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| As appeared in the December 2008 issue of Vaccinate Adults |
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| Click here for PDF version |
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If the vaccine expiration date is written as month/year, how do we know the exact date of expiration? |
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Vaccine may be used through the last day of the month indicated on the expiration date. After that, do not use it. Monitor your vaccine supply carefully so that vaccines do not expire. |
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Is it okay to store blood products in the same unit as vaccines? |
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CDC’s vaccine storage and handling toolkit states “If possible, other medications and other biologic products should not be stored inside the vaccine storage unit. If there is no other choice, these products must be stored below the vaccines on a different shelf. This prevents contamination of the vaccines should the other products spill.” |
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Does CDC still have a vaccine handling and storage toolkit? |
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Yes. You can access it from CDC’s website at www2a.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/shtoolkit. The toolkit contains 2 videos on CD-ROM (How to Protect Your Vaccine Supply and Top 10 Storage and Handling Errors); and resources including forms, checklists, posters, and contact information. Single copies of the CD-ROM can be ordered from CDC at https://www2a.cdc.gov/nchstp_od/PIWeb/niporderform.asp, or by calling (800) CDC-INFO. |
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Do Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines require the use of gloves when administering vaccines? |
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OSHA regulations do not require gloves during vaccine administration, unless the administering person is likely to come into contact with potentially infectious body fluids or has an open lesion on their hand. |
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Where can I find Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) translations in Spanish and other languages? We have many patients from outside the U.S. in our practice. |
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You’re in luck. The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) has dozens of translations of most VISs at www.immunize.org/vis. |
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Is it necessary to routinely obtain a pregnancy test before administering any vaccines to young women? |
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No. Pregnancy tests are not routinely recommended. However, females of childbearing age should be asked about the possibility of their being pregnant prior to being given any vaccine for which pregnancy is a contraindication or precaution. The patient’s answer should be documented in the medical record. If the patient is uncertain if she is pregnant, a test should be performed before administering live virus vaccines (e.g., measles-mumps-rubella [MMR], varicella [Var], LAIV [live attenuated influenza vaccine, i.e., FluMist®]). |
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When a patient seen in the ER needs tetanus protection, which vaccine should be given, Td or Tdap? |
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Adolescents and adults ages 11–64 years who require a tetanus toxoid-containing vaccine as part of wound management should receive a single dose of Tdap instead of Td, if they have not previously received Tdap. If Tdap is not available, or was previously administered, these persons should receive Td. |
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Can parents of a newborn be given a dose of Tdap after birth to protect themselves and, indirectly, their baby from pertussis, even though they had a dose of Td vaccine less than two years ago? |
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Yes. Parents should receive a single dose of Tdap as soon as possible to protect their new baby from pertussis. If a dose of Td was given within the previous 2 years, parents should still be vaccinated with Tdap as soon as possible regardless of the time interval since the last dose of Td. Other household contacts who are not up to date with their pertussis-containing vaccinations should also be appropriately vaccinated. |
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How soon after a dose of Td can a healthcare worker receive a dose of Tdap, in order to protect vulnerable patients? |
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If they have not previously received Tdap, healthcare personnel in hospitals and ambulatory care settings who have direct patient contact should receive a single dose of Tdap as soon as feasible and without regard to the dosing interval since the last Td. There is no “minimum interval” one needs to wait between receiving Td and Tdap when it is given to protect vulnerable patients. |
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For which age groups of children is influenza vaccination now recommended? |
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Starting in fall 2008, all children ages 6 months through 18 years are recommended to receive annual vaccination against influenza. CDC issued this expanded recommendation with the intent to begin in the 2008–09 influenza vaccination season and be fully in place by the 2009–10 season. |
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Which adults should receive influenza vaccine this year? |
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Influenza vaccination is recommended for the following adults: those age 50 years and older; women who will be pregnant during the influenza season; those with the following medical conditions: a chronic disorder of the pulmonary or cardiovascular system, a chronic disease of the blood, liver, or kidneys, immunosuppression, or diabetes; residents of nursing homes or other chronic-care facilities; all healthcare personnel; and household contacts and caregivers of children ages 0–59 months and of other persons at increased risk of complications of influenza. Influenza vaccine is also recommended for any persons who want to reduce the risk of becoming ill with influenza or of transmitting it to others. |
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What percentage of the U.S. population is recommended to receive influenza vaccination? |
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With the new recommendation to vaccinate all children ages 6 months through 18 years, 85% of the U.S. population should be vaccinated every year. |
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Is it true that I can vaccinate pregnant women with influenza vaccine during their first trimester? |
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Yes. All women who are pregnant or will be pregnant during the influenza season should be vaccinated, including those who are in their first trimester. Only inactivated (injectable) vaccine should be given to pregnant women. |
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During which month is it no longer worthwhile to give influenza vaccine to my patients? |
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If you have influenza vaccine in your refrigerator and unvaccinated patients in your office, you should vaccinate them. Vaccinating in June is likely unnecessary. |
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What is the Joint Commission’s recommendation on vaccinating healthcare workers against influenza? |
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In January 2007, a new infection control standard of the Joint Commission became effective that requires accredited organizations to offer annual influenza vaccination to staff, volunteers, and licensed independent practitioners who have close patient contact. |
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Can a woman complete the HPV series after age 26 years? |
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The series should be completed, even if this means that the series is completed after a woman turns 27. |
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I have heard that there will be a change in the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine recommendations for adults with asthma and for smokers. Is this true? |
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Yes. The 1997 CDC recommendations for the use of pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV) exclude asthma in the chronic pulmonary disease category because no data on increased risk of pneumococcal disease among persons with asthma were available when the recommendation was issued. At its June 2008 meeting, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) reviewed new information that suggests that asthma is an independent risk factor for pneumococcal disease among adults. At its October 2008 meeting, ACIP reviewed new information that demonstrates an increased risk of pneumococcal disease among smokers. Consequently, ACIP voted to include both asthma and cigarette smoking as risk factors for pneumococcal disease among adults age 19 through 64 years and as indications for PPSV. The new recommendations will be included in the 2009 Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule, due to be published in January 2009. |
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We have an adult patient who received the correct pediatric series of HepA vaccine as a teenager and is now traveling abroad. Does the patient need an adult booster? |
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No. There is no recommendation for a booster dose of hepatitis A vaccine if a patient has completed the 2-dose series at any age. |
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When administering zoster vaccine, is it necessary to ask patients if they have ever had chickenpox or shingles? |
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No. All persons age 60 years or older—whether they have a history of chickenpox or shingles or not—should be given zoster vaccine unless they have a medical contraindication. Medical contraindications are described in detail in the recently released CDC recommendations “Prevention of Herpes Zoster.” To obtain a copy, go to www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/rr/rr5705.pdf. |
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Can you catch shingles from a person with active shingles infection? |
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Shingles cannot be passed from one person to another through sneezing, coughing, or casual contact. If a person who has never had chickenpox or been vaccinated against chickenpox comes in direct contact with a shingles rash, the virus could be transmitted to the susceptible person. The exposed person would develop chickenpox, not shingles. |
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| Click here for PDF version |
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