Issue 1082: October 8, 2013

TOP STORIES

IAC HANDOUTS

VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENTS

IAC WEB SECTIONS

FEATURED RESOURCES

JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS

EDUCATION AND TRAINING



TOP STORIES

IAC enrolls six more birthing institutions into its Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll

The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) is delighted to announce the six new institutions accepted into its Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll. The institutions are listed below with their reported hepatitis B birth dose coverage rates in parentheses.
  • Colquitt Regional Medical Center, Moultrie, GA (98%)
  • Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, CO (91%)
  • Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center, Danville, KY (99%)
  • Georgetown Community Hospital, Georgetown, KY (98%)
  • Gundersen Health System, La Crosse, WI (94%)
  • Hedrick Medical Center, Chillicothe, MO (91%)
The Honor Roll now includes 20 birthing institutions from 13 states!

The Honor Roll is a key part of IAC’s major initiative urging the nation’s hospitals to Give birth to the end of Hep B. Hospitals and birthing centers are recognized for attaining high coverage rates for administering hepatitis B vaccine at birth and meeting specific additional criteria. The initiative urges qualifying healthcare organizations to apply for the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll online.

To be included in the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll, a birthing institution must have: (1) reported a coverage rate of 90% or greater, over a 12-month period, for administering hepatitis B vaccine before hospital discharge to all newborns, including those whose parents refuse vaccination, and (2) implemented specific written policies, procedures, and protocols to protect all newborns from hepatitis B virus infection prior to hospital discharge.

Honorees are also awarded an 8.5" x 11" color certificate suitable for framing and their acceptance is announced to IAC Express’s approximately 50,000 readers.

Please visit the new Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll web page that lists these institutions and their exceptional efforts to protect infants from perinatal hepatitis B transmission.

Related Links
Back to top


Voices for Vaccines to host October 15 conference call featuring widely published writer JJ Keith

Voices for Vaccines (VFV) will be hosting an October 15 conference call featuring JJ Keith, a parent and writer whose work has appeared on the Huffington Post, Salon, Babble, theRumpus.net, xoJane, The Nervous Breakdown, and more. Ms. Keith published an article in the Huffington Post titled I'm Coming Out…as Pro-Vaccine that she thought would generate some interest. After almost half a million people shared her piece, she realized how important the topic was!

Join VFV on October 15 at 12 noon ET to hear Ms. Keith speak about what led her to come out as pro-vaccine, the response she's received, and what everyone can do to vocally advocate for immunization. To register for the call, you must email VFV for call-in information.

Voices for Vaccines is a national organization of parents and others who are dedicated to raising the level of the voices of immunization supporters. VFV has strong, direct support from scientists, healthcare professionals, and public health officials in its mission to provide parents, caregivers, and others opportunities to advocate for on-time immunization.

Voices for Vaccines invites everyone who appreciates vaccines to join them. Please spread the word to your friends and colleagues!
Back to top


IAC Spotlight! Reminder to use IAC’s new series of educational materials for patients and parents

IAC wants to remind you that during the past year we have expanded our selection of patient-friendly schedules, as well as created a new series of easy-to-read handouts for patients and parents. Many of these handouts are available in other languages. Please review them to see if they might be of help to you in your work setting.

Patient-friendly Schedules
IAC's series of patient-friendly vaccination schedules has been expanded to include all age groups and to include a new suite of schedules that focuses on adults in risk groups for vaccination.

IAC's Patient Schedules web page: access all handouts in this series, as well as available translations.

Easy-to-read Vaccine Summaries for Parents
Use these one-page handouts to teach parents about the dangers of vaccine-preventable diseases and the value of vaccination. Access the entire series of Vaccine Summaries.

Easy-to-read Vaccine Summaries for Teens and Adults
IAC's series of one-page, easy-to-read handouts that emphasize the dangers of the vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of vaccination. Access the entire series of Vaccine Summaries for teens and adults.

Related Links
Back to top


IAC HANDOUTS

IAC updates "Decision to Not Vaccinate My Child" 

IAC recently updated Decision to Not Vaccinate My Child, a resource that helps healthcare professionals educate parents about the risks of not vaccinating and requires a signature when the parent declines recommended vaccines. The piece was updated with a new reference from the American Academy of Pediatrics on page 2.

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.

Back to top


IAC revises "Pneumococcal Vaccination Recommendations for Children and Adults by Age and/or Risk Factor"

IAC's revised its healthcare professional education sheet titled Pneumococcal Vaccination Recommendations for Children and Adults by Age and/or Risk Factor based on input from its CDC technical experts. The following sentence in parentheses was added to the top of the far-right column: "(Wait 5 years from any prior dose given at age <65 years.)"

Back to top


IAC updates "Vaccinations for Preteens and Teens, Age 11–19 Years" 

IAC recently updated Vaccinations for Preteens and Teens, Age 11–19 to include information about a dose of Tdap being recommended during pregnancy.

Access all IAC's Patient Schedules.

Back to top


IAC reviews three influenza handouts for the public, including "Influenza: Questions and Answers"

IAC recently updated the following three influenza handouts for the public.
  1. Influenza: Questions and Answers was updated to match ACIP's recommendations for the 2013-14 influenza season.
  2. Don’t take chances with your family’s health – make sure you all get vaccinated against influenza every year! needed no revisions, so just the date at the bottom of the page was updated.
  3. Seek emergency medical care if you or a family member shows the signs below—a life could be at risk! needed no revisions, so just the date at the bottom of the page was updated.
Related Links Back to top


IAC updates two patient handouts related to hepatitis B infection, one for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and one about chronic HBV infection

IAC recently reviewed the following two handouts related to chronic hepatitis B infection.
  1. Hepatitis B Information for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders received minor edits.
  2. If you have chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection... received minor edits.
Access all IAC's hepatitis B handouts for healthcare professionals and members of the public.

