IAC Express 2010

All doses of monovalent 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine expired on or before September 15, 2010, regardless of the date on the label, and should no longer be administered.

Patients should now be receiving 2010-11 seasonal influenza vaccine, which protects against the pandemic 2009 H1N1 strain as well as two additional strains of influenza.

For more information, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/QA_Central_Vacc_Rcvry_Prog.htm

The Dear Abby column published a letter from Dr. Deborah Wexler, executive director of the Immunization Action Coalition, on September 27. The letter urges everyone 6 months and older to get vaccinated against influenza this year.

From IAC's past experience being published in Dear Abby's column, we want to alert immunization providers that they may get a number of phone calls from people seeking appointments for influenza vaccination because of the column.

In addition, we would appreciate your clipping the September 27 column from your newspaper (including the headline, name, and location of the newspaper) and faxing or mailing it to us. We'd like to see the different headlines various papers generate for the column.

Our fax number is (651) 647-9131; our mailing address is Immunization Action Coalition, 1573 Selby Ave., Ste. 234, St. Paul, MN 55104. Thank you for your help with this.

To read the Dear Abby column online, go to: http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby This page shows the current column, so if you're accessing it after September 27, click on that date in the archive calendar in the right column.

On September 22, FDA posted Q&A information on its website concerning a Rotarix labeling revision pertaining to intussussception. Excerpts from the information follow.

Q&As for parents: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/rotavirus/Vac-label-parents.htm

IAC's online "Ask the Experts" Q&A sections about diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis (DTaP, Td, Tdap, DT), pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPSV), and varicella vaccination were 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 diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis Q&As, go to: http://www.immunize.org/askexperts/experts_per.asp

To access the revised PPSV Q&As, go to: http://www.immunize.org/askexperts/experts_ppv.asp

To access the revised varicella Q&As, go to: http://www.immunize.org/askexperts/experts_var.asp

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

The Government and State Agencies section on immunize.org includes descriptions and links to federal agencies that play a role in immunization and features key contacts and essential vaccine-related information from state government agencies and programs.

The U.S Government Agencies section provides descriptions and links to programs and departments that are involved in immunization issues such as Department of Defense, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Food and Drug Administration, and many more. To access this section, go to: http://www.immunize.org/resources/gov_us.asp

The State Agencies section provides 1) direct links to state health department immunization websites; 2) vaccination mandates for vaccine-preventable diseases in childcare facilities, schools, colleges, and long-term care facilities; and 3) contact information for immunization program managers and key coordinators. To access this section, go to: http://www.immunize.org/resources/gov_state.asp

In addition to the listings of governmental agencies and programs, IAC's online compendium of immunization resources includes descriptions and links for the following sections: Books and Periodicals, CDC Materials, Continuing Education Opportunities, Email News Services, Hotlines, Partner Organizations, International Organizations, Vaccine Manufacturers and Package Inserts. To access these sections, go to http://www.immunize.org/resources

IAC recently revised the following three handouts for patients.

(1) IAC updated "Meningococcal: Questions and Answers" to take into account the licensing of Menveo, and to change the abbreviation of MCV4 to the preferred MenACWY. Go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4210.pdf

(2) IAC updated "If you have hepatitis C, which vaccinations do you need?" to include revised recommendations for influenza, pneumococcal, MMR, and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4042.pdf

(3) IAC has also updated "If you have HIV infection, which vaccinations do you need?" Go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4041.pdf

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

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Immunization Branch, recently updated its award-winning training video, "Immunization Techniques: Best Practices with Infants, Children, and Adults." The 25-minute program can be used to train new employees and to refresh the skills of experienced staff. The video demonstrates the skills and techniques needed to administer vaccines to patients of all ages. It includes instruction on the following:

• Selecting, preparing, and administering injectable, oral, and nasal vaccines
   
• Documenting immunizations
   
• Making patients comfortable and educating them
   
• Facilitating staff and patient communication

Prices start at $17 each for 1-9 copies and are greatly reduced for large orders, dropping to $4.25 each for 1,000-1,500 copies.

