should
not be initiated for infants aged >12 weeks. Subsequent doses
should be administered at 4-10 week intervals, with all doses
administered by age 32 weeks. This schedule is consistent with
the ages at which RotaTeq was administered during prelicensure
trials, and ACIP has recommended that RotaTeq only be
administered at the ages for which safety and efficacy data are
available. In 1999, a previous rhesus-human rotavirus vaccine,
RotaShield (Wyeth Laboratories, Inc., Marietta, Pennsylvania),
was withdrawn voluntarily from the U.S. market by the
manufacturer because it was associated with intussusception, a
form of bowel obstruction. The greatest risk for intussusception
was noted after the first dose of RotaShield. Data from a large-scale, prelicensure safety trial and postlicensure monitoring do
not indicate an association between the current RotaTeq vaccine
and intussusception. CDC assessed rotavirus vaccination coverage
among U.S. infants during February 2006-May 2007 and examined
adherence to the ACIP-recommended vaccination schedule. This
report summarizes the results of that assessment . . .
Rotavirus vaccination coverage in the United States increased
during the year after the February 2006 ACIP recommendation, and
by May 2007, nearly half of infants aged 3 months in
immunization information systems (IIS) sentinel sites had
received 1 dose of rotavirus vaccine. Although the majority of
healthcare providers in these systems appear to be administering
the vaccine as recommended, the findings in this report suggest
that some infants are receiving their first dose of rotavirus
vaccine outside of the ACIP-recommended schedule. . . .
Although these initial findings on rotavirus vaccination
coverage are encouraging, public health professionals should
continue to monitor vaccination coverage, identify potential
barriers to vaccination, and increase vaccination coverage to
levels similar to those for other recommended infant vaccines.
In addition, healthcare providers should remain vigilant in
following the ACIP-recommended vaccination schedule for
rotavirus vaccine and are reminded to report any adverse events
to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System.
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5715a2.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5715.pdf
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7. |
New: Child/teen screening questionnaire now in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese,
French, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese
IAC now offers its popular "Screening
Questionnaire for Child
and Teen Immunization" in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French,
Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese, in addition to English. Links
to all follow.
For Spanish version of "Screening Questionnaire for Child and
Teen Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4060-01.pdf
For Arabic version of "Screening Questionnaire for Child and
Teen Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4060-20.pdf
For Chinese version of "Screening Questionnaire for Child and
Teen Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4060-08.pdf
For French version of "Screening Questionnaire for Child and
Teen Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4060-10.pdf
For Korean version of "Screening Questionnaire for Child and
Teen Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4060-09.pdf
For Russian version of "Screening Questionnaire for Child and
Teen Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4060-07.pdf
For Vietnamese version of "Screening Questionnaire for Child and
Teen Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4060-05.pdf
For English version of "Screening Questionnaire for Child and
Teen Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4060.pdf
For a continually updated listing (in date order) of IAC's new
and revised website materials, go to: http://www.immunize.org/new Click on "html" or "pdf" to view
the pertinent resource.
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8. |
New:
Multi-vaccine VIS in Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog; hepatitis B vaccine VIS in
Thai; HPV vaccine VIS in Polish
Dated 1/30/08, the multi-vaccine VIS is now
available in
Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog. Dated 7/18/07, the interim VIS
for hepatitis B vaccine is now available in Thai. Dated 2/2/07
the interim VIS for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is now
available in Polish. IAC gratefully acknowledges the California
Department of Public Health, Immunization Branch, for the multi-vaccine VIS translations; Asian Pacific Health Care Venture of
Los Angeles for the hepatitis B vaccine VIS translation, and the
Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics for the
HPV vaccine VIS translation.
Multi-vaccine VIS
To access Spanish version of the multi-vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/sp_multi.pdf
To access Chinese version of the multi-vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/ch_multi.pdf
To access Tagalog version of the multi-vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/ta_multi.pdf
To access English version of the multi-vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_multi1.pdf
Hepatitis B vaccine VIS (interim)
To access Thai version of the hepatitis B vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/th_hpb01.pdf
To access English version of the hepatitis B vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/hepb01.pdf
NOTE: The interim VIS for hepatitis B vaccine comes in
additional languages, including Spanish. To access them, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_hepb.asp Click on the link to
the pertinent language.
