Bookmark the following web pages to easily check on the newest recommendations and news on the evolving H1N1 influenza epidemic.

From CDC

The home page of CDC's H1N1 Flu web section can be accessed from http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu

For the latest guidance documents for healthcare professionals, go directly to: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance

For a continually updated list of documents released by CDC in chronological order, go to "What's New?" at
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/whatsnew.htm

H1N1 influenza information in Spanish from CDC is available at
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/espanol

CDC operates a hotline with English- and Spanish-language operators. Health professionals and members of the public can call (800) CDC-INFO [(800) 232-4636] 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

From IAC

IAC has added a box to the top of its home page that provides links to related CDC, HHS, and state web pages, as well as to other resources. For example, one new feature is a link to AAP's "H1N1 (Swine) Flu After-Hours Telephone Triage Flowchart," found at
http://www.aap.org/new/TelephoneLInesSupplement-050109.pdf

Look for the box titled "H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)" at the top of
http://www.immunize.org

IAC will also continue to keep IAC Express subscribers updated with important breaking information on H1N1 influenza with extra editions of this newsletter as needed.

IAC encourages IAC Express readers to watch a 1 minute video developed by the Sounds of Pertussis national education campaign. A joint initiative of the March of Dimes and sanofi pasteur, the campaign features actress, singer, and mother, Jennifer Lopez, and Alan R. Fleischman, MD, medical director of the March of Dimes, as its primary spokespeople.

The campaign seeks to educate parents about their need to be vaccinated with Tdap vaccine in order to protect their vulnerable infants against pertussis. The campaign will offer information in Spanish as well as English, as the Hispanic population in the U.S. has been particularly affected by pertussis.

The video will be available on the home page of IAC's website through May 10. 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. It may take a few moments for the video to begin playing; please be patient!

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.

All the videos featured as an IAC Video of the Week have recently been archived in a new section of IAC's website. To view any of the videos previously featured, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/votw/apr09.asp

IAC recently updated its child/teen immunization record card and lifetime immunization record card to make them more useful than ever. IAC still offers the popular adult immunization record card (more than 6 million sold), which will be updated as necessary.

IAC's immunization record cards offer healthcare professionals a way to help any patient maintain a permanent record of their vaccinations. A patient-held card is handy for patients when they enter school, change healthcare providers, or travel abroad.

Each type of card (adult, child/teen, lifetime) is designed for a specific age group and lists all vaccines recommended for people in the age group. Features of the cards include the following:

• All licensed vaccines and some reported to be licensed soon
• A column to record the due date for the next vaccine dose
• Space for patient's name and birth date on both sides (helpful when photocopying)
• Space for patient I.D. number

The cards are printed on durable rip-, smudge-, and water-proof paper. Sized to fit in a wallet, they are brightly colored to stand out. To learn more about IAC's cards and to view images of each (to zoom in, click on the image of the card), or to order online or download an order form, visit the following:

Child/teen card:
http://www.immunize.org/shop/recordcard_child.asp

Lifetime card: http://www.immunize.org/shop/recordcard_life.asp

Adult card: http://www.immunize.org/shop/recordcard_adult.asp

To request sample cards, email admininfo@immunize.org

Pricing starts at one box (250 cards) for $37.50. The first order of a 250-card box comes with a 30-day, money-back guarantee. Discounts are available for larger orders: two boxes, $35 each; three boxes, $32.50 each; four boxes, $30 each.

In recent years, many states, health plans, and corporate partners have placed large orders for IAC's record cards and had them customized with special colors, logos, and text. For quotes on customizing or placing orders in excess of 200 boxes, call (651) 647-9009 or email admininfo@immunize.org

To learn about other essential immunization resources available for purchase from IAC, go to: http://www.immunize.org/shop

IAC is offering substantial savings on its 2007 child/teen immunization record card and 2008 lifetime immunization record card. A 250-card box of either card is now priced at $25 per box, which is one-third less than the usual price of $37.50 per box. We have a limited supply of specially priced cards left, so be sure to place your order today!

We are able to offer these cards at a reduced rate because we are replacing them with updated 2009 versions. The differences between the earlier versions and 2009 versions of the cards are minor, however, so the specially priced cards will have value to you and your patients.

