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IAC Express 2008 |
| Issue number 750: September 2, 2008 |
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Contents
of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article. |
- Take
time to view Dr. Paul A. Offit's video about his new
book, "Autism's False Prophets"
- Joint Commission Resources challenges hospitals to increase
influenza immunization of healthcare personnel
- New: Available in English and Spanish, CDC's public service
announcements promote pre-teen vaccination
- CDC issues a statement on the cost-effectiveness of HPV
vaccination
- IAC updates two of its print materials for healthcare
professionals--"It's Federal Law! You must give your patients
current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)" and
"Suggestions to Improve Your Immunization Services"
- Correction: Use this new link to enroll in eDispense Vaccine
Manager, a free web-based application for reimbursement for
vaccines under Medicare Part D
- New: Fourth edition of CDC's "Manual for the Surveillance of
Vaccine-Preventable Diseases" available online
- Vote & Vax project's September 3 Webinar will give influenza
vaccination providers information about holding a clinic at
or near a polling site on election day
- Cancelled: Immunize Georgia conference, scheduled for October
1, has been cancelled
- PATH
launches new Vaccine Resource Library
- MMWR publishes report on Nigeria's progress toward polio
eradication during January 2007-August 12, 2008
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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 750: September 2, 2008 |
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1. |
Take time to view Dr. Paul A.
Offit's video about his new book, "Autism's False Prophets"
A YouTube video of Paul A. Offit, MD, talking
about his soon-to-be released book has been posted on the website of Columbia
University Press. The book, titled "Autism's False Prophets: Bad
Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure," is
published by Columbia University Press.
To view the 3-minute video, and to pre-order the book, click
here.
Scheduled for release in early September, the book is also
available on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites and from
your local bookseller.
On August 15, the well-regarded and influential website
libraryjournal.com reviewed "Autism's False Prophets," stating the
following: "Autistic children, their desperate parents, unscrupulous
doctors, and opportunistic lawyers call forth the "false prophets"
whom physician Offit resolutely confronts here. Director of the
Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
and professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School
of Medicine, he is well placed to marshal extensive evidence to
discount theories that either mercury preservatives in vaccines or
the MMR inoculations in particular (the most commonly cited culprits)
are linked to increasing autism rates. . . ."
To read the review in its entirety, go to:
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6586270.html Scroll down
to the section titled Health & Medicine. Reviews are listed in
alphabetical order by the author’s last name.
Dr. Offit is the chief of Infectious Diseases and the director
of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia, as well as the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of
Vaccinology and professor of pediatrics at the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
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2. |
Joint Commission Resources challenges hospitals to increase influenza
immunization of healthcare personnel
Joint Commission Resources (JCR), a non-profit
affiliate of the
Joint Commission, has issued a challenge to hospitals to
increase influenza vaccination rates among healthcare personnel.
Portions of a document posted on the JCR website are reprinted
below.
Joint Commission Resources (JCR) has launched a Flu Vaccination
Challenge to underscore the responsibility that hospitals have
to help keep their employees and patients healthy this flu
season. The Flu Vaccination Challenge is designed to increase
flu vaccination rates among healthcare workers. According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the 2005-2006 flu season, only 42 percent of surveyed healthcare workers
received a flu vaccination. In past years, flu infections have
been documented in healthcare settings and healthcare workers
have been implicated as the potential source of these
infections. JCR challenges hospitals to achieve higher
vaccination rates among their staff.
The Flu Vaccination Challenge begins in September 2008 and will
continue through the flu season until May 2009. Hospitals that
achieve a vaccination rate of 43 percent or more will be
recognized for their dedication to helping keep their employees
healthy and helping to protect their patients. Vaccination of
healthcare workers may help to decrease the chances that they
will get the flu and pass it on to their patients.
"The Flu Vaccination Challenge highlights for healthcare workers the value that flu vaccinations can have on patient safety.