Back to top


VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENTS

IAC posts 15 translations of the revised rotavirus VIS

IAC recently posted 15 translations of the revised English-language Rotavirus Vaccine VIS (dated 8/26/13). New translations of this VIS include Burmese, Cambodian, Simplified Chinese, Farsi, French, Hmong, Korean, Somali, and Tagalog; revised translations include Arabic, Armenian, Traditional Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

IAC thanks the Immunization Branch of the California Department of Health for the Armenian, Cambodian, Farsi, Hmong, Korean, and Tagalog translations. The remaining translations were funded through IAC's cooperative agreement with CDC.
Back to top


Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese VISs for 19 routinely recommended vaccines are now available on IAC's website

Until recently, only Traditional Chinese Vaccine Information Statements (VIS) have been available on IAC's Chinese-language VISs web section. Now IAC also provides Simplified Chinese VISs. Just click on the "Traditional" or "Simplified" link to open the appropriate VIS on the Chinese-language website.

Within the Chinese language, there are many spoken dialects (two examples are Cantonese and Mandarin) but the Chinese written language is represented by only Simplified Chinese or Traditional Chinese script or characters. Simplified Chinese is used in mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore, whereas Traditional Chinese is used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Providing translations of VISs is possible because of IAC's five-year cooperative agreement with CDC to support our role as the official clearinghouse of VIS translations. Through our cooperative agreement, IAC provides VIS translations in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French (European), Russian, Somali, Spanish (Mexican), and Vietnamese. IAC staff coordinates nationally with numerous donors and volunteers who generously provide translations of VISs in 34 additional languages. At the bottom of each VIS translation, the VIS's topic and language is identified in English.

Back to top


IAC WEB SECTIONS

CDC provides updates to IAC's online Ask the Experts web section on meningococcal disease and vaccination

Based on content review by vaccine experts at CDC, IAC recently updated its Meninogoccocal disease section of Ask the Experts.

To access Ask the Experts sections for other diseases and topics, see the Ask the Experts index page.

Back to top


FEATURED RESOURCES

American Academy of Microbiology offers report and teaching materials on influenza

Last year, the American Academy of Microbiology convened twelve experts on influenza to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about influenza. The resultant report, Influenza FAQ, published in April 2013, provides non-technical, science-based answers to questions that members of the public might have about the virus.

The report's web section offers related teaching materials, including a YouTube video, posters, and a flyer titled 8 Bad Excuses for Not Getting the Flu Shot (available in English and Spanish).

Begun in 1955, the American Academy of Microbiology is the honorific leadership group within the American Society for Microbiology, the world's oldest and largest life science organization. The mission of the academy is to recognize scientists for outstanding contributions to microbiology and provide microbiological expertise in the service of science and the public.

Back to top


Influenza is serious; be sure to vaccinate everyone age 6 months and older!

Vaccination remains the single most effective means of preventing influenza, and is recommended for everyone age 6 months and older. If you don't provide influenza vaccination in your clinic, please recommend vaccination to your patients and refer them elsewhere or to the HealthMap Vaccine Finder to locate sites near their workplaces or homes that offer influenza vaccination services.

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


Limited-time offer—50% off 2013 laminated immunization schedules (use coupon code IAC50)

This special offer won’t last long! Use Coupon Code IAC50 when purchasing full sized (6 pages, folded to 8.5x11”) laminated versions of either or both 2013 U.S. immunization schedules—child/teen and adult!

2013 Laminated schedules are printed in color for easy reading, come complete with essential tables and footnotes, and include contraindications and precautions—a feature that will help you make an on-the-spot determination about the safety of vaccinating patients of any age.

PRICING—Enter the Coupon Code IAC50 to get the sale price in the shopping cart.

1–4: $7.50 each—SALE $3.75 each
5–19: $5.50 each—SALE $2.75 each
20–99: $4.50 each—SALE $2.25 each
100–499: $4.00 each—SALE $2.00 each
500–999: $3.50 each—SALE $1.75 each


IAC's Laminated Child and Teen Immunization SchedulesIAC's Laminated Adult Immunization Schedules
You can access specific information on both schedules, view images of both, order online, or download an order form at the Shop IAC: Laminated Schedules web page.

Back to top


JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS

CDC reports on sentinel hospital surveillance for meningitis in The Gambia and Senegal

CDC published Estimating Meningitis Hospitalization Rates for Sentinel Hospitals Conducting Invasive Bacterial Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Surveillance in the October 4 issue of MMWR (pages 810-812). This report describes the use of sentinel hospital surveillance in The Gambia and Senegal.

Back to top


EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Families Fighting Flu to sponsor virtual summit on October 16

Families Fighting Flu (FFF) is sponsoring an interactive virtual summit on October 16 from 12:00–1:00 pm ET. This event is targeted toward the public and members of the media, and will include the latest news about this influenza season and last year’s vaccination rates presented by Andrew Eisenberg, MD. Shelle and Madison Allen, a mother and daughter, will share their personal story about just how serious influenza can be for children.

The summit will also launch Stay in the Game, a new FFF campaign that promotes ways to keep individuals, families, and communities flu free. At the end of the event there will be a round table discussion with the speakers.

Pre-registration is required.

A nonprofit, volunteer-based advocacy organization, FFF is dedicated to protecting the lives of children.

Back to top



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.IZ Express DisclaimerISSN 2771-8085

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

This page was updated on .