On December 5, Every Child by Two (ECBT) announced that a National Public Radio (NPR) interview with Dr. Paul Offit and Amanda Peet will be aired on December 8 on NPR's late afternoon news program All Things Considered. 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. Film and television actress Amanda Peet is ECBT's Vaccinate Your Baby campaign spokesperson.

ECBT's announcement is reprinted below in its entirety.

In the event All Things Considered does not air the interview with Paul Offit and Amanda Peet on December 8, click on the link above in subsequent days to find out when the interview will air. A listing of All Things Considered stories is posted at approximately 4PM ET each weekday and at approximately 5PM ET on weekends.

Website redesign continues at IAC's website for healthcare professionals, www.immunize.org The changes to the home page and to the "Ask the Experts" and "Print Materials" sections are geared to make it easy for visitors to stay informed of 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 redesigned sections by clicking on the box titled "What's New at IAC" at the center of our home page at http://www.immunize.org Read on for details.

A notable recent addition to IAC's home page is "IAC's Video of the Week," located in the center of the page. This week's video features Dr. Paul Offit discussing his book Autism's False Prophets. Also a link was added to the horizontal bar at the top of the home page that gives users immediate access to the "Ask the Experts" web section. Here's the link to IAC's home page: http://www.immunize.org

"Ask the Experts," one of IAC's most frequently accessed web sections, is a compilation of challenging and timely immunization questions answered by experts at CDC. Look for a new subsection that gives website users easy access to the most recent Q&As published in IAC Express and in IAC's print publications, Needle Tips, Vaccinate Adults, and Vaccinate Women. Here's the link: http://www.immunize.org/askexperts

"Print Materials," a web section that offers approximately 250 FREE, ready-to-copy, CDC-reviewed English-language materials (and many translations), now gives users access to materials organized by disease and vaccine. Materials are also organized by popularity (most frequently downloaded), topic, item number, language, and type (e.g., standing orders, Q&As about diseases and vaccines), as well as alphabetically. Here's the link: http://www.immunize.org/printmaterials

The home page and the two sections above are updated throughout the week, so check back often.

This year, National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) takes place from December 8 to 14. Resources to promote vaccination are available from several organizations. Here's a run down of where to find what you need:

NATIONAL INFLUENZA VACCINE SUMMIT
The National Influenza Vaccine Summit (NIVS) offers many resources at http://www.preventinfluenza.org

NIVS will be publishing an online newsletter on several days during NIVW. Check this link often to access the latest information:
http://www.preventinfluenza.org/nivs.asp#newsletters

CDC'S SEASONAL FLU WEB SECTION
CDC's Seasonal Flu web section offers an array of resources for NIVW (a media toolkit, podcasts, public service announcements (PSAs), and more) at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/NIVW

The Seasonal Flu web section offers a broad range of information for the public and healthcare professionals at http://www.cdc.gov/flu

IMMUNIZATION ACTION COALITION (IAC)
The Print Materials web section lists IAC's most frequently downloaded influenza print materials at
http://www.immunize.org/printmaterials/toppicks.asp

The VIS web section offers VISs for injectable and nasal-spray influenza vaccine in English, Spanish, and 10 or more additional languages at http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_flu_inactive.asp (injectable) and http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_flu_live.asp (nasal spray)

Standing orders for administering influenza vaccine to children, teens, and adults are located at http://www.immunize.org/standingorders/#inf

A new patient-education print piece, "Don't take chances with your family's health--be sure you all get vaccinated against influenza every year!" is located at http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4069.pdf

FLU CLINIC LOCATOR
The American Lung Association's Flu Clinic Locator helps people find influenza vaccination clinics near their homes and workplaces. To access it, go to: http://www.flucliniclocator.org

NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NETWORK (IZTA)
CDC's new English- and Spanish-language PSAs that promote influenza vaccination for children and older family members are posted on IZTA's website at http://www.izta.org/content.cfm?id=605&cat=23&subcat=65

FAMILIES FIGHTING FLU (FFF)
FFF is made up of families and healthcare professionals. Visit the website at http://www.familiesfightingflu.org

CHILDHOOD INFLUENZA IMMUNIZATION COALITION (CIIC)
The CIIC website offers resources for families and caregivers, healthcare professionals, and the media at http://www.preventchildhoodinfluenza.org

FACES OF INFLUENZA
A project of the American Lung Association, Faces of Influenza has a website at http://www.facesofinfluenza.org

The Vaccine Education Center (VEC) of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has developed a new tear sheet, "Q&A: Too many vaccines? What you should know." It addresses parents' concerns that a child's immune system could be compromised if the child receives all recommended vaccines on schedule.

English- and Spanish-language versions are available. Healthcare professionals can order two 50-sheet pads in each language at no charge. Additional pads are available for $3, plus shipping.

