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IAC Express 2010 |
| Issue number 850: February 8, 2010 |
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Please click here to subscribe to IAC Express
as well as other FREE IAC periodicals. |
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Contents
of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article. |
- New!
February 2010 edition of Needle Tips is now online
- The
Lancet retracts 1998 paper about MMR and autism by Wakefield, et al.
- CDC's
Health Alert Network notifies clinicians about shortened shelf life of
certain lots of Sanofi Pasteur H1N1 vaccine in prefilled syringes
- IAC
updates "Guide to Contraindications and Precautions to Commonly Used
Vaccines" and "Guide to Contraindications and Precautions to Commonly Used
Vaccines in Adults"
- IAC
updates Spanish-language "When Do Children and Teens Need Vaccinations?"
- "Adult
Immunization: Shots to Save Lives" report released
- IAC's
Video of the Week section features video clips for parents produced by
ECBT
- Check out
IAC's redesigned VIS web section
- January
issue of CDC's Immunization Works electronic newsletter recently released
- Free
"Shots 2010" software for the new adult, child, teen, and catch-up
immunization schedules now available
- "CDC
Features" educates the public about cervical cancer and HPV vaccines
-
Reminder: Early Bird registration for National Immunization Conference
ends February 19
- New
hepatitis training resource from the University of Alabama available
online
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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 850: February 8, 2010 |
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1. |
New! February 2010 edition of Needle Tips is now online
The February 2010 issue of Needle Tips has just
been placed online at
http://www.immunize.org/nt This issue focuses on the two newly published
2010 U.S. immunization schedules, one for children/teens and one for adults,
and on recently released provisional ACIP recommendations.
Here are some of the features included in the issue:
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Ask the Experts
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Vaccine Highlights
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Recommended Immunization Schedules for Children and
Teens, U.S., 2010
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Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule--United States,
2010
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When Do Children and Teens Need Vaccinations?
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Are you 11-19 years old? Then you need to be vaccinated
against these serious diseases!
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Do I need any vaccinations today?
On the Needle Tips web page, you will find a link for
displaying and printing the entire 16-page PDF of this
issue. There is also a table of contents for viewing and
printing individual sections.
To access the Needle Tips web page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/nt
If you would like to download the entire issue right now,
click here: http://www.immunize.org/nslt.d/n43/n43.pdf
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2. |
The Lancet retracts 1998 paper about MMR and autism by Wakefield, et al.
On February 2, 2010, the editors of The Lancet
published a
retraction of the February 1998 paper titled, "Retraction--Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis,
and pervasive developmental disorder in children." The paper
by Andrew Wakefield, MB, BS, FRCS, and 12 other authors
suggested a link between MMR vaccine and autism. The study
set off a media firestorm and subsequent drop in MMR
vaccination rates, especially in the United Kingdom, despite
involving only a dozen children.
The retraction followed the ruling of the U.K.'s General
Medical Council that stated Dr. Wakefield's conduct
regarding his research was "dishonest" and "irresponsible"
and that he had shown a "callous disregard" for the
suffering of children involved in his studies.
The text of The Lancet retraction follows in its entirety.
Following the judgment of the UK General Medical Council's
Fitness to Practise Panel on Jan 28, 2010, it has become
clear that several elements of the 1998 paper by Wakefield
et al are incorrect, contrary to the findings of an earlier
investigation. In particular, the claims in the original
paper that children were "consecutively referred" and that
investigations were "approved" by the local ethics committee
have been proven to be false. Therefore we fully retract
this paper from the published record.
To access the retraction online, go to:
http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)60175-7/fulltext
To access the "Fitness to Practise Panel Hearing" report
from the General Medical Council, go to:
http://www.neurodiversity.com/wakefield_gmc_ruling.pdf
The Lancet retraction has received major coverage in the
popular media. Links to two related editorials follow.
Arthur Caplan, PhD, director of the Center for Bioethics at
the University of Pennsylvania, contributed a commentary to
MSNBC titled "Tiny, flawed vaccine study a case study in
biased medicine." To read this powerful editorial, go to:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35218819/ns/health-health_care
Alison Singer, co-founder and president of the Autism
Science Foundation, wrote an opinion piece for CNN
describing how the Wakefield study has affected her life as
a mother of a child with autism and as an advocate for
autistic children. To read this opinion piece, go to:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/02/03/singer.autism.study.vaccines
Historical editorial note: prior to the publication of this
full retraction, the following statements had been
published.
