Issue 1030: December 11, 2012

TOP STORIES

IAC HANDOUTS

FEATURED RESOURCES
JOURNAL ARTICLES

CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS



TOP STORIES

CDC publishes provisional ACIP recommendations for use of Tdap in pregnant women
On December 6, CDC posted ACIP Provisional Updated Recommendations on Use of Tetanus Toxoid, Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine (Tdap) for Pregnant Women on its website. The content is reprinted below.

On October 24, 2012, the ACIP voted to recommend tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) for pregnant women with every pregnancy irrespective of previous Tdap history.

Updated Recommendation
ACIP recommends that providers of prenatal care implement a Tdap immunization program for all pregnant women. Health-care personnel should administer a dose of Tdap during each pregnancy irrespective of the patient’s prior history of receiving Tdap.


Guidance on Use
To maximize the maternal antibody response and passive antibody transfer to the infant, optimal timing for Tdap administration is between 27 and 36 weeks gestation. For women not previously vaccinated with Tdap, if Tdap is not administered during pregnancy, Tdap should be administered immediately postpartum.

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CDC publishes provisional ACIP recommendations for prevention of measles, rubella, congenital rubella syndrome, and mumps
On December 6, CDC posted ACIP Provisional Recommendations Prevention of Measles, Rubella, Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS), and Mumps on its website. These recommendations update the previous ACIP statement: Measles, Mumps, and Rubella—Vaccine Use and Strategies for Elimination of Measles, Rubella, and Congenital Rubella Syndrome and Control of Mumps: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (1998).

The provisional recommendations include new information on
  1. Adequate presumptive evidence of immunity to measles, rubella, and mumps for routine vaccination, for students at post-high school educational institutions, and for international travelers
  2. Recommendations for vaccination of persons with HIV infection
  3. Recommendations for use of immune globulin (IG) for measles post-exposure prophylaxis
Read the complete provisional recommendations.

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IAC Spotlight! Collection of practical and clinically relevant journal articles
Looking for help searching through the current medical literature to find practical articles about vaccines and immunization? Look no further. IAC’s Journal Articles web section provides a chronological catalog of vaccine-related, peer-reviewed articles organized by vaccine and topic area.

This section offers users live links to the abstracts or full text of thousands of practical and clinically relevant journal articles on vaccine-related topics.

Some of the journal article sections and topics include
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IAC HANDOUTS

IAC updates its "After the Shots" handout to include important information from the FDA about acetaminophen products for infants and children
IAC recently expanded its 2-page version (with dosing tables) of After the Shots . . . What to do if your child has discomfort to include a 2-page FDA Consumer Health Information article titled "Know Concentration before Giving Acetaminophen to Infants [and Children]." This article for parents includes important information about both acetaminophen dosing and a recent recommendation by the FDA to discontinue distribution of the concentrated infant acetaminophen drops, which have been in use for many years. This concentrated acetaminophen product remains available in some generic formulations as well as in home medicine cabinets. The article explains that the highly concentrated product has been a cause of acetaminophen overdosing in infants and children; a common occurrence is when an improperly measured dose of the concentrated formulation is administered (e.g., when a kitchen spoon is used for measuring instead of the enclosed dropper).

IAC's Handouts for Patients & Staff web section offers healthcare professionals and the public more than 250 FREE English-language handouts (many also available in translation), which we encourage website users to print out, copy, and distribute widely.

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FEATURED RESOURCES

Vaccine Education Center's new video about meningococcal disease is targeted to college students
The Vaccine Education Center (VEC) of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is offering a new two-minute video aimed at educating college students about the importance of meningococcal vaccination. Written, directed, and produced by VEC intern and Swarthmore College student Cary Chester, the video offers the perspective of a college student aiming to educate his peers. Feel free to share it with patients for whom meningococcal vaccine is recommended.

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CDC develops handout to help adults determine what vaccines they may need
CDC recently posted a new handout titled Do You Know Which Adult Vaccines You Might Need? It lists vaccines an adult may need, based on age, travel, occupation, medical history, and vaccines previously received.

Go to CDC's Resources for Educating Adult Patients about Vaccines web page to download this handout or other resources, including brochures, flyers, and posters, as well as an e-card, podcast, and video.

Adult patients can gain valuable information and download relevant resources from CDC's Adults Need Immunizations, Too web page.

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Influenza vaccination is recommended for nearly everyone, so please vaccinate your patients
Influenza vaccination is recommended for everyone age 6 months and older, so please continue to vaccinate your patients.

If you don't provide influenza vaccination in your clinic, please recommend vaccination to your patients and refer them to the HealthMap Vaccine Finder to locate sites near their workplace or home that offer influenza vaccination services.

Following is a list of resources related to influenza disease and vaccination for healthcare professionals and the public.

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JOURNAL ARTICLES

CDC reports on 2011 mumps outbreak on a California university campus
CDC published Mumps Outbreak on a University Campus—California, 2011 in the December 7 issue of MMWR (pages 986–989). A summary made available to the press is reprinted below.

A mumps outbreak occurred on a university campus without a prematriculation MMR vaccination requirement. The presumed source case-patient was an unvaccinated student with recent travel to Western Europe. Although mumps was suspected, public health authorities were not initially notified because of student privacy issues and laws. As a result, outbreak management was hindered because of delayed access to students’ medical records.

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CDC publishes update on global influenza activity
CDC published Update: Influenza Activity—United States, September 30–November 24, 2012 in the December 7 issue of MMWR (pages 990–993). A summary made available to the press is reprinted below.

Most of the influenza viruses characterized thus far this season are well matched to the 2012–13 vaccine viruses and sensitive to the antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir. Vaccination remains the most effective method to prevent influenza and its complications. December 2–8, 2012, is National Influenza Vaccination Week. This observance serves as a reminder that health-care providers should continue to offer vaccine to all unvaccinated persons aged greater than or equal to 6 months throughout the influenza season.

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CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS

Save the date: 2013 National Immunization Conference to be held June 3–6 in Atlanta
The 2013 National Immunization Conference (NIC) is scheduled for June 3–6, 2013, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia.

Information regarding lodging, registration, and abstract submission guidelines will be posted on the NIC web section as it becomes available.

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About IZ Express

IZ Express is supported in part by Grant No. 1NH23IP922654 from CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Its contents are solely the responsibility of Immunize.org and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC.

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Editorial Information

  • Editor-in-Chief
    Kelly L. Moore, MD, MPH
  • Managing Editor
    John D. Grabenstein, RPh, PhD
  • Associate Editor
    Sharon G. Humiston, MD, MPH
  • Writer/Publication Coordinator
    Taryn Chapman, MS
    Courtnay Londo, MA
  • Style and Copy Editor
    Marian Deegan, JD
  • Web Edition Managers
    Arkady Shakhnovich
    Jermaine Royes
  • Contributing Writer
    Laurel H. Wood, MPA
  • Technical Reviewer
    Kayla Ohlde

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