IAC Express 2011 |
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Issue number 965: December 5, 2011 |
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Contents
of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article. |
- CDC
publishes report on recent human-to-human
transmission of novel influenza A(H3N2) virus in Iowa
- It's National Influenza Vaccination Week: CDC's
collection of resources will help you get the word out
- IAC's Video of the week offers a selection of influenza
videos for National Influenza Vaccination Week
- Spotlight on immunize.org: influenza handouts for
patients and staff
- CDC publishes report on increased measles transmission
and outbreaks in Europe in 2011
- NCIRD publishes article that summarizes votes taken at
the October ACIP meeting
- October issue of CDC's Immunization Works newsletter now
available
- CDC
develops influenza materials for refugees
- CDC publishes report on the introduction of rotavirus
vaccine in Latin America and the Caribbean during 2006-2010
- Award-winning DVD! "Immunization Techniques: Best
Practices with Infants, Children, and Adults"--from the
California Department of Public Health, Immunization
Branch
- Bulk quantities of the 2011-12 Influenza Vaccine Pocket
Guides and PPSV Pocket Guides available--FREE!--from the
National Influenza Vaccine Summit
- IAC
posts Thai translation of the VIS for meningococcal
vaccines
- January 9 is the nomination deadline for the Association
of Immunization Managers' 2012 Natalie J. Smith, MD,
Award
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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 965: December 5, 2011 |
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1. |
CDC publishes report on recent
human-to-human
transmission of novel influenza A(H3N2) virus in Iowa
CDC published "Limited Human-to-Human
Transmission of Novel
Influenza A (H3N2) Virus--Iowa, November 2011" in the
December 2 issue of MMWR. The first paragraph and a box
titled "What is already known on this topic?" are reprinted
below.
Note: This report was published as an MMWR Dispatch dated
November 23 and posted on the MMWR website on November 29.
On November 20, 2011, CDC confirmed three cases of swine-origin triple reassortant influenza A (H3N2) (S-OtrH3N2)
virus infection in children in two counties in Iowa. None of
the children were hospitalized, and each has recovered from
a mild episode of febrile respiratory illness. All three
were in contact with one another, and none had a known
recent exposure to swine. No additional human infections
with this virus have been detected in Iowa, and no evidence
of sustained human-to-human transmission of this S-OtrH3N2
virus exists; surveillance is ongoing.
WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC?
Swine influenza viruses have been reported sporadically to
infect humans. In the United States, seven cases of swine-origin triple reassortant influenza A (H3N2) (S-OtrH3N2)
virus infection have been reported in 2011. Cases usually
occur after exposure to swine.
WHAT IS ADDED BY THIS REPORT?
This report summarizes an investigation of three confirmed
cases of human infection with S-OtrH3N2 virus in Iowa
associated with limited person-to-person transmission. Cases
occurred among children in contact with one another, and all
cases were mild and self-limited. No child had known
exposure to swine. The viruses identified are similar to
seven previous cases reported in 2011, but these are the
first cases reported from Iowa.
WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE?
State health departments are advised to report suspect novel
influenza viruses detected through influenza surveillance
promptly to CDC. Persons with influenza-like illnesses who
have had contact with swine are encouraged to be tested for
influenza.
To access the article, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6047a3.htm
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2. |
It's National Influenza Vaccination Week: CDC's
collection of resources will help you get the word out
National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) was
established
to highlight the importance of continuing influenza
vaccination throughout the holiday season and after. This
year, it's scheduled for December 4-10.
NIVW COMMUNICATION MATERIALS
CDC has produced a broad range of communication materials
that drive home the message that influenza is a serious
disease and vaccination is the best protection against it.
Materials include posters and brochures, fact sheets, a
media toolkit, web tools, audio and video public service
announcements, ready-to-print matte articles, and more.
To access these materials, go to the NIVW home page at
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/NIVW
ADD YOUR NIVW ACTIVITY TO CDC'S FORM
If you are planning an activity during NIVW or beyond to
encourage influenza vaccination, CDC would like to hear from
you. Provide details about your NIVW activities at
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/NIVW/form.htm
To see what others have planned for NIVW, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/NIVW/activities.htm
NIVW ANNOUNCEMENT IN MMWR
On December 2, MMWR published "Announcement: National
Influenza Vaccination Week--December 4-10, 2011." The first
paragraph is reprinted below.
National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is a national
observance established to highlight the importance of
continuing influenza vaccination and to foster greater use
of influenza vaccine through the holiday season into January
and beyond. The U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, CDC, and other partners are conducting related
activities during NIVW (December 4-10, 2011).
To access the article, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6047a5.htm
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3. |
IAC's Video of the week offers a selection of influenza
videos for National Influenza Vaccination Week
National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) was
established
to highlight the importance of continuing to vaccinate
people against influenza throughout the December holiday
season and afterward. CDC provides links to several
excellent videos and public service announcements (PSAs)
that highlight the importance of influenza vaccination. In
addition, you can also select videos developed by various
immunization organizations.
The selection of influenza videos will be available on the
home page of IAC's website through December 11. To access
the videos, go to: http://www.immunize.org and click on the
links in the box titled Video of the Week.
