Issue 1363: May 9, 2018


TOP STORIES


IAC HANDOUTS


WORLD NEWS


FEATURED RESOURCES


JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS


EDUCATION AND TRAINING


CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS

 


TOP STORIES


Newly updated: Popular slide deck for healthcare professionals on meningococcal serogroups A, C, W, and Y disease prevention and how to increase second dose coverage

In 2015, IAC launched MCV4: You’re Not Done If You Give Just One; Give 2 Doses to Strengthen Protection, in collaboration with Sanofi Pasteur. This project was developed in response to the low immunization rate (29%) found for the second (booster) dose of meningococcal ACWY (MCV4) vaccine recommended for 16-year-olds.

As part of this project, a downloadable slide deck (with accompanying speaker notes) was added to the website in 2016. This valuable resource was made available for use by healthcare professionals (HCPs) to assist them in educating HCPs about the seriousness of meningococcal disease and the risk it poses to adolescents, raise awareness of the low immunization rates for the second (booster) dose of MCV4, and offer tools and resources to help HCPs increase their immunization rates and close the meningococcal booster dose gap.

This popular slide deck was just updated to include more recent data, including annual statistics and vaccination percentages.

This “ready-to-use” slide deck, which may be used free of charge, is available in two convenient formats.

  • PDF version of the slides (without speaker notes)
  • PowerPoint version, which can be downloaded and used for presentations to HCPs. The slide deck may be viewed with the embedded speaker notes. (Be sure to read the “Important Notes” on the download page for assistance in how to view the speaker notes.)

To access the slide deck in either format, go to www.give2MenACWY.org/essential-tools/slide-deck. Be sure to take advantage of this great training tool and the wealth of other educational resources available on the website.



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Subscribe to the Vaccine Update for Healthcare Professionals e-newsletter from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to receive up-to-date immunization information and resources

Each month, the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (VEC) publishes an e-newsletter for healthcare providers who work with or are interested in vaccines. Titled Vaccine Update for Healthcare Professionals, each newsletter includes:

The newsletter also provides announcements about VEC initiatives and activities, including new or updated materials, upcoming webinars and more, as well as providing a calendar of conferences, live and on-demand webinars, and national and international health observances. Some months, the newsletter also features information about books that may be of interest.

See what is in the current issue.

Sign up today for this free monthly email.

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Now available! IAC's sturdy laminated versions of the 2018 U.S. child/teen immunization schedule and the 2018 U.S. adult immunization schedule—order a supply for your healthcare setting today!

IAC's laminated versions of the 2018 U.S. child/teen immunization schedule and the 2018 U.S. adult immunization schedule are covered with a tough, washable coating; they will stand up to a year's worth of use in every area of your healthcare setting where immunizations are given. Both schedules are eight pages (i.e., four double-sided pages) and are folded to measure 8.5" x 11".

Adult Laminated Immunization Schedules

Adult Laminated Immunization Schedules

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
1–4 copies: $7.50 each
5–19 copies: $5.50 each
20–99 copies: $4.50 each
100–499 copies: $4.00 each
500–999 copies: $3.50 each

For quotes on customizing or placing orders for 1,000 copies or more, call (651) 647-9009 or email admininfo@immunize.org.

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.

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IAC Spotlight! "Unprotected People Reports" provide compelling real-life accounts of people who have suffered or died from vaccine-preventable diseases

IAC's Unprotected People Reports web section features 109 real-life accounts of people who have suffered or died from vaccine-preventable diseases: compelling personal testimonies, remembrances, case reports, and newspaper articles. The reports can be sorted by topic or number, and are available in HTML and PDF formats. Feel free to reprint (with appropriate credit) or otherwise share these articles to highlight the seriousness of vaccine-preventable diseases and the life-saving potential of vaccines.

Additional stories are available on IAC's website for the general public at vaccineinformation.org/personal-testimonies.