In February 2004, The Lancet's editors issued a statement
indicating that they had recently been made aware that the
paper's authors had not disclosed a possible conflict of
interest and apologized for publishing the paper. To access
the editors' statement, go to:
http://image.thelancet.com/extras/statement20Feb2004web.pdf
In March 2004, 10 of the research paper's 13 authors
retracted the paper's interpretation that a link exists
between MMR vaccine and autism. To access the retraction
from the website of Sunday Times reporter Brian Deer, go to:
http://briandeer.com/mmr/lancet-retraction.pdf
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3. |
CDC's Health Alert Network notifies clinicians about shortened shelf life of
certain lots of Sanofi Pasteur H1N1 vaccine in prefilled syringes
On February 2, CDC's Health Alert Network (HAN)
issued a HAN
Info Service Message titled "Sanofi Pasteur Monovalent 2009
(H1N1) Influenza Vaccine in Pre-Filled Syringes--Shortened
Shelf Life of Certain Lots." The summary is reprinted below.
Sanofi Pasteur has notified CDC and FDA that some lots of
monovalent 2009 (H1N1) influenza vaccine in prefilled
syringes will have a shorter expiration period than
indicated on the label. The lots of Sanofi Pasteur
monovalent 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine in prefilled syringes
should be used by February 15, 2010, as indicated in the
table below regardless of the expiration imprinted on the
package. This is to ensure that the vaccine is used while it
remains within its potency specification. There are no
safety concerns with these lots of 2009 H1N1 vaccine. People
who received vaccine from the lots listed below with
shortened shelf life do not need to take any action.
To access the complete HAN CDC Health Update, which includes
the table of affected lots, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/HAN/020210.htm
For Q&As from CDC related to this announcement, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/qa_expiration.htm
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4. |
IAC updates "Guide to Contraindications and Precautions to Commonly Used
Vaccines" and "Guide to Contraindications and Precautions to Commonly Used
Vaccines in Adults"
IAC recently revised the following two print
resources for
healthcare professionals.
IAC's "Guide to Contraindications and Precautions to
Commonly Used Vaccines" is adapted from Table 5 in
"Contraindications and Precautions to Commonly Used
Vaccines" found in ACIP's General Recommendations on
Immunization, and covers all routinely recommended vaccines
for children, teens, and adults. IAC added information about
antivirals to this piece, and also made other minor edits.
To access the revised ready-to-print (PDF) print piece
"Guide to Contraindications and Precautions to Commonly Used
Vaccines," go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p3072a.pdf
IAC's "Guide to Contraindications and Precautions to
Commonly Used Vaccines in Adults" is a shortened version of
the above, focusing on adult vaccines only. IAC added
information about antivirals to this piece, and also made
other minor edits.
To access the revised ready-to-print (PDF) print piece
"Guide to Contraindications and Precautions to Commonly Used
Vaccines in Adults," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p3072.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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5. |
IAC updates Spanish-language "When Do Children and Teens Need Vaccinations?"
"When Do Children and Teens Need Vaccinations?"
is a handy
one-page chart for parents, illustrating all vaccines
recommended for children and teens ages 0-18 years. The
Spanish translation was recently revised to match the most
recent English version, both of which now include
information about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in
males.
To access the revised ready-to-print (PDF) print piece "When
Do Children and Teens Need Vaccinations?" in Spanish, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4050-01.pdf
To access the revised ready-to-print (PDF) print piece "When
Do Children and Teens Need Vaccinations?" in English, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4050.pdf
To access all IAC print materials, including available
translations, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/printmaterials
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6. |
"Adult Immunization: Shots to Save Lives" report released
On February 4, the Trust for America's Health,
the
Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation released a report titled "Adult
Immunization: Shots to Save Lives." Overall, the report
found millions of American adults go without recommended
vaccinations, leading to an estimated 40,000-50,000
preventable deaths and $10 billion in preventable healthcare
costs each year.
The report identified several key reasons why adult
vaccination rates remain low:
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Limited access: Most adults are outside of
institutionalized settings, like the military or
colleges, where vaccines can be required;
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Limited care and insurance coverage: Primary and
preventive care for adults is limited, particularly for
the uninsured and underinsured;
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Limited financing for immunizations: Many adults have
medical insurance that does not pay for vaccines and
their administration, so out-of-pocket costs may be
prohibitive for many individuals;
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Misunderstanding and misinformation: Many adults are
misinformed about the safety and effectiveness of
vaccines; and
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Limited research and development: Vaccine research,
development, and production have been limited in the
United States for decades.
The report goes on to outline a number of policy
recommendations to increase adult vaccination rates.