To learn more about the DVD, and find out how to order it, go to: http://www.immunize.org/shop/toolkit_iztechdvd.asp

For quotes on larger quantities, call (651) 647-9009 or email admininfo@immunize.org

The Immunization Action Coalition is the only nationwide vendor of this new DVD.

Note for healthcare settings located in California: Contact your local health department immunization program for a free copy.

IAC encourages IAC Express readers to watch a 1-minute video featuring Wes Studi describing how to stop influenza viruses from spreading among native peoples and tribal nations. Studi is an American Cherokee actor who is noted for his roles in the movies Dances with Wolves, The Last of the Mohicans, Geronimo: An American Legend, and The New World.

"Protect the Circle of Life" will be available on the home page of IAC's website through October 3. 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

Updated in May 2010, IAC's patient-education handout "Vaccinations for Adults--You're NEVER too old to get immunized!" is now available in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese.

To access the Spanish version of "Vaccinations for Adults--You're NEVER too old to get immunized," go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030-01.pdf

For Arabic: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030-20.pdf

For Chinese: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030-08.pdf

For French: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030-10.pdf

For Korean: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030-09.pdf

For Russian: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030-07.pdf

For Vietnamese: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030-05.pdf

For English: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030.pdf

Every Child By Two (ECBT) recently created two new tools to help parents better adhere to and comprehend the recommended childhood immunization schedule.

The first tool is a scheduling application which can be launched from parents' computers and smart phones. The program will generate the recommended immunization schedule for children up to age 6 years, based on a child's date of birth. Parents can also choose to receive reminders of when their child is due for vaccinations.

To find out more about this scheduling application, go to: http://www.vaccinateyourbaby.org/schedule

The second tool is a bookmark which can be downloaded and printed and given to parents to encourage them to protect their children from vaccine-preventable diseases. The bookmark includes the URL for the immunization scheduling application.

To access the bookmark, go to: http://www.vaccinateyourbaby.org/pdfs/ECBT_bookmark.pdf

Every Child By Two, the Rosalynn Carter/Betty Bumpers Organization for Early Childhood Immunization, works to ensure that all children receive timely immunizations and continues to seek methods to institutionalize vaccine delivery and ensure access to vaccines for all children. For more information, visit http://www.ecbt.org and http://www.vaccinateyourbaby.org

The 2010-11 VISs for trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV; injectable) and live attenuated intranasal influenza vaccine (LAIV; nasal spray) are now available in Haitian Creole, Hmong, and Portuguese. IAC gratefully acknowledges the Massachusetts Immunization Program for the Haitian Creole and Portuguese translations, and the Minnesota Department of Health for the Hmong translation.

To access the new translations of the VIS for injectable influenza vaccine, as well as the injectable influenza vaccine VIS in English and other translations, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_flu_inactive.asp

To access the new translation of the VIS for nasal-spray influenza vaccine, as well as the nasal-spray influenza vaccine VIS in English and other translations, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_flu_live.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 "CDC Features" web section now includes information for the public about influenza and World Rabies Day.

To access "Get Your Flu Vaccine: Stay Healthy This Flu Season!" go to: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/FLU

To access "September 28 is a Day to Learn How You Can Prevent and Control Rabies. Everyday." go to: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Rabies

To access an alphabetical index of all "CDC Features," go to: http://www.cdc.gov/features

PKIDs (Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases) has scheduled four new webinars in September and October. All are intended to help immunization educators learn the ropes of social marketing and traditional and social media.

(1) "Communications Made Easy--Traditional Media" is scheduled for September 30 at 9AM Pacific time/noon Eastern time.

For more information, or to pre-register, go to: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/ohvot83uhwsq

(2) "Communications Made Easy--The Language of Social Media" is scheduled for October 6 at 9AM Pacific time/noon Eastern time.

For more information, or to pre-register, go to: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/bkcm46xuej84

(3) "Communications Made Easy--Using Social Media to Provide Safe and reliable Online Resources for Parents" is scheduled for October 14 at 9AM Pacific time/noon Eastern time.

For more information, or to pre-register, go to: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/2xb0ax63ktv3

(4) "Communications Made Easy--Social Media--A Fresh Perspective" is scheduled for October 19 at 9AM Pacific time/noon Eastern time.

For more information, or to pre-register, go to: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/euyw1c0r9z4o

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