IAC Express 2009 |
Issue number 809: July 6, 2009 |
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as well as other FREE IAC periodicals. |
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Contents
of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article. |
- Reminder:
July 2009 issue of Needle Tips now available online
- CDC posts
Q&As for providers about reinstating the Hib booster dose
- CDC's
novel H1N1 web section updated with guidance on treating pregnant women,
podcast on preventing novel H1N1 infection at camp, and Q&A for the public
- Joint
Commission's free monograph presents strategies for increasing influenza
vaccination rates among healthcare personnel
- IAC
redesigns the anthrax, chickenpox, diphtheria, and hepatitis A pages of
its Diseases & Vaccines web section; 16 other pages previously redesigned
- IAC's
Video of the Week tells the story of the only unvaccinated rabies survivor
and her medical treatment
- CDC
reports on hepatitis A vaccination coverage of U.S. children ages 24-35
months during 2006-07
- U.S. to
provide antiviral medication to Latin America and the Caribbean for novel
influenza A (H1N1)
- Order
laminated U.S. immunization schedules today
- VIS
translation: VIS for PPSV now available in Tagalog
- Midwest
Viral Hepatitis Summit planned for September 18 in Columbus, OH
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Conference on aging and immunity is scheduled for September 21-23 in
Siena, Italy
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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 809: July 6, 2009 |
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1. |
Reminder: July 2009 issue of Needle Tips now available online
The July 2009 issue of Needle Tips is now
available for viewing and downloading. It is the first issue in Needle
Tips history that is available only electronically--it is not being
distributed in print by U.S. mail.
If you prefer to receive information on paper rather than online, you can
print out the entire 24-page issue and read it at your convenience. The PDF
file is quite large (1.9 MB).
To download the entire issue for printing, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/nslt.d/n40/n40.pdf
If you prefer to print out the issue a section at a time, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/nt and click
on each section you want to print.
Whether you print the issue or read it online, we encourage you to navigate
the content of the issue by using some of the more than 200 clickable links
located throughout.
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2. |
CDC posts Q&As for providers about reinstating the Hib booster dose
On June 26, CDC published "Updated
Recommendations for Use of Haemophilus Influenzae Type b (Hib) Vaccine:
Reinstatement of the Booster Dose at Ages 12-15 Months" in MMWR (covered in
IAC Express #808). If you missed the MMWR article, you can access it at
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5824a5.htm
On July 1, CDC posted related Q&As online titled, "Hib Vaccine--Q&A for
Providers about the Return to the Hib 'Booster' Dose."
To access this web page, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/hib/faqs-return-to-booster-hcp.htm
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3. |
CDC's novel H1N1 web section updated with guidance on treating pregnant
women, podcast on preventing novel H1N1 infection at camp, and Q&A for the
public
CDC recently posted new or updated information to
three sub-sections of its H1N1 Flu web section. Following are the
titles and URLs of documents that have been posted since the
June 29 issue of IAC Express.
FROM THE "H1N1 FLU CLINICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDANCE" SUB-SECTION
UPDATE: Pregnant Women and Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus:
Considerations for Clinicians
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/clinician_pregnant.htm
FROM THE "PODCASTS AT CDC" SECTION
Novel H1N1 Flu and Camp (English only; 2-minute run time;
script available)
http://www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=13124
FROM THE "H1N1 FLU (SWINE FLU): GENERAL INFORMATION"
SUBSECTION
UPDATE: Novel H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) and You (new Q&A: If I
have a family member at home who is sick, should I go to
work?)
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm
The home page of CDC's H1N1 Flu web section can be accessed
from http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu
IAC has gathered important information related to H1N1
influenza in a new web section to make it easier to keep up
to date with developments. To access this resource, go to: http://www.immunize.org/h1n1
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4. |
Joint Commission's free monograph presents strategies for increasing
influenza vaccination rates among healthcare personnel
The Joint Commission recently released a
downloadable
monograph intended to help healthcare organizations improve
the rate of healthcare worker influenza vaccinations. It is
titled "Providing a Safer Environment for Health Care
Personnel and Patients through Influenza Vaccination:
Strategies from Research and Practice."
The monograph includes information about seasonal influenza
and the influenza vaccine, barriers to successful programs
and strategies for overcoming them, and examples of
successful initiatives organizations have used to improve
their influenza vaccination rates.
To access the monograph, go to:
http://www.jointcommission.org/PatientSafety/InfectionControl/flu_monograph.htm
To access a press release with additional information about
the monograph and how it was developed, go to:
http://www.jointcommission.org/NewsRoom/NewsReleases/nr_062409.htm
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5. |
IAC redesigns the anthrax, chickenpox, diphtheria, and hepatitis A pages of
its Diseases & Vaccines web section; 16 other pages previously redesigned
IAC recently redesigned four pages of its
Diseases &
Vaccines web section. The pages--anthrax, chickenpox,
diphtheria, and hepatitis A--now offer website users easy
access to resources from IAC, other organizations,
professional journals, and government agencies.