Doctors, nurses, technical, and administrative staff may care
for patients with compromised immune systems including the
elderly and people living with a chronic disease. As a
professional devoted to 'do no harm,' flu vaccination gives me
an opportunity to help protect my patients by decreasing the
chances that I will get the flu and pass it along to my
patients" said Barbara M. Soule, RN, MPA, CIC, practice leader,
Infection Prevention and Control Services, JCR.
The flu is a serious disease that can be potentially fatal. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee
on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends an annual flu
vaccination for a number of groups, including adults at high
risk of complications from the flu and those who are in contact
with them, including healthcare workers. Efforts to increase
vaccination coverage among healthcare workers are supported by
various national accrediting and professional organizations
including The Joint Commission. Since January 1, 2007, The Joint
Commission has required accredited hospitals, critical access
hospitals, and long-term care organizations to offer the flu
vaccination annually, on site, to staff and licensed independent
practitioners.
"Every year in the United States up to 20 percent of the
population is affected by influenza and more than 200,000 people
are hospitalized from influenza complications. It is crucial
that healthcare workers receive their influenza vaccination each
year to help curb the spread of this preventable disease," said
Dr. William Schaffner, chairman, Department of Preventive
Medicine, and professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt
University School of Medicine. . . .
To access the complete document, and to register your hospital,
go to: http://www.fluvaccinationchallenge.com
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3. |
New: Available in English and Spanish, CDC's public service announcements
promote pre-teen vaccination
On August 28, CDC issued a media advisory
announcing the
availability of public service announcements that promote pre-teen vaccination. The media advisory is reprinted below in its
entirety.
CDC URGES PRE-TEEN VACCINATION WITH NEW PUBLIC SERVICE
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Campaign encourages parents to protect their 11-
and 12-year-olds from meningitis, whooping cough, and the virus
that causes cervical cancer
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National
Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases today announced
that new public service announcements (PSAs) targeting the
parents of pre-teens are now available to broadcast
organizations. The television and radio spots, part of CDC's
Pre-Teen Vaccine campaign, urge the parents of 11- and 12-year-olds to vaccinate their kids to protect them against serious,
sometimes life-threatening diseases such as meningitis, whooping
cough, and cervical cancer. The PSAs, available in both English
and Spanish and at lengths of 60, 30, and 15 seconds, are
available for download and broadcast at
www.countingonyoupsas.com
The three pre-teen vaccines include MCV4, which protects against
meningitis and its complications, Tdap, which is a booster
against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis or "whooping cough,"
and for girls, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which
protects against the types of HPV that most commonly cause
cervical cancer.
For more information about pre-teen vaccines, and the campaign,
visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/preteen
To access the English-language version of the media advisory, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/a080829.htm
To access the Spanish-language version of the media advisory, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/a080829s.htm
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4. |
CDC issues a statement on the cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination
On August 28, CDC issued a statement on the
cost-effectiveness
of HPV vaccination. It is reprinted below in its entirety.
There has been recent media attention related to a study of the
cost effectiveness of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in
the United States published in the New England Journal of
Medicine on August 21, 2008. This study confirms the cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination of 11- and 12-year-old girls
and is consistent with the main focus of the CDC's
recommendations which call for routine HPV vaccination of 11-
and 12-year-old girls in the United States. The HPV vaccine is
highly effective in preventing four types of HPV in young women
who have not been previously exposed to HPV. The vaccine targets
HPV types that cause up to 70% of all cervical cancers and about
90% of genital warts.
It is clear that vaccinating women in their mid-to-late twenties
is not as cost-effective as vaccinating 11- and 12-year-old
girls. However, the majority of girls and women 13 through 26
years of age also can benefit from vaccination. Ideally, HPV
vaccine should be administered before sexual debut. Females 13
through 26 years of age who are not yet sexually active can be
expected to receive the full benefit of vaccination. Studies
suggest that while sexually active females in this age group
might have been infected with one or more vaccine HPV types,
only a small percentage have been infected with all four of the
HPV vaccine types. Females already infected with one or more HPV
vaccine types before vaccination would be protected against
disease caused by the other HPV vaccine types. Therefore, the
majority of females in this age group will derive benefit from
vaccination.
