On November 30, Pediatrics published a supplement titled "Financing of Childhood and Adolescent Vaccines." The supplement includes three commentaries, 13 original research articles, a report from the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, and commentaries from manufacturers, insurers, and consumers.

Owing to the importance of this information, Pediatrics has graciously made the entire supplement available without subscription to the journal. To access the contents of "Financing of Childhood and Adolescent Vaccines," go to:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/vol124/Supplement_5

On December 9, CDC posted provisional recommendations for use of yellow fever vaccine on the ACIP web section. Provisional recommendations are those ACIP has voted on but that are not yet approved by CDC or the Department of Health and Human Services and have not yet been published in MMWR.

To access the complete yellow fever vaccine provisional recommendations, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/provisional/downloads/yf-vac-dec-2009-508.pdf

All provisional ACIP recommendations can be found at
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/provisional

To access all final ACIP recommendations, go to: http://www.immunize.org/acip IAC's ACIP web section allows visitors to sort documents by date, vaccine, and topic. Bookmark this link for easy access to all provisional and final ACIP recommendations.

CDC published "Deaths Related to 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) Among American Indian/Alaska Natives--12 States, 2009" in the December 11 issue of MMWR. A summary made available to the press is reprinted below.

To access the full article in web-text (HTML) format, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5848a1.htm

CDC continually updates information about H1N1 influenza vaccination on its website and through email notices. On December 9, CDC informed its partners that 82.6 million doses of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine had been made available.

In addition, CDC recently added or updated the following resources on its H1N1 web section:

Updated Interim Recommendations for the Use of Antiviral Medications in the Treatment and Prevention of Influenza for the 2009-2010 Season
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/recommendations.htm

2009 H1N1 and Seasonal Flu and African American Communities: Questions and Answers
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/african_americans_qa.htm

In the News: Deaths Related to 2009 H1N1 & American Indians and Alaskan Natives
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/in_the_news/deaths_american_indians.htm

In the News: Question and Answer on the Estimated Number of U.S. 2009 H1N1 Cases, Hospitalizations and Deaths
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/in_the_news/updated_cdc_estimates.htm

In The News: Question & Answer on Antiviral Usage during the Pandemic
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/in_the_news/antiviral_drugs.htm

H1N1 Flu and Seasonal Flu: Caring for Someone Sick at Home
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/homecare

CDC's H1N1 Flu web section contains hundreds of documents for healthcare professionals and the public. To access the web section's home page, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu

To make it easy for you to keep up to date with developments, IAC has gathered important information related to H1N1 influenza into a single web section. To access this resource, go to: http://www.immunize.org/h1n1

Eight families, each affected by a different vaccine-preventable disease, share their difficult experiences in a new powerful video series from Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases (PKIDs). PKIDs has made each of these videos available in a variety of formats and lengths for use by your organization free of charge.

In this gripping series, individuals share their experiences of living through the ordeal of having their child or other family member infected with varicella, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b, human papillomavirus, pneumococcus, rotavirus, shingles, or pertussis. Besides the compelling personal narratives, the segments include important information about the transmission and prevention of these infections.

PKIDs encourages other organizations to use these videos. They are available in various lengths and formats (including 30 and 60 second audio versions), and in branded (with "PKIDs.org" on the end slate) and unbranded versions (for organizations wishing to create their own end slate). The videos are available on the PKIDs website at http://www.pkids.org/im_videos.php

In addition, links to all 8 videos will be available via IAC's Video of the Week section on the home page of IAC's website through December 20. To access them, go to: http://www.immunize.org and click on one of the 8 links in the Video of the Week section. 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. To view an IAC Video of the Week from the past, go to the video archive at http://www.immunize.org/votw

On December 7, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Ad Council are launching a new nationwide public service advertising (PSA) campaign called "Together We Can All Fight the Flu." The campaign features television, radio, online banner, and outdoor public service advertisements that encourage Americans to get vaccinated against the 2009 H1N1 flu virus. Details on the television and radio PSAs follow.

TELEVISION

• "Anthem" focuses on the importance of pregnant women, children, young adults, and other priority groups getting the H1N1 flu vaccine. It is 30 seconds long.
   
• "Parents" focuses on parents of young children and is available in three formats: a 25-second format in English with 5 seconds for states to add a customized message; a 30-second version in Spanish and English; and a 10-second version in English.
   
• "Pregnant Women" focuses on the importance of pregnant women getting the H1N1 vaccine. A 30-second version is available in both Spanish and English. A 10-second English version is also available.
   
• "Beat Poetry" focuses on why the H1N1 vaccine is critical for young people. It is 30 seconds long.
   
• "Young Adults" encourages young people to get vaccinated. It is available in 30-second and 10-second formats.

RADIO

• "Fight the Flu--Parents." Available in English and Spanish in 30-second and 60-second formats.
   
• "Fight the Flu--Pregnant Women." Available in English and Spanish in 30-second and 60-second formats.
   
• "Fight the Flu--Young People." Available in 30-second and 60-second formats.