To read a related press release from the Trust for America's
Health, go to:
http://healthyamericans.org/report/73/adult-immunization-2010
The complete report is available at
http://healthyamericans.org/assets/files/TFAH2010AdultImmnzBrief13.pdf
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7. |
IAC's Video of the Week section features video clips for parents produced by
ECBT
IAC encourages IAC Express readers to watch a
selection of
videos produced by Every Child by Two (ECBT). ECBT recently
launched a new web page titled "Video FAQs," which features
short video clips (30-second to 2-minute) of experts briefly
answering parents' most frequently asked questions about
vaccination.
The link to the page of video clips will be available on the
home page of IAC's website through February 14. To access
it, go to: http://www.immunize.org and click on the image
under the words Video of the Week. 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
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8. |
Check out IAC's redesigned VIS web section
IAC's VIS web section's main page has been
redesigned to
offer users an at-a-glance understanding of what is
available to them. To enter it, click on this link:
http://www.immunize.org/vis
The first thing you'll see is the organizing heart of the
page, a large box with Vaccine Index, Language Index, and
Alphabetical Index running horizontally across it.
The Vaccine Index lists all 26 VIS used in the U.S. when
vaccinating patients. Click on the name of a VIS, and you'll
be taken to a link to the English-language version of the
VIS and all its translations.
Click on Language Index, and you'll be taken to a list of
the 48 languages that IAC makes VISs available in (not every
VIS is available in all 48 languages).
Click on Alphabetical Index to be taken to an alphabetical
list of VISs. If you click on the name and most recent issue
date of the VIS, you'll be taken directly to the English-language version of the VIS. You also have the option of
viewing the translated versions of the VIS.
Another useful feature of the VIS home page is the chart
titled Current VIS Dates. Use it to make sure all your VISs
are up to date.
Be sure to bookmark http://www.immunize.org/vis for easy
reference in the future!
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9. |
January issue of CDC's Immunization Works electronic newsletter recently
released
CDC recently released the January issue of its
monthly
newsletter Immunization Works. 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 January issue has already
appeared in previous issues of IAC Express. Following is the
text of the articles we have not covered.
FRONT PAGE NEWS: "NIVW Promoted Awareness, Provided
Vaccination Opportunities Nationwide" [first paragraph
follows]
Established in 2006, National Influenza Vaccination Week
(NIVW), is a national observance highlighting the importance
of continuing influenza vaccination after the holiday season
and into the new year. NIVW kicked off on Sunday, January
10, with an official proclamation from President Barack
Obama. The week seized an important window of opportunity to
prevent influenza by getting more people vaccinated and
encouraging others to do the same. . . .
MORE NEWS & SUMMARIES: "Study Documents Decline in Diarrhea-Related Deaths among Mexican Children Following Introduction
of Rotavirus Vaccine"
An article in the January 28, 2010, issue of the New England
Journal of Medicine, entitled "Effect of Rotavirus
Vaccination on Death from Childhood Diarrhea in Mexico,"
noted that deaths due to diarrhea among children
significantly declined following the introduction of
rotavirus vaccine in Mexico.
In 2006, Mexico became one of the first countries to
introduce rotavirus vaccine into its national immunization
program. Study authors, Vesta Richardson, Joselito
Hernandez-Pichardo, Manjari Quintanar-Solares, Marcelino
Esparza-Aguilar, Brian Johnson, Cesar Misael Gomez-Altamirano, Umesh Parashar, and Manish Patel, compared
childhood diarrhea-related mortality before and after
introduction of rotavirus vaccine in Mexico. Their results
showed that among infants 11 months and younger (the
targeted population for rotavirus vaccination), the number
of deaths due to diarrhea declined by 42%. Three key
findings support a causal role of vaccination in the
reduction of diarrhea-related deaths:
- The largest reduction in diarrhea-related deaths was among
the vaccinated age-group (infants 11 months and younger).
- The most prominent reduction occurred during the typical
rotavirus season in Mexico (December through May).
- The reduction was sustained through the two rotavirus
seasons (2008 and 2009) after vaccine introduction.
In addition, the study showed that among children 12-24
months of age, diarrhea-related deaths declined by 29%. Only
10%-15% of these children were eligible for rotavirus
immunization; thus, the reduction demonstrates that
vaccination of part of the population could possibly reduce
rotavirus transmission overall.
Improved sanitation, promotion of breastfeeding and oral
rehydration, and vitamin A supplementation have helped
reduce the overall number of childhood diarrhea-related
deaths in Mexico, but deaths during the rotavirus season
remained prevalent. This persistent burden revealed the
importance of immunization as the primary tool for
preventing rotavirus.