A number of different models have been developed to look at cost
effectiveness of HPV vaccination. These models are complicated
and use many assumptions. The basic structures of the models
differ, and assumptions used in the models also vary, including
those related to HPV epidemiology and natural history. It is
expected that different models will produce different estimates
of cost effectiveness.
CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
considers many factors in making recommendations for use of
vaccines. As part of its process for developing vaccine
recommendations, the committee reviews data about disease
severity and distribution, information from clinical trials
about vaccine efficacy and safety, information on vaccine
acceptability (among potential vaccinees, their caregivers, and
providers), and cost effectiveness. The committee also considers
issues of equity; access to vaccine and vaccine administration;
impact on healthcare delivery systems; and logistical, social,
legal and ethical concerns. In 2004, ACIP began to review a
variety of data in preparation for a recommendation about the
use of HPV vaccine. Cost-effectiveness data were reviewed, and
in June 2006 ACIP voted on recommendations for use of HPV
vaccine. ACIP recently reviewed data published in the New
England Journal of Medicine article during deliberations on
recommendations for use of HPV vaccine in women age 27 years and
older. The committee continues to review new information and
data as they become available.
ACIP has not considered changing its current recommendation for
catch-up vaccination of females 13 through 26 years of age.
When any new vaccine is licensed, some aspects of that vaccine
are not known. Information on duration of protection is usually
limited when a vaccine is first licensed. While clinical studies
of HPV vaccine to date have only evaluated duration of
protection through 5 and 6 years, these studies show no evidence
of waning of protection. Long-term evaluations are underway to
assess a variety of issues such as duration of immunity, the
impact of vaccination on the risk of cervical cancer with non-vaccine HPV types, the impact of vaccine on ongoing use of Pap
testing and rates of genital warts, abnormal Paps, cervical
precancer, and cervical cancer.
To access the CDC statement, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/hpv/cost-effect-hpv-vac.htm
To access the article published in the August 21 issue of the
New England Journal of Medicine, titled "Health and Economic
Implications of HPV Vaccination in the United States," go to:
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/359/8/821
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5. |
IAC updates two of its print materials for healthcare professionals--"It's
Federal Law! You must give your patients current Vaccine Information
Statements (VISs)" and "Suggestions to Improve Your Immunization Services"
IAC recently reviewed and revised the following
two print
materials for healthcare professionals.
"It's Federal Law! You must give your patients current Vaccine
Information Statements (VISs)." The issue dates were changed for
the VISs for trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV;
injectable) and live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV; nasal
spray).
To access the revised "It's Federal Law! You must give your
patients current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2027.pdf
NOTE: To access continually updated information on the issue
dates for VISs, see the chart on IAC's Vaccine Information
Statement web section at http://www.immunize.org/vis
"Suggestions to Improve Your Immunization Services" was reviewed
and minor revisions were made.
To access the revised "Suggestions to Improve Your Immunization
Services," go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2045.pdf
IAC's Print Materials web section has more than 175 FREE, ready-to-print English-language materials for healthcare professionals
and the public--as well as many in translation. To access all of IAC's print materials, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/printmaterials
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6. |
Correction: Use this new link to enroll in eDispense Vaccine Manager, a free
web-based application for reimbursement for vaccines under Medicare Part D
In the IAC Express issue published on July 14, we
ran an article
(http://www.immunize.org/express/issue742.asp#n3) on a service
the American Medical Association (AMA) made its membership aware
of earlier this year. The service, eDispense Vaccine Manager,
gives physicians and approved staff members free access to real-time claims processing for in-office distribution of Medicare
Part D vaccines.
Interested physicians are required to enroll to use the service.
The information provided by AMA, which we included in our July
14 issue, contained an incorrect web link to the enrollment
form. The correct link is https://enroll.edispense.com
IAC Express regrets the error and any confusion it may have
caused our readers.
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7. |
New: Fourth edition of CDC's "Manual for the Surveillance of
Vaccine-Preventable Diseases" available online
CDC recently announced the online availability of
the fourth
edition of its "Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases." The manual provides current guidelines
for those directly involved in surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases, especially personnel at the local health
departments.