All the radio and television PSAs can be accessed from http://www.flu.gov/psa/#fightvideo

The home page of the federal government's one-stop website for seasonal and H1N1 influenza information is http://www.flu.gov

Autopsy reports on 34 people who died from 2009 H1N1 influenza infection between May 15 and July 9 show that the virus can damage cells throughout the respiratory airway. The first two paragraphs of a related National Institutes of Health press release follow.

To read the entire news release, go to:
http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2009/FluAutopsy.htm

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently launched a new immunization website. The information previously found at www.cispimmunize.org has been reorganized and moved. The CISP site will redirect traffic to specific pages on the new website; however, organizations or individuals using old links should consider updating them.

AAP invites you to visit its new user-friendly website at
http://www.aap.org/immunization

Please continue to vaccinate patients against seasonal influenza. Remember: 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine will not protect people against seasonal influenza, and seasonal influenza vaccine will not protect against H1N1 influenza.

Providers who don't have seasonal influenza vaccine or H1N1 influenza vaccine can direct patients to the new Google Flu Shot Finder at http://www.google.com/flushot

Providers who are looking for seasonal influenza vaccine available for purchase, can check with IVATS (Influenza Vaccine Availability Tracking System). IVATS provides information about vaccine manufacturers and distributors with vaccine available for purchase. To access this information in Excel spreadsheet format, go to:
http://www.preventinfluenza.org/ivats/ivats_09_10.xls

Following is a list of resources related to influenza disease and vaccination for healthcare professionals and the public.

The National Influenza Vaccine Summit website:
http://www.preventinfluenza.org

IAC's Seasonal Influenza web section:
http://www.immunize.org/influenza

IAC's H1N1 Influenza web section:
http://www.immunize.org/h1n1

CDC's Seasonal Flu web section:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu

CDC's 2009 H1N1 Flu web section:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu

To access IAC's print pieces related to influenza, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/printmaterials/dis_inf.asp

With vaccination against 2009 H1N1 influenza now underway, it is important to remember that seasonal influenza vaccination efforts must continue. To aid in these efforts, the Immunization Action Coalition is inviting IAC Express readers to place orders now for the National Influenza Vaccine Summit's laminated 2009-10 Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Pocket Information Guides. The pocket guides are the perfect size to fit in a lab coat pocket. And best of all--they're free!

See an image of the laminated seasonal influenza vaccine pocket guide at
http://www.preventinfluenza.org/fluguide/pocketguide_flu.pdf

For description of the content of the pocket guides and information on their background, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/express/issue833.asp#n16

The Summit is also pleased to be able to offer a companion piece to the laminated influenza pocket guides--free laminated pocket guides for the administration of pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV). See an image of the PPSV pocket guide at
http://www.immunize.org/ppvguide/pocketguide.pdf

HOW TO ORDER
Each order must be for a minimum of 100 pocket guides. Place your order at http://www.preventinfluenza.org/pocketguides There is no cost for the pocket guides, shipping, or handling within the U.S.

If you have questions, email admininfo@immunize.org

The VISs for 2009 H1N1 inactivated influenza vaccine (injectable) and 2009 H1N1 live attenuated influenza vaccine (nasal spray) are now available in Dzongkha (spoken in Bhutan). IAC gratefully acknowledges the California Department of Public Health, Immunization Branch, for the translations.

To access the new Dzongkha translation of the VIS for the injectable 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine, as well as this VIS in English and other translations, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_h1n1_inactive.asp Click on the pertinent languages.

To access the new Dzongkha translation of the VIS for the nasal-spray 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine, as well as this VIS in English and other translations, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_h1n1_live.asp Click on the pertinent languages.

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

Vaccination experts at CDC recently reviewed and updated information on IAC's online "Ask the Experts" Q&A sections about hepatitis B and hepatitis A disease and vaccination. All of IAC's "Ask the Experts" Q&As are reviewed and updated annually. The process is ongoing; IAC Express will inform readers as sections are reviewed and revised.

To access the revised hepatitis B Q&As, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/askexperts/experts_hepb.asp

To access the revised hepatitis A Q&As, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/askexperts/experts_hepa.asp

To access the index page of "Ask the Experts" Q&As for all other vaccines, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/askexperts

CDC published "Safety of Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccines--United States, October 1-November 24, 2009" in the December 11 issue of MMWR. This report was previously released as an MMWR Early Release on December 4, and was previously covered in IAC Express on December 7.

To access the full article in web-text (HTML) format, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5848a4.htm

On December 7, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health announced the launch of the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC). The mission of the center is to accelerate global access to life-saving vaccines through development and implementation of evidence-based policies. Drawing upon expertise and faculty from around the School, IVAC aims to create a convergence of the right vaccines in the right health systems, ensuring that millions more children will have the chance to grow into healthy, productive adults.

For more information, visit the IVAC web page at
http://www.jhsph.edu/ivac

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative offers extensive information about the worldwide effort to eradicate polio on its website at http://www.polioeradication.org Visitors to the website can access the following newsletters: Polio Eradication Monthly Situation Report, Polio News, and Polio Pipeline.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is supported by WHO, CDC, Rotary International, and UNICEF.

CDC published "Announcement: Clinical Vaccinology Course--March 12-14, 2010" in the December 11 issue of MMWR. The first paragraph follows.

For more information about the content of the course or registration, go to the complete article at
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5848a5.htm