MORE NEWS & SUMMARIES: "National Action Plan Open for
Review"
Following its 2006 "National Leadership Summit on
Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health," HHS
launched the "National Partnership for Action to End Health
Disparities (NPA)." The main objectives of the NPA include
drawing national attention to longstanding, pervasive racial
and ethnic health disparities, and fostering community
involvement and broad-based partnerships to improve
coordination and utilization of research and outcome
evaluation to shape strategies and actions to address health
disparities.
To develop the plan, HHS conducted a series of "Regional
Conversations" throughout the 10 HHS regions involving
individual, public health, and community leaders, to
identify strategies and actions needed to address health
disparities effectively on a regional basis.
CDC and its partners have been asked to review the National
Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities Action Plan
(http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/npa), which will be posted
for public comment until February 12, 2010.
MEETINGS, CONFERENCES & RESOURCES: "New Website Launched for
Employers" [first paragraph follows]
The National Business Group on Health, a nonprofit
organization devoted to representing large employers'
perspective on national health issues and assisting its
members with healthcare problems, has introduced Moving
Science into Coverage: An Employer's Guide to Preventive
Service
(http://www.businessgrouphealth.org/preventive/background.cfm),
a website designed to help employers select, define, and
implement evidence-based clinical preventive services. Based
on A Purchaser's Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, this
website provides employers with up-to-date information and
resources on high-impact, effective, and value-driven
services to prevent chronic conditions.
MEETINGS, CONFERENCES & RESOURCES: "National Infant
Immunization Week"
An early reminder: National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW)
will be April 24-May 1, 2010. Check the NIIW website for
more details as they become available
(http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/NIIW).
RESPIRATORY NEWS AND RESOURCES: "Save the Date"
April 24, 2010, is World Meningitis Day, which seeks to
raise awareness about meningitis and the importance of being
vaccinated. World Meningitis Day is organized by The
Confederation of Meningitis Organizations (CoMO), which was
formed in 2004 and whose members include organizations and
individuals in 19 countries across Europe, North and South
America, Australia, the Philippines, and Africa. In addition
to encouraging participation in local events, CoMO invites
all to log on to their CoMO's Meningitis website
(http://www.comoonline.org) during April and join hands
against meningitis in a global virtual community. You can
also join the cause on Facebook.
To view the January 2010 issue of Immunization Works, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/news/newsltrs/imwrks/2010/201001.htm
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10. |
Free "Shots 2010" software for the new adult, child, teen, and catch-up
immunization schedules now available
The "Shots 2010" quick-reference guides to the
adult, child, teen, and catch-up immunization schedules are now available for
Palm-OS handhelds and Pocket-PCs handhelds. Both are available on the website
of the Group on Immunization Education of the Society of Teachers of Family
Medicine.
To access "Shots 2010" for Palm-OS handhelds and Pocket-PCs handhelds, as
well as "Shots 2010 Online," go to:
http://www.immunizationed.org/anypage.aspx?pgid=2
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11. |
"CDC Features" educates the public about cervical cancer and HPV vaccines
The "CDC Features" web section now includes
information for
the public on cervical cancer that has been updated to
include both human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, Gardasil
(Merck) and Cervarix (GSK).
To access "Cervical Cancer: The Preventable Gynecologic
Cancer" go to: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/CervicalCancer
To access an alphabetical index of all "CDC Features," go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/az
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12. |
Reminder: Early Bird registration for National Immunization Conference ends
February 19
The 2010 National Immunization Conference will be
held in
Atlanta on April 19-22. Register by February 19, and save
$25 off the regular registration price of $250.
For complete information on the conference, including the
conference goals and objectives, agenda, and online
registration, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/nic
For more information, contact the conference planning team
by phone at (404) 639-8225 or by email at nipnic@cdc.gov
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13. |
New hepatitis training resource from the University of Alabama available
online
The National Training Center for Integrated
Hepatitis
HIV/STD Prevention Services at the University of Alabama at
Birmingham has recently launched a new training website,
http://www.knowhepatitis.org
Two training opportunities are currently available: a
webinar featuring CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis director
John Ward, MD, discussing the recently released Institute of
Medicine report about hepatitis; and a video overview of
viral hepatitis for the front-line worker presented by Laura
Bachman, MD, MPH. To access either of these presentations,
go to: http://www.knowhepatitis.org/training/center
The mission of the National Training Center is to decrease
the burden of hepatitis in at-risk populations by advocating
for and facilitating the integration of hepatitis/HIV/STD
prevention and services into community based organizations
(CBOs) and clinics through the provision of innovative and
evidence-based education and training targeted to front-line
workers employed in these organizations.
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