IAC Express 2009 |
Issue number 773: January 5, 2009 |
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Contents
of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article. |
- New: CDC,
AAP, and AAFP release the 2009 Recommended Immunization Schedule for
Persons Ages 0 Through 18 Years
- Dr. Paul
A. Offit's Pediatrics article discusses the problems inherent in Dr.
Robert W. Sears' alternative vaccine schedule
- National
Quality Forum includes the hepatitis B birth dose among its consensus
standards for improving health care for mothers and newborns
- FDA
approves changes in the schedule for administering anthrax vaccine and in
the route of administration
-
Simplified version of IAC's parent-education piece "After the Shots" now
available in Spanish and six additional languages
- IAC's
video of the week celebrates Cervical Health Awareness Month and
encourages HPV vaccination
-
Important: Be sure to give influenza vaccine throughout the influenza
season--through spring 2009
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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 773: January 5, 2009 |
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1. |
New: CDC, AAP, and AAFP release the 2009 Recommended Immunization Schedule
for Persons Ages 0 Through 18 Years
CDC, AAP, and AAFP have endorsed and released the
"Recommended Immunization Schedules for Persons Aged 0 Through 18
Years--United States, 2009." On January 2, CDC published the schedule as an
MMWR QuickGuide; it is reprinted below in its entirety, excluding references,
two figures, and a table.
In addition, the CDC website posted black and white and color versions of the
schedule's figures, table, and references in PDF format. CDC also recapped
the MMWR QuickGuide information in a December 31 CDC press release titled
"Health Groups Release 2009 Immunization Schedules: Updated schedule includes
recommendation that all children six months through age 18 get annual
influenza vaccination." Links to the CDC materials are given at the end of
this IAC Express article.
Also, AAP published articles about the schedule in the January issues of
Pediatrics and the AAP News and issued a related press release. AAFP
published an article about the schedule in the January issue of American
Family Physician. Links to the AAP and AAFP materials are given at the end of
this IAC Express article.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) annually
publishes immunization schedules that summarize recommendations
for currently licensed vaccines for children aged 18 years and
younger. Changes to the previous schedule are as follows:
- Recommendations for rotavirus vaccines include changes for the
maximum age for the first dose (14 weeks 6 days) and the maximum
age for any dose (15 months 0 days). [IAC Express editor's note:
the maximum age as stated in the MMWR article quoted here is not
correct--it is actually 8 months 0 days. MMWR plans to publish a
correction in the future. The information included in the actual
PDF-format schedule is correct.] The rotavirus footnote also
indicates that if RV1 (Rotarix) is administered at ages 2 and 4
months, a dose at 6 months is not indicated.
- Routine annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all
children aged 6 months through 18 years. Children aged younger
than 9 years who are receiving influenza vaccine for the first
time or who were vaccinated for the first time during the
previous season but only received 1 dose should receive 2 doses
of influenza vaccine at least 4 weeks apart. Healthy nonpregnant
persons aged 2 through 49 years may receive either live
attenuated influenza vaccine or inactivated influenza vaccine.
- The minimum interval between tetanus and diphtheria toxoids
(Td) and tetanus and diphtheria toxoids and acellular pertussis
vaccine (Tdap) for persons aged 10 through 18 years is
addressed. An interval less than 5 years may be used if
pertussis immunity is needed.
- Information about the use of Haemophilus influenzae type b
(Hib) conjugate vaccine among persons aged 5 years and older at
increased risk for invasive Hib disease has been added. Use of
Hib vaccine for these persons is not contraindicated.
- Catch-up vaccination with human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine
is clarified. Routine dosing intervals should be used for series
catch-up (i.e., the second and third doses should be
administered 2 and 6 months after the first dose). The third
dose should be given at least 24 weeks after the first dose.
- Abbreviations for rotavirus, pneumococcal polysaccharide, and
meningococcal polysaccharide vaccines have been changed.
The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act requires that
healthcare providers provide parents or patients with copies of
Vaccine Information Statements before administering each dose of
the vaccines listed in the schedules. Additional information is
available from state health departments and from CDC at
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis
Detailed recommendations for using vaccines are available from
ACIP statements (available at
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/acip-list.htm), and the 2006
Red Book. Guidance regarding the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting
System form is available at http://www.vaers.hhs.gov or by
telephone, (800) 822-7967.
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the QuickGuide, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5751a5.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5751.pdf
To receive a FREE electronic subscription to MMWR (which
includes new ACIP recommendations), go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwrsubscribe.html
CDC MATERIALS:
To access the December 31 press release, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/r081231b.htm
To access the child, adolescent, and catch-up immunization
schedules in ready-to-print (PDF) format, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/child-schedule.htm#printable
[IAC Express editor's note: the rotavirus information is correct
in these schedules.]
AAP MATERIALS:
In the January 2009 issue of Pediatrics, AAP published
"Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedules--United States, 2009" as a policy statement from its Committee on
Infectious Diseases.
To access the policy statement, go to:
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/pediatrics;123/1/189.pdf
In the January 2009 issue of AAP News, AAP published "Highlights
of 2009 Immunization Schedules"; the highlights are available to
subscribers only.
To access the highlights, go to:
http://aapnews.aappublications.org/current.shtml and scroll
down to "Highlights of 2009 Immunization Schedules."
On December 29, 2008, AAP issued a press release, "AAP Releases
2009 Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule."