To access the redesigned anthrax page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/anthrax
To access the redesigned chickenpox (varicella) page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/varicella
To access the redesigned diphtheria page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/diphtheria
To access the redesigned hepatitis A page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/hepa
In the past several months IAC redesigned 16 other pages of
its Diseases & Vaccines web section, which we have not
presented in previous issues of IAC Express. Following are
URLs that will take you to those pages:
To access the redesigned Hib page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/hib
To access the redesigned H1N1 influenza page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/h1n1
To access the redesigned seasonal influenza page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/influenza
To access the redesigned measles page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/measles
To access the redesigned meningococcal page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/mening
To access the redesigned mumps page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/mumps
To access the redesigned pertussis page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/pertussis
To access the redesigned pneumococcal conjugate (PCV) page,
go to:
http://www.immunize.org/pneumoconj
To access the redesigned pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPSV)
page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/pneumopoly
To access the redesigned polio page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/polio
To access the redesigned rabies page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/rabies
To access the redesigned rotavirus page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/rotavirus
To access the redesigned rubella page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/rubella
To access the redesigned shingles (zoster) page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/zoster
To access the redesigned smallpox page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/smallpox
To access the redesigned tetanus page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/tetanus
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6. |
IAC's Video of the Week tells the story of the only unvaccinated rabies
survivor and her medical treatment
IAC encourages IAC Express readers to watch a
47-minute
video (presented as five individual segments) that
chronicles the story of Wisconsin teenager Jeanna Giese, the
only unvaccinated person ever recorded to have survived
rabies. The video, which originally aired on the TV program
"Extraordinary People," follows Giese's case and the medical
treatment protocol that led to her survival.
The video will be available on the home page of IAC's
website through July 12. 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/jun09.asp
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7. |
CDC reports on hepatitis A vaccination coverage of U.S. children ages 24-35
months during 2006-07
CDC published "Hepatitis A Vaccination Coverage
Among
Children Aged 24-35 Months--United States, 2006 and 2007" in
the July 3 issue of MMWR. Portions of the article are
reprinted below.
During 1995-1996, hepatitis A vaccines were licensed in the
United States as 2-dose regimens for children aged >=24
months. In 1996, the Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices (ACIP) recommended vaccinating children aged >=24
months who lived in communities or states with high rates of
hepatitis A. In 1999, ACIP updated its guidelines,
recommending routine vaccination for children aged >=24
months in areas with hepatitis A rates twice the national
average, and recommending consideration of routine
vaccination in areas with rates higher than the national
average. However, in 2005, this regional vaccination
strategy was reevaluated because national hepatitis A rates
had decreased to such an extent that differences among
states were no longer substantial. Additionally, in 2005,
hepatitis A vaccine was licensed for children aged 12-23
months. As a result of these developments, in 2006, ACIP
expanded its hepatitis A vaccination recommendation to all
children in the United States and reduced the recommended
age for vaccination to 12-23 months. This report updates
previous findings regarding hepatitis A vaccination
coverage, providing estimates based on National Immunization
Survey (NIS) data for 2006 and 2007. From 2006 to 2007,
estimated national hepatitis A vaccination coverage levels
among children aged 24-35 months who received at least 1
dose increased from 26.3% to 47.4%. The increase in
hepatitis A vaccination coverage likely is the result of the
expanded 2006 ACIP recommendations; adherence to these
recommendations should lead to further declines in hepatitis
A incidence in the United States. . . .
Editorial Note:
The estimated 21.1% increase in hepatitis A vaccination
coverage observed in 2007 overall in the United States, and
particularly among those 33 states where no previous
recommendation was in effect, likely resulted in large part
from the 2006 ACIP recommendations that expanded use of
hepatitis A vaccine to children nationwide and reduced the
recommended age for vaccination from >=24 months to 12-23
months. The percentage of children in compliance with the
well-child visit recommendations of the American Academy of
Pediatrics has been found substantially higher among infants
and children aged <24 months, when well-child visits are
more frequent, than children aged >=24 months, when such
visits occur annually. Therefore, incorporation of hepatitis
A vaccine into the routine early childhood vaccination
schedule was an important strategy to improve vaccination
coverage after the 2006 ACIP recommendation.