Remember to bookmark IAC's home page to view a new video
every Monday.
To access the archives of IAC's Videos of the Week, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/votw
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4. |
Spotlight on immunize.org: influenza handouts for
patients and staff
It's National Influenza Vaccination Week! So if
you're
looking for quick access to influenza vaccination-related
handouts for patients and staff, look no further. IAC's
Influenza Handouts web section features more than a dozen
pieces to help you carry out your vaccination activities
this week and during the entire flu season.
To access IAC's Influenza Handouts, visit
http://www.immunize.org/handouts/influenza-vaccines.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
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5. |
CDC publishes report on increased measles transmission
and outbreaks in Europe in 2011
CDC published "Increased Transmission and
Outbreaks of
Measles--European Region, 2011" in the December 2 issue of
MMWR. A press summary of the article is reprinted below.
The European Region (EUR) is experiencing increased
transmission and outbreaks of measles, primarily due to the
failure to vaccinate the susceptible populations. Following
3 years of historic low incidence of measles in the European
Region, the number of reported measles cases increased
sharply since 2009. During 2011, 26,074 measles cases with
outbreaks in 36 countries have been reported as of October
26, predominantly among older children and adults who were
unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. Failure to
vaccinate the susceptible populations is the primary reason
for the increased transmission of measles virus in EUR,
which poses a serious challenge to achieving the regional
measles elimination goal by 2015. Eliminating measles in
EUR by 2015 will require achieving =>95 percent coverage
with 2 doses of measles-containing vaccine across a wide age
range including adults, implementing effective outbreak
control measures, and further strengthening surveillance.
To access the article, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6047a1.htm
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6. |
NCIRD publishes article that summarizes votes taken at
the October ACIP meeting
The October issue of CDC's Immunization Works
electronic
newsletter contains an article that summarizes the votes
taken at ACIP's October meeting. It is reprinted below.
ACIP Meeting: At the October 25-26, 2011, Advisory Committee
on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting in Atlanta, the
ACIP voted for some new recommendations for currently used
vaccines. These recommendations become official when
published in the MMWR.
The ACIP voted to recommend one of the human papillomavirus
vaccines, HPV4, for use in males 11 through 21 years of age.
Additionally providers may use this vaccine for 9 through 10
year olds males and 22 through 26 year old males. Either
HPV4 or HPV2 vaccine is recommended for females 11 through
26 years of age and providers may use either vaccine for
females 9 through 10 years. The ACIP also recommends
Hepatitis B vaccine for adults younger than 60 years with
diabetes. Providers may give Hepatitis B to diabetic adults
60 years old or older. ACIP also voted to approve the
recommended childhood and adult schedules for the 2012
calendar year. These schedules will be published in
February.
Lastly ACIP discussed potential new recommendations for
meningococcal conjugate vaccines for infants, pneumococcal
conjugate vaccine for immunocompromised adults, influenza
disease activity in the United States, the effectiveness of
influenza vaccine, measles disease activity in the Americas,
and the potential need for revaccination of immunocompetent
HIV-infected children who received measles-mumps-rubella
vaccine previously while they were immunocompromised. Please
visit ACIP meetings
(http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/acip/meetings.htm) for
additional information.
To access the October issue of Immunization Works, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/news/newsltrs/imwrks/2011/201110.htm
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7. |
October issue of CDC's Immunization Works newsletter now available
CDC recently released the October issue of its
monthly
newsletter Immunization Works and posted it on the website
of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory
Diseases (NCIRD). The newsletter offers the immunization
community information about current topics. The information
is in the public domain and can be reproduced and circulated
widely. The issue includes this announcement:
Immunization Works Newsletter Distribution List: Beginning
in January, 2012, the Immunization Works newsletter will no
longer be sent directly to your e-mail account. The
newsletter will continue to be posted on the NCIRD
Immunization Works newsletter web page
(http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/news/newsltrs/imwrks). To
ensure you continue to receive the newsletter, you should
visit the web page and click on the mailbox icon titled "get
e-mail updates." By doing so, you will be notified
immediately about the posting of future Immunization Works
newsletters. We encourage you to share this link with your
members so that they, too, can receive the most recent
newsletter and information on immunizations. Stay tuned also
for our new Twitter account to be announced in January.
Many articles in the October Immunization Works newsletter
have been covered in this or previous issues of IAC Express.
Following are titles of some of the notable articles that
appear in the October issue.
- Updated Hepatitis A VIS and Meningococcal VIS
- Updated Recommendations for Use of Tdap in Pregnant Women
and Persons Who Have or Anticipate Having Close Contact
with an Infant Younger than 12 Months
- ACIP Recommendations for Use of Quadrivalent
Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine among Children Aged 9-23
Months at Increased Risk for Invasive Meningococcal
Disease
To access the October issue, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/news/newsltrs/imwrks/2011/201110.htm
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8. |
CDC
develops influenza materials for refugees
CDC has developed four influenza
handouts intended to
improve refugees' knowledge of influenza. Written in the
native languages of refugee populations commonly resettled
in the United States, the documents are tailored for low
literacy populations. Each handout uses minimal text and
visual cues to portray influenza information. Following are
the titles of the four handouts.