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CDC publishes information about increase in illnesses from mosquito, tick, and flea bites

On May 4, CDC published Vital Signs: Trends in Reported Vectorborne Disease Cases—United States and Territories, 2004–2016 in MMWR (pages 496–501). The same information was released online as an MMWR Early Release on May 1. The abstract is reprinted below.

Introduction: Vectorborne diseases are major causes of death and illness worldwide. In the United States, the most common vectorborne pathogens are transmitted by ticks or mosquitoes, including those causing Lyme disease; Rocky Mountain spotted fever; and West Nile, dengue, and Zika virus diseases. This report examines trends in occurrence of nationally reportable vectorborne diseases during 2004–2016.

Methods: Data reported to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System for 16 notifiable vectorborne diseases during 2004–2016 were analyzed; findings were tabulated by disease, vector type, location, and year.

Results: A total 642,602 cases were reported. The number of annual reports of tickborne bacterial and protozoan diseases more than doubled during this period, from >22,000 in 2004 to >48,000 in 2016. Lyme disease accounted for 82% of all tickborne disease reports during 2004–2016. The occurrence of mosquitoborne diseases was marked by virus epidemics. Transmission in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa accounted for most reports of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika virus diseases; West Nile virus was endemic, and periodically epidemic, in the continental United States.

Conclusions and Implications for Public Health Practice: Vectorborne diseases are a large and growing public health problem in the United States, characterized by geographic specificity and frequent pathogen emergence and introduction. Differences in distribution and transmission dynamics of tickborne and mosquitoborne diseases are often rooted in biologic differences of the vectors. To effectively reduce transmission and respond to outbreaks will require major national improvement of surveillance, diagnostics, reporting, and vector control, as well as new tools, including vaccines.


Access the complete report: Vital Signs: Trends in Reported Vectorborne Disease Cases—United States and Territories, 2004–2016

Access a related CDC press release: Illnesses from Mosquito, Tick, and Flea Bites Increasing in the U.S.

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CDC publishes surveillance report on malaria in the United States

On May 4, CDC published an MMWR Surveillance Summary titled Malaria Surveillance—United States, 2015. Selections from the abstract are reprinted below.

Problem/Condition: Malaria in humans is caused by intraerythrocytic protozoa of the genus Plasmodium. These parasites are transmitted by the bite of an infective female Anopheles species mosquito. The majority of malaria infections in the United States occur among persons who have traveled to regions with ongoing malaria transmission. However, malaria is occasionally acquired by persons who have not traveled out of the country through exposure to infected blood products, congenital transmission, laboratory exposure, or local mosquitoborne transmission....

Results: CDC received reports of 1,517 confirmed malaria cases, including one congenital case, with an onset of symptoms in 2015 among persons who received their diagnoses in the United States. Although the number of malaria cases diagnosed in the United States has been increasing since the mid-1970s, the number of cases decreased by 208 from 2014 to 2015....

Public Health Actions: The best way to prevent malaria is to take chemoprophylaxis medication during travel to a country where malaria is endemic. As demonstrated by the U.S. military during the Ebola response, use of chemoprophylaxis and other protection measures is possible in stressful environments, and this can prevent malaria, especially 
P. falciparum, even in high transmission areas. Detailed recommendations for preventing malaria are available to the general public at the CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/travelers/drugs.html)....

Access the complete MMWR Surveillance Summary: Malaria Surveillance—United States, 2015.

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IAC HANDOUTS


IAC revises "Standing Orders for Administering Tdap/Td to Adults"

IAC recently revised Standing Orders for Administering Tdap/Td to Adults to incorporate prior history of receipt of DTP or DTaP vaccines as a child in order to determine adult needs and schedule for Tdap and/or Td.

Related Links

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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IAC updates "Hepatitis B Facts: Testing and Vaccination"

IAC recently revised its resource for healthcare professionals titled Hepatitis B Facts: Testing and Vaccination. Changes were made to elaborate on possible interpretations of results of testing for HBsAg, anti-HBc, and anti-HBs; to further define "HBV-DNA;" to provide a direct link to state perinatal contacts; and to update the references.

