On April 24, CDC issued a press release titled "National Infant Immunization Week Reminds Parents of the Importance of Immunizations and Encourages Them to Look to Their Child's Doctor for Information: More than twenty percent of children not fully protected against vaccine-preventable disease." Portions of the press release are reprinted below.

To access the press release, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/2008/r080424.htm

The Tenth Edition of the Pink Book, formally titled "Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases" has been updated and reprinted (second printing). Substantive changes were made to chapters that cover the following: general immunization recommendations, haemophilus influenzae type b, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, hepatitis A, influenza, meningococcal disease, and human papillomavirus. Several appendices were also revised.

The second printing of Pink Book is available for purchase and downloading:

PURCHASING OPTIONS
To order the second printing online from the Public Health Foundation for $35 (plus shipping and handling), go to:
http://bookstore.phf.org/product_info.php?products_id=552

Order it by phone at (877) 252-1200 (for U.S. calls) or (301) 645-7773 (for international calls); by fax at (301) 843-0159; or by email at phf@tasco1.com

DOWNLOADING OPTIONS
To download chapter files of the Pink Book, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/pink-chapters.htm

To download a text-only version, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/pink-text.htm

To access comprehensive information about the second printing, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook

CDC recently updated its excellent webcast toolkit on vaccine storage and handling. Titled "How to Protect Your Vaccine Supply," it covers the following:

• Cold chain
• Storage and handling plans
• Vaccine personnel
• Storage equipment
• Storage practices
• Temperature monitoring
• Storage troubleshooting
• Selected biologicals
• Inventory management
• Vaccine shipments
• Preparation and disposal

A CD-ROM will be available in the next several months. IAC Express will alert readers when it is.

To view the webcast, which requires Windows Media Player, go to:
https://www2a.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/shtoolkit

On April 23, CDC issued an update on the current Hib vaccine shortage with the intention that the message be disseminated widely to clinicians, immunization partners, and healthcare professionals. The update is reprinted below in its entirety.

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

IAC recently updated three of its most popular immunization resources. They are the "Summary of Recommendations for Adult Immunization," "Vaccinations for Adults: You're NEVER too old to get immunized!" and "Are You 11-19 Years Old? Then you need to be vaccinated against these serious diseases!" Details follow:

On the "Summary of Recommendations for Adult Immunization," content changes were made to the sections on hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and human papillomavirus. Formatting and wording changes were made to other sections.

To access a copy of the revised "Summary of Recommendations for Adult Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2011.pdf

The section on human papillomavirus was changed on "Vaccinations for Adults: You're NEVER too old to get immunized!"

To access a copy of the revised "Vaccinations for Adults: You're NEVER too old to get immunized!" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030.pdf

The sections on human papillomavirus and influenza were changed on "Are You 11-19 Years Old? Then you need to be vaccinated against these serious diseases!"

To access a copy of the revised "Are You 11-19 Years Old? Then you need to be vaccinated against these serious diseases!" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4020.pdf

Vaccination experts at CDC recently reviewed and updated information on three of IAC's online "Ask the Experts" Q&A sections. The sections are general immunization, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B. All of IAC's "Ask the Experts" Q&As are reviewed and updated annually. The process is ongoing; IAC Express will inform readers as sections are reviewed and revised.

To access the revised Q&As on general immunization, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/askexperts/experts_general.asp

To access the revised Q&As on hepatitis A, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/askexperts/experts_hepa.asp

To access the revised Q&As on hepatitis B, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/askexperts/experts_hepb.asp

To access the index of "Ask the Experts" sections, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/askexperts

The VISs for varicella vaccine (dated 3/13/08), meningococcal vaccine (dated 1/28/08), and MMR vaccine (dated 3/13/08) are now available in Turkish. IAC gratefully acknowledges Dr. Mustafa Kozanoglu and Dr. Murat Serbest for the translations.

Varicella vaccine VIS
To access Turkish version of the varicella VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/tu_var.pdf

To access English version of the varicella vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/varic07.pdf


Meningococcal vaccine VIS (interim)
To access Turkish version of the meningococcal vaccine VIS, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/tu_men.pdf

To access English version of the meningococcal vaccine VIS, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/menin06.pdf


MMR vaccine VIS
To access Turkish version of the MMR vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/tu_mmr03.pdf

To access English version of the MMR vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/mmr03.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

The April issue of Parents PACK, an electronic newsletter published by the Vaccine Education Center (VEC) of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, has two articles of interest to parents and health professionals.

The feature article, "Mandates and Individual Liberties," presents a summation of remarks made by Arthur Caplan, PhD, during a panel discussion on vaccine mandates held on March 26 at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Dr. Caplan is the chair of the Department of Medical Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania.

The spotlight article, "Measles Outbreaks in the U.S.," presents information on outbreaks that have resulted from measles importation since January 2008.