To access the English version of the tear sheet, go to:
http://www.chop.edu/vaccine/images/vec_tomany.pdf

To access the Spanish version of the tear sheet, go to:
http://www.chop.edu/vaccine/images/vec_tomany_esp.pdf

To order online, go to:
https://www.chop.edu/vaccine/vec/profOrder.cfm

Order by phone at (215) 590-9990, by fax at (215) 590-2025, or by email at vaccines@email.chop.edu

For additional ordering information, go to:
http://www.chop.edu/consumer/jsp/division/generic.jsp?id=75982

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently developed two Q&A sheets that answer questions parents frequently ask at pediatric appointments. The two are "The Childhood Immunization Schedule: Why Is It Like That?" and "Questions and Answers about Vaccine Ingredients." Both are posted on the website of AAP's Childhood Immunization Support Program (CISP).

To access "The Childhood Immunization Schedule: Why Is It Like That?" go to:
http://www.cispimmunize.org/pro/pdf/Vaccineschedule.pdf

To access "Questions and Answers about Vaccine Ingredients," go to: http://www.cispimmunize.org/pro/pdf/Vaccineingredients.pdf

Influenza vaccine for the 2008-09 influenza season is widely available, and the supply is robust. If you run out of vaccine in your work setting, please place another order. Influenza vaccination efforts should continue through the holiday season and into the spring months of 2009.

Don't forget that this week--December 8-14--is National Influenza Vaccination Week. CDC's Seasonal Flu website offers a large selection of information and resources related to this annual event. To access them, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/nivw

For abundant information about influenza vaccination, visit the following two websites often. They 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 November issue of Immunization Works, an electronic newsletter published by CDC, includes an article that summarizes decisions made at the October 22-23 ACIP meeting. The article is reprinted below in its entirety. Presentation slides from the October meeting are now available online. A link to them is given at the end of this IAC Express article.

To access presentation slides from ACIP's October meeting, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/acip/slides-oct08.htm

On October 27, the SHOTS 2008 quick-reference guides to the childhood, adolescent, and adult immunization schedules were updated and posted on the website of the Group on Immunization Education of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. SHOTS 2008 allows the schedules to be downloaded to Palm-OS handhelds and Pocket-PCs handhelds.

To access the updated SHOTS 2008 go to:
http://www.immunizationed.org/anypage.aspx?pagename=shotshome

The National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO) recently released a draft of the 2008 National Vaccine Plan. The 2008 draft document is the first step in updating the 1994 National Vaccine Plan. For more information, and to access the 2008 draft document, go to: http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/vacc_plan

Take time NOW--before you start juggling work with a long string of winter holiday celebrations--to register for CDC's 2009 National Immunization Conference. It will take place in Dallas on March 30-April 2, 2009.

The conference's plenary and poster sessions, meetings, and workshops will recharge your batteries by giving you fresh ideas and acquainting you with new resources. For comprehensive program information, including the newly posted draft agenda, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/nic

Remember, the earlier you register, the more you save: The fee for early-bird registration is $225. Wait until January 31, and it's $250 for standard registration; wait until March 14, and it's $275 for onsite registration. To register online, go to: http://conferences.taskforce.org/nic09

For additional information, contact the NIC conference planning team at (404) 639-8225 or nipnic@cdc.gov

To plan some fun in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, visit the official tourism website at http://www.visitdallas-fortworth.com

CDC recently released the November issue of its monthly newsletter Immunization Works; it will soon be posted on the website of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). The newsletter offers the immunization community information about current topics. The information is in the public domain and can be reproduced and circulated widely.

Some of the information in the November issue has already appeared in previous issues of IAC Express. Following are titles of articles IAC Express has already covered:

• Haemophilus influenzae surveillance
• CDC releases first estimate of HPV-associated cancer data
• Low hep B vaccination rates for newborns worldwide
• Rotavirus surveillance--worldwide
• Western Hemisphere on track to meet rubella goals
• PCV7 must reach children most at risk
• NIVW net conference
• Immunization webcast
• Google launches new tool to track the flu
• Updated Td/Tdap VIS
• What are you doing for NIVW?

To access the complete November issue from CDC's Vaccines & Immunizations website, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/news/newsltrs/imwrks/2008/200811.htm

CDC published "Progress in Global Measles Control and Mortality Reduction, 2000-2007" in the December 5 issue of MMWR. A portion of a summary made available to the press is reprinted below. On December 4, the Measles Initiative issued a press release on the same topic. A link to it is given at the end of this IAC Express article.

To access the press release from the Measles Initiative, go to:
http://www.measlesinitiative.org/docs/mi-press-release.pdf

On November 28, UNICEF issued a press release announcing that 22 million Bangladeshi children ages 0-59 months would receive oral polio vaccine on November 29.

To access the press release, go to:
http://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/media_4704.htm

The November issue of Viral Hepatitis, a publication of the Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board (VHPB), is devoted to a review of the topics covered at the spring meeting of VHPB and the European Liver Patient Association. The meeting was held March 12-14 in Lucca, Italy. The theme was "Prevention and Control of Viral Hepatitis: The Role and Impact of Patient and Advocacy Groups In and Outside Europe."

To access the November issue, click here.