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IAC Express 2008 |
| Issue number 736: June 12, 2008 |
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Contents
of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article. |
- New
feature! "Ask The Experts" Q&As from CDC experts now included in IAC
Express
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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 736: June 12, 2008 |
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1. |
New feature! "Ask The Experts" Q&As from CDC experts now included in IAC
Express
Many readers of Needle Tips, Vaccinate Adults,
and Vaccinate Women
consistently rank "Ask the Experts" as their favorite feature in
these publications. As a thank-you to our loyal IAC Express
readers, we have decided to periodically publish an Extra Edition
with new "Ask the Experts" Q&As answered by CDC experts.
IAC thanks William L. Atkinson, MD, MPH, and Andrew T. Kroger, MD,
MPH, medical epidemiologists at the National Center for
Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC, for agreeing to answer
the following questions.
Editor's note: Information about submitting a question to "Ask the
Experts" is provided at the end of this IAC Express article.
QUESTION
When administering zoster vaccine, is it necessary to ask patients
if they have ever had chickenpox or shingles?
ANSWER
No. All persons age 60 years or older---whether they have a history
of chickenpox or shingles or not---should be given zoster vaccine
unless they have a medical contraindication. Medical
contraindications are described in detail in the recently released
"Prevention of Herpes Zoster: Recommendations of ACIP." To obtain a
copy, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/rr/rr5705.pdf
QUESTION
How can I use Twinrix in combination with hepatitis B and hepatitis
A vaccines to complete a series that was started with Twinrix but
can't be completed that way?
ANSWER
Twinrix is licensed in the U.S. as a 3-dose series for persons age
18 years and older. If Twinrix is not available or if you choose
not to use Twinrix to complete the series, you must consider the
following: Twinrix contains a standard ADULT dose of hepatitis B
vaccine, but a PEDIATRIC dose of hepatitis A vaccine. Thus, a dose
of Twinrix can be substituted for any dose of the hepatitis B
series, but not for any dose of the hepatitis A series.
Any combination of 3 doses of adult hepatitis B or 3 doses of
Twinrix = a complete series of hepatitis B vaccine
1 dose of Twinrix + 2 doses of adult hepatitis A = a complete
series of hepatitis A vaccine
2 doses of Twinrix + 1 dose of adult hepatitis A = a complete
series of hepatitis A vaccine
QUESTION
I work with college-age students and have two questions about HPV
vaccine. Often it is hard to follow the ideal HPV schedule with
students, especially if they leave for the summer or study abroad.
How close together can HPV doses be given? And, if a student
doesn't come back for her second or third dose on time, do we have
to start the series over?
ANSWER
Although following the recommended schedule is the goal for any
vaccine, certain circumstances call for using an accelerated
schedule. When accelerating the schedule for HPV vaccine, there
must be at least 4 weeks between doses 1 and 2, 12 weeks between
doses 2 and 3, and at least 24 weeks between doses 1 and 3. The
minimum interval for any routinely administered vaccine can be
found at
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/child/2008/08_catch-up_schedule_pr.pdf
Regarding your second question, no vaccine series needs to be
restarted because of an interval that is longer than recommended
(with the exception of oral typhoid vaccine in certain
circumstances). You can read more about the recommended spacing
between vaccine doses in the following resources.
ACIP's General Recommendations on Immunization
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5515.pdf
CDC's Pink Book (chapter 2 on general recommendations)
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/genrec.pdf
QUESTION
Where can I find a declination form for parents to sign if they
refuse vaccination for their child?
ANSWER
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has developed a form and
posted it on its website at
http://www.cispimmunize.org/pro/pdf/RefusaltoVaccinate_revised%204-11-06.pdf
AAP includes information for providers regarding the
benefits and also the limitations of using such a form.
HOW TO SUBMIT A QUESTION TO "ASK THE EXPERTS"
IAC works with CDC to compile new "Ask the Experts" Q&As for our
publications based on commonly asked questions. We also consider
the need to provide information about new vaccines and
recommendations. Most of the questions are thus a composite of
several inquiries.
You can email your question about vaccines or immunization to IAC
at admin@immunize.org As we receive hundreds of emails each month,
we cannot guarantee that we will use your question in the "Ask the
Experts" feature. However, you will get an answer. To see if your
question has already been answered, you can first check the "Ask
the Experts" online archive at
http://www.immunize.org/askexperts
You can also email CDC's immunization experts directly at
nipinfo@cdc.gov There is no charge for this service.
If you have a question about IAC materials or services, email
admin@immunize.org
Please forward these "Ask the Experts" Q&As to your co-workers and
suggest they subscribe to IAC Express at
http://www.immunize.org/subscribe
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