HPV vaccine VIS (interim)
To access Polish version of the HPV vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/po_hpv.pdf
To access English version of the HPV vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/hpv.pdf
NOTE: The interim VIS for HPV vaccine comes in additional
languages, including Spanish. To access them, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_hpv.asp Click on the link to
the pertinent language.
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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9. |
April 16 issue of IAC's Hep Express electronic newsletter now online
The April 16 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 April 16 Hep Express; titles of articles we
have not yet covered follow.
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World Hepatitis Day is May 19
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Asian Liver Center develops brochure about the business
response to employees with HBV [hepatitis B virus] infection
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American Association of Nurse Anesthetists condemns unsafe
injection practices
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Take advantage of free continuing education opportunities
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Latino Organization for Liver Awareness Hepatitis C Walk will
take place May 15; free HCV [hepatitis C virus] testing
offered to NYC residents
-
Hepatitis C Network of Windsor, Ontario, will hold its annual
conference May 15
-
Hepatitis B Foundation's B Informed Patient Conference
scheduled for June 27-28 in Los Angeles
-
2008 International HBV Meeting to take place August 17-21 in
San Diego
-
Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board updates its website with new
meeting report
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Journal articles you may have missed
To access the April 16 issue, go to:
http://www.hepprograms.org/hepexpress/issue69.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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10. |
Important: Be sure to give influenza vaccine throughout the influenza
season--through the spring months
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
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11. |
CDC publishes recommendations for animal rabies prevention and control
CDC published "Compendium of Animal Rabies
Prevention and
Control, 2008: National Association of State Public Health
Veterinarians, Inc. (NASPHV)" in the April 18 issue of MMWR
Recommendations and Reports. The introductory paragraphs are
reprinted below.
Rabies is a fatal viral zoonosis and a serious public health
problem. The disease is an acute, progressive encephalitis
caused by a lyssavirus. Although the United States has been
declared free of canine rabies virus variant transmission,
multiple viral variants are maintained in wild mammal
populations, and there is always a risk of reintroduction of
canine rabies. All mammals are believed to be susceptible to the
disease, and for purposes of this document, use of the term
"animal" refers to mammals.
The recommendations in this compendium serve as a basis for
animal rabies prevention-and-control programs throughout the
United States and facilitate standardization of procedures among
jurisdictions, thereby contributing to an effective national
rabies-control program. This document is reviewed annually and
revised as necessary. The most current version replaces all
previous versions. These recommendations do not supersede state
and local laws or requirements. Principles of rabies prevention
and control are detailed in Part I; recommendations for
parenteral vaccination procedures are presented in Part II; and
all animal rabies vaccines licensed by the U. S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) and marketed in the United States are listed
in Part III. . . .
To obtain a web-text (HTML) version of the recommendations
online, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5702a1.htm
To obtain a ready-to-copy (PDF) version, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5702.pdf
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12. |
CDC reports on laboratory-acquired vaccinia infections and vaccinia exposure
in the U.S. during 2005-07
CDC published "Laboratory-Acquired Vaccinia
Exposures and
Infections--United States, 2005-2007" in the April 18 issue of
MMWR. A portion of a summary made available to the press is
reprinted below.
Vaccinia virus (VACV) is used in research laboratories, and
accidental inoculation in the laboratory can result in severe
infection. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
(ACIP) recommends vaccination with the vaccinia (smallpox)
vaccine at least every 10 years for researchers who have contact
with non-attenuated strains of VACV. In this MMWR, 5 recent
instances of laboratory-related VACV exposure, including 4
infections and 2 hospitalizations, are described. In all
instances, the researchers recovered, but had not met ACIP
recommendations for vaccination. These observations underscore
the need for laboratory researchers and occupational health
clinics to review vaccination status of researchers who handle
non-attenuated VACV strains [and to] reinforce laboratory safety
practices.
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5715a3.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5715.pdf
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