The April issue of Pediatrics includes an article titled "Gaps in Hospital Policies and Practices to Prevent Perinatal Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus" by Bayo C. Willis, MPH, Pascale Wortley, MD, MPH, Susan A. Wang, MD, MPH, Lisa Jacques-Carroll, MSW, and Fan Zhang, PhD, MD, MPH, all from CDC. This study found that significant gaps persist in U.S. hospital policies and practices to prevent perinatal hepatitis B virus transmission. For example, among infants in the study who were born to hepatitis B surface antigen-positive women with documented prenatal test results, only 62.1% received both hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immunoglobulin within 12 hours, 13.7% were unvaccinated, and 19.7% did not receive hepatitis B immunoglobulin before hospital discharge.

The journal's editors have kindly made the complete text available to non-subscribers. To read this important article, go to:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/125/4/704

IAC's online "Ask the Experts" Q&A section about pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was recently updated with input from vaccination experts at CDC. 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 PCV Q&As, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/askexperts/experts_pcv.asp

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

The National Public Health Information Coalition and the California Immunization Coalition will sponsor a one-hour webinar on April 28 featuring Paul Offit, MD, Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Offit will discuss current concerns about vaccine safety and how healthcare professionals can effectively communicate scientific information.

"Communicating Good Science under a Cloud of Doubt" is scheduled for April 28 at 11:00 AM Pacific Time. Space is limited and pre-registration is recommended. For more information, go to: http://www.immunizeca.org/virtualiz.cfm

IAC encourages IAC Express readers to watch an 8-minute film trailer about the influenza pandemic of 1918. In 1918-1919, the worst influenza epidemic in recorded history killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide. The U.S. death toll was 675,000--five times the number of U.S. soldiers killed in World War I. "We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918" attempts to answer questions about why this influenza strain was so lethal and what this epidemic might teach us.

The video will be available on the home page of IAC's website through April 18. 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

"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vaccinations" is a valuable addition to the popular Complete Idiots series of books. Authors Michael J. Smith, MD, and Laurie Bouck explain clearly how vaccines work, how they are tested and monitored, and what vaccines are recommended for children, adolescents, adults, seniors, and special groups such as travelers. The book also explores issues such as the use of mercury in vaccines, the cycle of influenza epidemics, why there are vaccine shortages, and what new vaccines might be developed.

Healthcare professionals might want to have a copy of this book on hand to loan or recommend to parents and patients who question the safety and importance of vaccination. As part of a major publishing line, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vaccinations: A balanced look at the pros and cons" can be purchased from your local bookstore, your favorite online site, or from the publisher at
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/cig/index.html

CDC published "Human Rabies--Kentucky/Indiana, 2009" in the April 9 issue of MMWR. The first paragraph is reprinted below.

To access the full article in web-text (HTML) format, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5913a3.htm

William Schaffner, MD, president-elect of NFID and an influential voice in the immunization community, has launched a new blog on InfectiousDiseaseNews.com Each week he will address a range of public health topics related to infectious diseases with a focus on immunization news.

To read the blog postings or share your thoughts in the comments section (free registration required), go to:
http://www.infectiousdiseasenews.com/Blog.aspx

PKIDs (Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases) has scheduled a 1.5-hour webinar for May 4 that will focus on social marketing. The webinars are part of Communications Made Easy, a PKIDs' program intended to help immunization educators learn the ropes of social marketing and traditional and social media.

"Communications Made Easy--Creating Social Marketing Messages That Work" is scheduled for May 4 at 9:00 AM Pacific Time. Space is limited and pre-registration is recommended. To register, go to: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/5o9axnt1hvjv

For more information on the Communications Made Easy program, go to: http://www.pkids.org/cme

PKIDs supports people whose children have been affected by viral hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, and other chronic, viral infectious diseases, and educates the public about effective disease prevention practices. To visit the PKIDs website, go to: http://www.pkids.org

IAC recently posted Farsi translations of two parent-education pieces: the simplified version of "After the Shots" and "Questions parents ask about baby shots." The simplified version of "After the Shots" employs basic vocabulary and omits dosing information for pain- and fever-reducing medication.

IAC thanks Saghar Mohajer-Bayani, West Winds Primary Health Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, for the translations. Farsi is spoken in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran.

To access the Farsi version of the simplified "After the Shots," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4014-11.pdf

To access the English version of the simplified "After the Shots," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4014.pdf

To access the Farsi version of "Questions parents ask about baby shots," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4025-11.pdf

To access the English version of "Questions parents ask about baby shots," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4025.pdf

Both these pieces are also available in other translations at
http://www.immunize.org/printmaterials/topic_talking.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

The New York Academy of Sciences is sponsoring a meeting titled "HIV/AIDS: Vaccines and alternate strategies for treatment and prevention." This event will take place in New York City on May 19.

For more information, go to: http://www.nyas.org/aids

CDC published " Errata: MMWR Vol. 59, No. 12" in the April 9 issue of MMWR. To access the article, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5913a4.htm