IAC recently revised "Human Papillomavirus (HPV): Questions and Answers," a resource for both healthcare professionals and their patients. The piece was updated to include information about Cervarix vaccine (GlaxoSmithKline), Gardasil vaccine (Merck) and its use in males, and HPV vaccine safety.
Go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4207.pdf

To access a table with links to IAC's Q&A handouts for each vaccine, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/handouts/vaccine-questions.asp

IAC's Handouts for Patients and Staff web section offers healthcare professionals and the public approximately 250 FREE English-Language handouts (many also available in translation), which we encourage website users to print out, copy, and distribute widely. To access all of IAC's free handouts, go to: http://www.immunize.org/handouts

IAC encourages IAC Express readers to watch a 5.35-minute video on HPV vaccine safety from Medscape. In this video commentary, Claudia Vellozzi, MD, MPH, deputy director of CDC's Immunization Safety Office, discusses important safety data on the Gardasil brand of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and gives clinicians guidance on communicating with patients about HPV vaccine safety.

Registration is required to access this feature on Medscape. There is no charge to register.

The video will be available on the home page of IAC's website through July 25. To access it, go to: http://www.immunize.org and click on the image under the words Video of the Week.

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 2010 version of the professional-education course "Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases" is now available on DVD.

To order one free copy of the DVD using the NCIRD ordering system, go to: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/pubs/NCIRD.aspx Scroll down to item #22-0068.

The course is also available in web-on-demand format. For more information on the course, or to access the web-on-demand version, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/epivac

Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) is sponsoring a free July 27 conference call on vaccine updates. In the 1-hour call, CDC's Iyabode Akinsanya-Beysolow, MD, MPH, will discuss the most recent ACIP recommendations. Additional information is available at http://emergency.cdc.gov/coca/callinfo.asp

The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) has released an immunization schedule specifically targeted to individuals ages 10-25 years. The schedule was developed with assistance from IAC, and is based on the official recommended childhood and adult immunization schedules approved by CDC, ACIP, AAP, AAFP, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and American College of Physicians.

To access SAHM's "Recommended Immunization Schedule for Adolescents Ages 10-25 Years," click here.

The VIS for pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) and the VISs for Cervarix and Gardasil human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines are now available in Hmong, Karen, Somali, Russian, and Vietnamese. IAC gratefully acknowledges the Minnesota Department of Health for the translations.

To access the new translations of the VIS for PCV13 vaccine, as well as the English-language version and other translations, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_pcv.asp

To access the new translations of the VIS for Cervarix vaccine, as well as the English-language version and other translations, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_hpv_cervarix.asp

To access the new translations of the VIS for Gardasil vaccine, as well as the English-language version and other translations, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_hpv_gardasil.asp

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

The VISs for pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV) and shingles vaccine are now available in Karen and Somali. IAC gratefully acknowledges the Minnesota Department of Health for the translations.

To access the new translations of the VIS for PPSV vaccine, as well as the English-language version and other translations, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_ppsv.asp

To access the new translations of the VIS for shingles vaccine, as well as the English-language version and other translations, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_shingles.asp

Thai translations of the VISs for Cervarix and Gardasil human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines and the VIS for measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccine are now available on IAC's website. IAC gratefully acknowledges the Asian Pacific Health Care Venture, Inc., Los Angeles, CA, for the translations.

To access the new translation of the VIS for Cervarix vaccine, as well as the English-language version and other translations, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_hpv_cervarix.asp

To access the new translation of the VIS for Gardasil vaccine, as well as the English-language version and other translations, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_hpv_gardasil.asp

To access the new translation of the VIS for MMRV, as well as the English-language version and other translations, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_mmrv.asp

The Project BioShield Act became law in July 2004 with the goal of developing countermeasures to potential chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorism agents. On July 14, 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a press release announcing that a Project Bioshield contract had resulted in a modified smallpox vaccine.

The Danish company Bavarian Nordic is manufacturing 20 million doses of a modified smallpox vaccine, which can be used to protect people who have weakened immune systems, specifically persons with HIV infection that has not progressed to AIDS.

To read the complete HHS press announcement, go to: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/07/20100714c.html