Compared with the prevaccination era, the number of cases
and rates of acute hepatitis A in the United States have
declined substantially. Historically, hepatitis A rates have
differed by race/ethnicity. In the prevaccination era, rates
of acute hepatitis A were five times greater among AI/ANs
[American Indian/Alaska Native] and three times greater
among Hispanics than the national average. However, after
several years of focused efforts to increase hepatitis A
vaccination in AI/AN communities, during 2001-2007,
hepatitis A rates among AI/ANs were lower than rates among
persons in other racial/ethnic populations. In 2007, the
hepatitis A rate was 0.5 cases per 100,000 population among
AI/ANs and 1.4 cases per 100,000 population among Hispanics
(a decline of 94% since 1997). In this report, the
significantly higher percentages in 2006 and 2007 of
hepatitis A vaccination coverage among AI/AN and Hispanic
children compared with non-Hispanic white children likely
reflect earlier emphasis on these minority populations in
areas with elevated rates of hepatitis A and exemplify the
substantial progress made toward eliminating racial/ethnic
disparities. . . .
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article,
go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5825a1.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of
MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5825.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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8. |
U.S.
to provide antiviral medication to Latin America and the Caribbean for novel
influenza A (H1N1)
On July 2, the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS)
issued a press release announcing that the U.S. will provide
the antiviral medication Tamiflu to Latin America and the
Caribbean. Portions of the press release are reprinted
below.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that the
United States will provide 420,000 treatment courses of
Tamiflu (Oseltamavir) to the Pan-American Health
Organization (PAHO) to fight the novel H1N1 influenza in
Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Secretary made the announcement while attending a series
of high-level meetings for health ministers throughout the
Americas in Cancun, Mexico.
"The U.S. is committed to supporting and enhancing the
health security in the region by reducing transmission and
severity of illness," Sebelius told officials in Cancun.
"Viruses know no borders. The U.S. recognizes that a novel
virus such as the H1N1 is a burden borne by all nations, and
all of us have a responsibility to help support one another
in the face of this challenge." . . . .
To access the entire press release, go to:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/07/20090702a.html
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9. |
Order laminated U.S. immunization schedules today
IAC has two laminated immunization schedules for
2009--one
for children/teens ages 0 through 18 years and one for
adults. Based on CDC's 2009 immunization schedules, the
laminated schedules offer two significant advantages over
paper schedules:
(1) They are covered with a tough, washable coating that
lets them stand up to a year's worth of use as at-your-fingertips guides to immunization and as teaching tools you
can use to give patients and parents authoritative
immunization information.
(2) Each schedule includes a guide to vaccine
contraindications and precautions, an additional feature
that will help you to make on-the-spot determinations about
vaccinating patients of any age.
IAC's laminated schedules come complete with essential
footnotes and are printed in color for easy reading. Each
schedule has six pages (i.e., three double-sided pages), and
when folded, measures 8.5" x 11".
For specific information about the child/teen schedule, to
view images of it, or to order online or download an order
form, visit http://www.immunize.org/shop/schedule_child.asp
For specific information about the adult schedule, to view
images of it, or to order online or download an order form,
visit http://www.immunize.org/shop/schedule_adult.asp
Prices start at $10 each for 1-4 copies and drop to $6.50
each for 5-19 copies. Discount pricing is available for 20
or more copies. For quotes on customizing or placing orders
in excess of 999 schedules, call (651) 647-9009 or email
admininfo@immunize.org
To learn about other essential immunization resources
available for purchase from IAC, such as personal
immunization record cards, padded screening questionnaires,
and educational videos, go to: http://www.immunize.org/shop
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10. |
VIS translation: VIS for PPSV now available in Tagalog
Dated 4/16/09, the current VIS for pneumococcal
polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV) is now available in Tagalog.
IAC gratefully acknowledges the Immunization Branch,
California Department of Public Health for the translation.
For the Tagalog version of the VIS for PPSV, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/ta_ppsv.pdf
For the English version of the VIS for PPSV, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/pneum3.pdf
NOTE: The VIS for PPSV comes in additional languages,
including Spanish. To access them, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_ppsv.asp Click on the link
to the pertinent language.
For information about the use of VISs, and for VISs in more
than 35 languages, visit IAC's VIS web section at
http://www.immunize.org/vis
For general information about VISs from CDC's website go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis
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11. |
Midwest Viral Hepatitis Summit planned for September 18 in Columbus, OH
Hepatitis Foundation International is sponsoring
the Midwest
Viral Hepatitis Summit, a professional education and
training event. It will be held on September 18 in Columbus,
OH.
For comprehensive information about the program and for
registration information, go to:
http://hepatitisfoundation.org/pdfs/09SummitFinal.pdf
For additional information, call (800) 891-0707.
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12. |
Conference on aging and immunity is scheduled for September 21-23 in Siena,
Italy
A seminar on aging and immunity is planned for
September 21-23 at Novartis Campus, Siena, Italy.
For information on the conference program and registration,
go to: http://www.fondation-merieux.org/?-Conferences,176- Scroll
down the listings under the heading "Conferences & Events
2009" to the entry for 21-23 September 2009, and click on
the pertinent link.
For additional information, email Catherine Dutel at
catherine.dutel@fondation-merieux.org
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