For detailed information on the differences between the reduced price cards and the revised cards, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/shop/views/recordcard_changes.pdf

To view an image of the 2007 child/teen immunization record card, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/images/PediatricCard_107.pdf

To view an image of the 2008 lifetime immunization record card, go to: http://www.immunize.org/images/Lifetimecard_708.pdf

To order the 2007 child/teen immunization record cards at a reduced price, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/shop/popup/pediatric_special.asp

To order the 2008 lifetime immunization record cards at a reduced price, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/shop/popup/lifetime_special.asp

To learn about other essential immunization resources available for purchase from IAC, go to: http://www.immunize.org/shop

The 11th edition of the Pink Book, formally titled "Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases," will be published soon. CDC anticipates the book will be available in June, and those reserving a copy now will receive an email confirmation when their order has shipped.

For additional information about the Pink Book, or to pre-order a copy online, go to:
http://bookstore.phf.org/product_info.php?products_id=552

Order this resource by phone at (877) 252-1200 (for U.S. calls) or (301) 645-7773 (for international calls); by fax at (301) 843-0159.

On May 1, MMWR published "Compendium of Measures to Prevent Disease Associated with Animals in Public Settings, 2009" in MMWR Recommendations and Reports. The recommendations include information about rabies prevention.

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the recommendations, which includes the Appendix, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5805.pdf

Note: The PDF version includes a free CDC-sponsored education activity that can be completed for continuing education credit. Simply read the recommendations, answer the questions at the end, and follow instructions for submitting your answers.

IAC recently revised its Q&A patient-education print piece "Chickenpox (Varicella): Questions and Answers." The revised piece is a ready-to-print version of some of the CDC-reviewed varicella material located on IAC's Vaccine Information website (www.vaccineinformation.org). The website is intended for the public, health professionals, and the media.

To access the revised ready-to-print (PDF) print piece "Chickenpox (Varicella): Questions and Answers," go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4202.pdf

To view an HTML version of these Q&As, go to the following:(1) Chickenpox (varicella) disease:
http://www.vaccineinformation.org/varicel/qandadis.asp

(2) Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine:
http://www.vaccineinformation.org/varicel/qandavax.asp

To access Q&As about other diseases and vaccines in PDF format, go to: http://www.immunize.org/printmaterials/questions.asp

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

CDC recently released the April issue of its monthly newsletter Immunization Works; it is 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 April issue has already appeared in previous issues of IAC Express. Following is the text of some articles we have not covered.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will hold its next meeting on June 24-25 at CDC's Clifton Road campus in Atlanta. The meeting is open to the general public.

To attend the ACIP meeting at the Clifton Road campus, ACIP attendees (participants and visitors) must register online. June 5 is the online registration deadline for non-U.S. citizens. June 12 is the deadline for U.S. citizens.

To access the online registration form, go to:
http://www2a.cdc.gov/nip/ACIP/JuneRegistration.asp

To access detailed information about the meeting, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/acip/meetings.htm#register There you will find links to the meeting agenda, driving directions, and other useful material.

Scheduled for May 19, World Hepatitis Day is intended to increase global awareness of the prevalence of and seriousness of viral hepatitis disease.

For information on planning efforts in the U.S., visit the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable at
http://www.nvhr.org/WHD-2009.htm

For information on the global campaign, go to:
http://www.worldhepatitisday.org

On April 18, the Autism Science Foundation (ASF) issued a press release titled "Autism Science Foundation Launches Operations: New advocacy group will focus on non-vaccine-related autism research." Portions of the press release are reprinted below.

The "CDC Features" web section recently added a feature titled "Vaccine Safety." The article includes information about testing vaccines before licensing and monitoring them after licensing, using MMRV vaccine as an example.

To access the feature about vaccine safety, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/VaccineSafety

To access an alphabetical index of all "CDC Features," go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/az

The 2009 Iowa Immunization Conference, "Immunize for a Better Life," will be held on June 10-11 in Des Moines.

The conference is designed to be of interest to a diverse field of healthcare professionals and will feature nationally recognized speakers, including Dr. Paul Offit from the Vaccine Education Center and Dr. Bill Atkinson from CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

For more information, go to:
http://www.idph.state.ia.us/adper/common/pdf/immunization/conf_card.pdf or to http://www.trainingresources.org/ViewConf.aspx?id=1355

Phacilitate European Vaccine Forum will take place at The Fira Palace in Barcelona, Spain, on June 22-24, 2009.

To access comprehensive information, go to:
http://www.phacilitate.co.uk/pages/barcelona/media/barcelona_main.pdf

Questions? Contact Phacilitate at team@phacilitate.co.uk