-
Influenza (Flu) and You
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Cleaning to Prevent Flu
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Talking to Children about Flu
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If Your Child Gets Sick with Flu
Each of the four handouts is available in English and the
following ten languages: (1) Amharic (spoken in Ethiopia);
(2) Arabic; (3) Burmese; (4) Dzongkha (spoken in Bhutan);
(5) Farsi (spoken in Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Iran);
(6) Karen (spoken in Burma, Thailand); (7) Kirundi (spoken
in Burundi, Tanzania, Congo-Kinshasa, Uganda); (8) Nepali;
(9) Oromo (spoken in Ethiopia); (10) Somali.
To access CDC's Immigrant and Refugee Resources web page, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/resources
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9. |
CDC publishes report on the introduction of rotavirus
vaccine in Latin America and the Caribbean during 2006-2010
CDC published "Progress in the Introduction of
Rotavirus
Vaccine--Latin America and the Caribbean, 2006-2010" in the
December 2 issue of MMWR. Reprinted below is a press summary
of the article.
In 2010, some 7 million infants or [an estimated] 66 percent
of the infants born in Latin America and the Caribbean were
immunized against rotavirus infection, leading to
substantial declines in the burden of hospitalizations and
deaths from diarrhea in this region. Two effective rotavirus
vaccines are now available for protecting children against
rotavirus infection, the leading cause of childhood
diarrhea, and the World Health Organization recommends these
vaccines for all infants worldwide. By 2011, 14 of the 32
countries in Latin America and the Caribbean had made the
vaccine available for all infants through their national
immunization program. Studies from countries in this region
have shown declines in the burden of hospitalizations and
deaths related to severe diarrhea after rotavirus vaccine
introduction. The successful uptake of rotavirus vaccines
in these low-income and middle-income countries demonstrates
that new vaccines can successfully reach the target
populations in a timely manner after introduction.
To access the article, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6047a2.htm
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10. |
Award-winning DVD! "Immunization Techniques: Best
Practices with Infants, Children, and Adults"--from the
California Department of Public Health, Immunization
Branch
In 2010, the California Department of Public
Health (CDPH),
Immunization Branch, 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.
Prices start at $17 each for 1-9 copies and are greatly
reduced for large orders, dropping to $3 each for 1,000-1,499 copies.
To learn more about the DVD, and find out how to order it,
go to: http://www.immunize.org/dvd
For quotes on larger quantities, call (651) 647-9009 or
email admininfo@immunize.org
The Immunization Action Coalition is the only nationwide
vendor of the DVD.
Note for healthcare settings located in California: Contact
your local health department immunization program for a free
copy.
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11. |
Bulk quantities of the 2011-12 Influenza Vaccine Pocket
Guides and PPSV Pocket Guides available--FREE!--from the
National Influenza Vaccine Summit
To aid in efforts to vaccinate against influenza
and
pneumococcal disease, readers are invited to place orders
now for bulk quantities of the National Influenza Vaccine
Summit's 2011-12 Influenza Vaccine Pocket Information Guide
and Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccination (PPSV) Pocket
Guide. Both are free--you can order them in the hundreds or
thousands!
These laminated, 3.75 x 6.75-inch, 2-color cards serve as a
convenient reference for front-line healthcare professionals
who vaccinate patients. Place a bulk order now, and your
organization will be ready to educate healthcare
professionals at upcoming immunization training sessions and
conferences. Each staff person who administers influenza or
PPSV vaccine needs these handy resources.
See an image of the influenza vaccine pocket guide at
http://www.immunize.org/pocketguides/pocketguide_flu.pdf
See an image of the PPSV pocket guide at
http://www.immunize.org/pocketguides/pocketguide_ppsv.pdf
The 2011-12 influenza pocket guide and PPSV pocket guide are
designed to be used by healthcare professionals only; THEY
ARE NOT PATIENT HANDOUTS.
HOW TO ORDER
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
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12. |
IAC posts Thai translation of the VIS for meningococcal
vaccines
IAC recently posted a Thai translation of the VIS
for
meningococcal vaccines on its website. IAC thanks Asian
Pacific Health Care Venture for the translation.
To access the Thai translation of the VIS for meningococcal
vaccines, as well as the English version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_meningococcal.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
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13. |
January 9 is the nomination deadline for the Association
of Immunization Managers' 2012 Natalie J. Smith, MD,
Award
The Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) is
soliciting
nominations for the 2012 Natalie J. Smith, MD, Award for
excellence in program management. Nominations are due on
January 9, 2012. The award is given annually to an
outstanding program manager of one of the 64 federal
immunization grantee immunization programs. The recipient of
the 2012 award will be named on February 1, 2012, at the
CDC/AIM Program Managers meeting in Atlanta.
For background information, selection criteria, and access
to the nomination form, go to:
http://www.immunizationmanagers.org/membership/natalie_smith_award.phtml
and click on the hyperlinked text titled "2012 Natalie J. Smith,
M.D. Award Nomination Form."
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