Website redesign continues at IAC's website for healthcare professionals, www.immunize.org! The changes to three sections are geared to make it easy for visitors to stay informed of the updates to our website and to stay apprised of the news and activities in the world of immunization. You can easily find the links to the redesigned sections at the center of our home page at http://www.immunize.org Read on for details.

"What's New at IAC" is a chronological list of new and revised IAC materials. Look for the new subsections that make it easier to find selected material such as recently updated VISs, print materials, and web sections. Here's the link: http://www.immunize.org/new

The "New Releases" web section features just-published VISs from CDC, recommendations from ACIP, vaccine policy statements from AAP, position papers from WHO, clinically relevant press releases, and more. Here's the link: http://www.immunize.org/newreleases

The third web section, "Vaccines and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in the News," provides the opening paragraph and URL for various news articles, features, opinion pieces, and editorials published in the news media about vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases. The entries are arranged chronologically and are also indexed by disease and topic. Here's the link: http://www.immunize.org/vaccinenews

All three sections are updated throughout the week, so check back often.

IAC updated its "Summary of Recommendations for Childhood and Adolescent Immunization" to reflect many recent changes in recommendations and licensure, including changes to the Tdap, varicella, MMR, influenza, rotavirus, Hib, PCV, PPSV, and hepatitis A sections.

To access the updated piece, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2010.pdf

IAC updated its "Summary of Recommendations for Adult Immunization" to reflect many recent changes in recommendations and licensure, including changes to the influenza, PPSV, zoster, Tdap, varicella, MMR, and HPV sections.

To access the updated piece, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2011.pdf

IAC's Print Materials web section offers healthcare professionals and the public approximately 250 FREE English-language materials (many also available in translation), which we encourage website users to print out, copy, and distribute widely. To access all of IAC's free print materials, go to: http://www.immunize.org/printmaterials

The National Association of Child Care Professionals (NACCP), Families Fighting Flu, and the Childhood Influenza Immunization Coalition have launched a national awareness campaign, "Fighting Flu in Child Care Settings: Building Blocks to Increase Influenza Awareness."

The campaign aims to educate parents about the seriousness of influenza in children. More than 1,300 child care centers will receive educational materials in English and Spanish about influenza and the importance of vaccination.

To download the campaign fact sheet in English and/or Spanish, and a colorful brochure about preventing influenza in child care settings, go to the NACCP website at http://www.naccp.org

To view parental responses to a survey about influenza, go to
http://www.familiesfightingflu.org/common/media/Child_Care_Survey_Results_2008.pdf

For more background information, a podcast, and photographs, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/fff/35765

More resources for combating influenza in children can be found on the following websites:

Families Fighting Flu
http://www.familiesfightingflu.org

Childhood Influenza Immunization Coalition
http://preventchildhoodinfluenza.org

On November 11, Google.org launched Google Flu Trends, http://www.google.org/flutrends, a website that provides real-time influenza-like illness (ILI) estimates based on public search queries on Google.com. Google Flu Trends allows researchers, epidemiologists, public health officials, and the general public to learn more about current ILI activity levels in each state.

Through an initiative called Predict and Prevent, Google.org and CDC's Influenza Division collaborated in the development of this surveillance system. Estimates of ILI are based on the relative frequency of influenza-related web search queries. Google developed this model by determining which web-search queries correlated best with state-based ILI and laboratory data available on the CDC influenza surveillance website. In the final model there are consistently high correlations between Google Flu Trends estimates and both ILI and influenza virologic surveillance data.

Validation is still ongoing. Recently some state health departments shared their historical ILI and laboratory data with Google to further test the model on a regional and state level.

Google Flu Trends will display national, regional, and state ILI estimates by date. The data displayed are Google.org model estimates and not state surveillance data. Levels of activity (minimal to intense) will also be displayed using a color-coded scheme based on an increase in standard deviations above the baseline. Influenza prevention messages, a link to the CDC website, current influenza-related news articles, and an  influenza vaccination locator will also be displayed on the website.

To access this innovative new resource, go to:
http://www.google.org/flutrends

Families Fighting Flu (FFF) and CDC have collaborated on a video titled "Why Flu Vaccination Matters: Personal Stories from Families Affected by Flu." Be sure you watch it and that parents know about it too.

The 7-minute video can be accessed from the FFF website at http://www.familiesfightingflu.org/media, from YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/cdcflu, or by clicking on the photo link at the top right of IAC's home page at http://www.immunize.org

Families Fighting Flu is a nonprofit, volunteer-based organization established in 2004, made up of families and healthcare practitioners. Each family has experienced first-hand the death of a child due to influenza or has had a child experience severe medical complications from influenza. FFF is dedicated to educating people about the severity of influenza and the importance of vaccinating children against influenza every year.

Influenza vaccine for the 2008-09 influenza season is available. Vaccination should continue through the spring months of 2009. 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

The second edition of "The Vaccine Handbook: A Practical Guide for Clinicians" by Gary Marshall, MD, is now available for purchase.

The "Purple Book" contains practical advice for the practitioner on vaccine infrastructure, standards and regulations, business aspects of vaccine practice, general recommendations, schedules, special circumstances, and how to address a patient's concerns about vaccines. Specific information about vaccine-preventable diseases, the rationale for vaccine use, and available products is included. The book is targeted to pediatricians, family practitioners, internists, obstetricians, residents, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.

For ordering information, go to:
http://www.pcibooks.com/book_info.php?id=49

CDC published a Notice to Readers titled "Twelfth Annual Conference on Vaccine Research" in the November 14 issue of MMWR. The article follows in its entirety.

To receive a FREE electronic subscription to MMWR (which includes new ACIP statements), go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwrsubscribe.html