To access the April issue of Parents PACK, go to:
https://www.chop.edu/consumer/jsp/division/generic.jsp?id=88171

To view a recording of the March 26 panel discussion on vaccine mandates, go to: http://www2.fi.edu/rss/lecturenotes/index.php

Published monthly, Parents PACK gives VEC a way to communicate directly with parents about vaccination issues, provides parents with vaccination information more regularly than doctor visits can, and gives parents a source for up-to-date immunization information. VEC requests that healthcare professionals tell their patients about Parents PACK and its resources. Encourage parents to visit the following link and to check back often for updates:
http://www.chop.edu/consumer/jsp/division/generic.jsp?id=79354

Now available online, NCIRD's 2008 annual report can be downloaded in its entirety or in sections.

To access NCIRD's 2008 annual report, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/about/annual-rpts

In response to a 2005 Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendation, and to guide the Immunization Safety Office's (ISO's) scientific direction, ISO is developing a five-year ISO Scientific Agenda. Draft recommendations are now available in two formats--Microsoft Word and PDF:

To access the draft recommendations in Microsoft Word format, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/00_pdf/agenda_background_080321.doc

To access the draft recommendations in ready-to-print (PDF) format, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/00_pdf/agenda_background_080321.pdf

For additional information on the ISO Scientific Agenda, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/agenda.htm

[The following is cross posted from IAC's Hep Express electronic newsletter, 4/16/08.]

Help promote the first ever global World Hepatitis Day on May 19! Representatives from around the world have been planning this campaign for a year under the umbrella of a new group, the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA). This day will be a historic event, dedicated to raising awareness of and changing perceptions about the more than 500 million people living with HBV and HCV.

Although the campaign details are not being given to the media until May 19, the organizers are inviting hepatitis organizations to start promoting the campaign and its theme: "Am I Number 12?" This concept was designed not only to communicate the incredible statistic that one in 12 people worldwide has HBV or HCV--which is far higher than the prevalence of HIV or any cancer--but also to encourage people to question themselves and get tested. This inclusive theme is intended to combat the stigma often associated with hepatitis B and C by highlighting the extent of hepatitis viral infection across the world in a memorable way.

Teaser materials with the campaign logo have been developed for distribution by hepatitis groups. To view the teaser materials, visit the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable website at http://www.nvhr.org/NVHR_World_Hepatitis_Day.htm Please feel free to share this artwork. The high-resolution versions of these materials have been uploaded onto the global campaign FTP site at http://portal.fleishman.com If using the website banner ads, we encourage you to add a hyperlink that links to the global campaign website at http://www.aminumber12.org

If your organization would like to be included on the World Hepatitis Day website, please send your organization logos and website URLs to worldhepday@fleishman.com

An inexpensive, but effective way to show that groups all over the world are involved in raising awareness of chronic viral hepatitis will be to show images of the teasers in recognizable global locations. Global organizers will collate these images into a variety of formats and distribute them to planners throughout the world. If possible, photograph examples of these teaser activities and forward them to the global team as soon as you can. Images should include some global cultural reference (e.g. someone wearing an "Am I Number 12?" tee shirt or carrying "Am I Number 12?" balloons in front of a well-known landmark). Please send your digital images to worldhepday@fleishman.com

Chris Taylor, viral hepatitis program manager, National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, serves as the WHA North American representative. You can email Chris with questions at ctaylor@NASTAD.org

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

CDC recently updated two pages on its Seasonal Flu web section:

"Questions & Answers: The 2007-2008 Flu Season" (4/18/08)

"Questions & Answers: Influenza Antiviral Drug Resistance" (4/11/08)

To access these resources, 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

[The following is cross posted from IAC's Hep Express electronic newsletter, 4/16/08.]

The 8th Annual B Informed Patient Conference will take place June 27-28. The conference will be held at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, in collaboration with the Hepatitis B Information & Support List, the HBV Adoption Support List, and the Asian Pacific Liver Center.

Last year almost 200 patients and family members gathered to attend the informative and supportive two-day conference that focused on the care and management of chronic hepatitis B. Through presentations by experts in the field, interactive Q&A sessions, and multiple workshop sessions, participants learned to live more successfully with chronic hepatitis B and gain new friends at the same time.

For more information on the program and registration, go to:
http://www.hepb.org/patients/patient_conference.htm

[The following is cross posted from IAC's Hep Express electronic newsletter, 4/16/08.]

The Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board (VHPB) website has been updated to include information from the meeting held in Lucca, Italy, March 13-14: "Prevention and Control of Viral Hepatitis: The role and impact of patient and advocacy groups in and outside Europe."

The meeting information is on the home page of the VHPB website at http://www.vhpb.org

This year's Points Across conference will be held in Baltimore on May 14. Titled "Collaborations That Work, Partnerships That Last," the conference is intended for health promotion professionals interested in initiating and sustaining partnerships as a way of maximizing effectiveness and cutting costs. The conference is a collaboration between the Maryland Partnership for Prevention and the Center for Immunization, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

To access the conference brochure, which includes a registration form, go to:
http://www.edcp.org/pdf/2008_MPP_Points_Across_Brochure.pdf

For additional information, call the Maryland Partnership for Prevention at (410) 902-4677.