To access the press release, go to:
http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/jan09immunization.htm
AAFP MATERIALS:
In the January 2009 issue of American Family Physician, AAFP
published "ACIP Releases 2009 Child and Adolescent Immunization
Schedule" as a Practice Guidelines. It is available to
subscribers only.
To access the article, go to:
http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/journals/afp.html
and scroll down to the box titled 2009 Immunization Schedules.
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2. |
Dr. Paul A. Offit's Pediatrics article discusses the problems inherent in Dr.
Robert W. Sears' alternative vaccine schedule
"The Problem with Dr. Bob's Alternative Vaccine
Schedule," an
article written by Paul A. Offit, MD, and Charlotte A. Moser,
BS, appears in the January issue of Pediatrics, an AAP journal.
The article discusses misinformation published in The Vaccine
Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child, a book written
by Robert W. Sears, MD. The Pediatrics article abstract is
reprinted below; a link to the full text of the article is given
at the end of this IAC Express article.
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. Ms. Moser is Dr. Offit's
colleague at the Vaccine Education Center.
Article abstract
In October 2007, Dr Robert Sears, in response to growing
parental concerns about the safety of vaccines, published The
Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child. Sears'
book is enormously popular, having sold >40000 copies. At the
back of the book, Sears includes "Dr Bob's Alternative Vaccine
Schedule," a formula by which parents can delay, withhold,
separate, or space out vaccines. Pediatricians now confront many
parents who insist that their children receive vaccines
according to Sears' schedule, rather than that recommended by
the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, and the American Academy of Family
Physicians. This article examines the reasons for the popularity
of Sears' book, deconstructs the logic and rationale behind its
recommendations, and describes how Sears' misrepresentation of
vaccine science misinforms parents trying to make the right
decisions for their children.
To access the full text of the Pediatrics article, go to:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/123/1/e164
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3. |
National Quality Forum includes the hepatitis B birth dose among its
consensus standards for improving health care for mothers and newborns
On October 27, 2008, the National Quality Forum (NQF)
issued a
press release announcing that it has endorsed 17 standards to
measure and consequently improve the care received by mothers
and babies during the third trimester of pregnancy through
hospital discharge. NQF is a not-for-profit membership
organization created to develop and implement a national
standard for healthcare quality measurement and reporting.
Among the 17 endorsed standards are two that relate to hepatitis
B vaccination at birth and one that relates to delivery of other
vaccines to newborns hospitalized for more than 60 days after
birth. The two hepatitis B standards are (1) administration of
hepatitis B vaccine to all newborns prior to hospital discharge
and (2) administration of hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis
immune globulin within 12 hours of birth to newborns of mothers
with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. The immunization
standard for hospitalized newborns calls for vaccination with
DTaP, hepatitis B, IPV, Hib, and PCV vaccines according to
current AAP guidelines.
To access the NQF press release, go to:
http://www.qualityforum.org/news/releases/102708-endorsed-measures-pc.asp
To access additional information on the 17 consensus standards,
go to:
http://www.qualityforum.org/pdf/projects/perinatal/tbAppA-Specs-%2010-20-08.pdf
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4. |
FDA approves changes in the schedule for administering anthrax vaccine and in
the route of administration
On December 11, FDA approved a supplement to the
biologics
application for anthrax vaccine adsorbed (BioThrax, manufactured
by Emergent BioSolutions). The vaccine administration schedule
is now 0 and 4 weeks and 6, 12, and 18 months. Previously, the
schedule was 0, 2, and 4 weeks and 6, 12, and 18 months. The
newly approved administration route is intramuscular;
previously, it was subcutaneous.
To access the approval letter, go to:
http://www.fda.gov/Cber/approvltr/biothrax121108L.htm
To access the package insert, go to:
http://www.fda.gov/Cber/label/biothraxLB.pdf
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5. |
Simplified version of IAC's parent-education piece "After the Shots" now
available in Spanish and six additional languages
The one-page, simplified version of IAC's popular
parent-education piece "After the Shots. . . What to do if your child
has discomfort" is now available in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese,
French, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese. The simplified version
employs basic vocabulary and omits dosing information for pain-
and fever-reducing medication.
To access the Spanish version of the simplified piece, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4014-01.pdf
To access the Arabic version of the simplified piece, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4014-20.pdf
To access the Chinese version of the simplified piece, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4014-08.pdf
To access the French version of the simplified piece, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4014-10.pdf
To access the Korean version of the simplified piece, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4014-09.pdf
To access the Russian version of the simplified piece, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4014-07.pdf
To access the Vietnamese version of the simplified piece, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4014-05.pdf
To access the English version of the simplified piece, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4014.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
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6. |
IAC's video of the week celebrates Cervical Health Awareness Month and
encourages HPV vaccination
IAC encourages IAC Express readers to watch a
two-minute video
of Heather Burcham urging young women to get the human
papillomavirus vaccine (HPV). A 31-year-old woman from Austin,
TX, Ms. Burcham suffered from cervical cancer and became a
national spokesperson and advocate for HPV vaccination. The
video was recorded two months before her death.
The video will be available on the home page of IAC's website
through January 11. To access it, go to: http://www.immunize.org
and click on the image under the words Video of the Week, which
you'll find toward the top of the page.
Remember to bookmark IAC's home page to view a new video every
Monday. While you're at our home page, we encourage you to
browse around--you're sure to find resources and information
that will enhance your practice's immunization delivery.
To view IAC's video collection, go to:
http://www.vaccineinformation.org/video
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7. |
Important: Be sure to give influenza vaccine throughout the influenza
season--through spring 2009
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 into the spring months of
2009.
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
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