To access the manual, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual
NOTE: The manual is available only through the URL above and is
no longer offered in a printed version. Offering the manual
online keeps the manual as current as possible. As changes
occur, the chapters will be replaced with updated versions.
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8. |
Vote
& Vax project's September 3 Webinar will give influenza vaccination providers
information about holding a clinic at or near a polling site on election day
On Election Day, November 4, 2008, vaccination
providers will
host convenient influenza vaccination clinics at or near many
polling sites across the country. This new national public
health strategy, called Vote & Vax, is intended to increase the
number of Americans who receive a vaccination against the
influenza virus. Interested providers are encouraged to learn
more about Vote & Vax 2008 at an interactive Webinar, which will
be held on September 3 at 3:30-4:30PM ET.
To register for the September 3 webinar, go to:
https://rwjf.webex.com/rwjf/onstage/g.php?d=575965111&t=a
A partnership between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and
Sickness Prevention Achieved through Regional Collaboration, the
Vote & Vax project recruits and helps influenza vaccination
providers operate Vote & Vax clinics.
For comprehensive information on the Vote & Vax project, go to:
http://www.voteandvax.com
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9. |
Cancelled: Immunize Georgia conference, scheduled for October 1, has been
cancelled
The annual Immunize Georgia conference has been
cancelled; it
had been scheduled for October 1 in College Park. Immunize
Georgia will be providing refunds for payments made to date for
the conference.
For additional information, go to:
http://www.choa.org/default.aspx?id=3606
Questions? Contact Angie Matthiessen at
angie.matthiessen@choa.org
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10. |
PATH launches new Vaccine Resource Library
PATH recently launched a new Vaccine Resource
Library and
provided the following information about it.
PATH is pleased to announce the launch of its redesigned
and upgraded Vaccine Resource Library (VRL). The VRL
seeks to gather the leading immunization resources in a single,
easy-to-use website.
Visitors will find the new website flexible and easier to
navigate. The VRL offers a wide variety of high-quality,
scientifically accurate documents and links on specific diseases
and topics in immunization. The resources are organized in a
web-based database that provides a number of ways to view
information and access content.
Materials on the site are collected from a variety of sources,
such as news media, scientific journals, and leaders in public
health. Subjects included range from diseases and vaccines
like influenza, hepatitis B, and rotavirus, to related
immunization topics such as injection safety, service delivery,
and immunization financing.
The VRL is geared for health professionals in the developing and
industrialized worlds, as well as journalists, policymakers,
community leaders, parents, and anyone else interested in
vaccine-related resources.
Visit PATH's new Vaccine Resource Library at
www.path.org/vaccineresources
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11. |
MMWR publishes report on Nigeria's progress toward polio eradication during
January 2007-August 12, 2008.
CDC published "Progress Toward Poliomyelitis
Eradication--Nigeria, January 2007-August 12, 2008" in the August 29 issue of
MMWR. A summary made available to the press is reprinted below
in its entirety.
Nigeria urgently needs to address the increasing spread of wild
poliovirus by ensuring that polio vaccination campaigns reach
every target child and making this a top public health priority.
Progress towards global polio eradication is threatened by poor
vaccination coverage of children in Nigeria, primarily in the
north, with a resulting large increase in reported cases in
2008. Despite increased efforts to improve vaccine acceptance
and implementation of new vaccination strategies, as of August
12, 2008, more than 550 confirmed wild poliovirus cases have
been reported in Nigeria, a more than 300 percent increase over
this time period in 2007. Most cases are wild poliovirus type 1,
which is more likely to cause paralytic disease and have wider
geographic spread than other types. Urgent measures are needed
to reach all children during vaccination campaigns in order to
bring wild poliovirus under control in Nigeria and decrease the
risk of spread to other countries.
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the article, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5734a4.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5734.pdf
To receive a FREE electronic subscription to MMWR (which
includes new ACIP recommendations), go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwrsubscribe.html
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