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IAC updates handout for adult patients titled "Every Week Hundreds of People Get Hepatitis B"

IAC recently revised its handout for adults titled Every Week Hundreds of People Get Hepatitis B. Changes were made to incorporate the recently licensed 2-dose Heplisav-B vaccine (Dynavax) as an alternative option for adults.

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IAC revises "Protect Yourself Against Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B: A Guide for Gay and Bisexual Men"

IAC recently revised Protect Yourself Against Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B: A Guide for Gay and Bisexual Men. Changes were made to update morbidity and mortality data from hepatitis A and hepatitis B infections, and also to incorporate the recently licensed 2-dose Heplisav-B vaccine.

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IAC updates "Should You Be Vaccinated Against Hepatitis A?" and "Hepatitis A Is a Serious Liver Disease ... Vaccination Can Protect You" 

IAC recently updated the following two hepatitis A resources for members of the public:

  1. Hepatitis A Is a Serious Liver Disease ... Vaccination Can Protect You was changed to include vaccination for infants 6 through 11 months who are travelling to a hepatitis A-endemic country and also to reflect revised ACIP recommendations for vaccination and immune globulin in people exposed to the hepatitis A virus.
  2. Should You Be Vaccinated Against Hepatitis A? was revised to incorporate vaccination for infants 6 through 11 months who are travelling to a hepatitis A-endemic country.

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IAC updates its "Notification of Vaccination Letter Template"

IAC has revised its Notification of Vaccination Letter Template, a 1-page form that healthcare professionals can use to notify other providers about a mutual patient's vaccination. Changes were made to incorporate the recently licensed HepB vaccine (Heplisav-B) for adults and to change the abbreviation for Shingrix (was LZV, now ZVL).

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WORLD NEWS


CDC and WHO report on progress toward measles elimination in the Western Pacific Region in this week's MMWR and Weekly Epidemiological Record, respectively

CDC published Progress Toward Measles Elimination—Western Pacific Region, 2013–2017 in the May 4 issue of MMWR (pages 491–5). On the same day, WHO's Weekly Epidemiological Record published a similar article titled Progress towards measles elimination, Western Pacific Region, 2013–2017. A media summary of the MMWR article is reprinted below.

In 2017, rates of new measles cases in the WHO Western Pacific Region were lower than they have ever been, but recent outbreaks and a rise in cases shows more work needs to be done to completely eliminate the disease from the region. Measles cases decreased substantially in the WHO Western Pacific Region to a low of 5.9 per million population in 2012. During 2013–2016, however, measles cases rose sharply due to large-scale outbreaks in Mongolia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. There was also increased measles transmission in China. Cases rose from 19.2 cases per million population in 2013 to 68.9 in 2014. After controlling the outbreaks, cases in the region decreased to 5.2 per million in 2017, a new historic low. The recent measles resurgence demonstrates a need for collective efforts by countries to achieve high population immunity, strengthen immunization systems, maintain high-quality surveillance, and improve outbreak preparedness and response, so that measles can be eliminated from the region.

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FEATURED RESOURCES


IAC's new 142-page book, Vaccinating Adults: A Step-by-Step Guide, describes how to implement adult vaccination services in your healthcare setting and provides a review for staff who already vaccinate adults; IAC Guide available for free download

The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) recently announced the publication of its new book, Vaccinating Adults: A Step-by-Step Guide (Guide).



This completely updated guide on adult immunization (originally published in 2004) provides easy-to-use, practical information covering important “how-to” activities to help providers enhance their existing adult immunization services or introduce them into any clinical setting, including:
  • setting up for vaccination services,
  • storing and handling vaccines,
  • deciding which people should receive which vaccines,
  • administering vaccines,
  • documenting vaccinations (including legal issues), and
  • understanding financial considerations and billing information.

In addition, the Guide is filled with hundreds of web addresses and references to help providers stay up to date on the latest immunization information, both now and in the future.

The entire Guide is available to download/print free of charge at www.immunize.org/guide. The downloaded version is suitable for double-sided printing. Options are available online to download the entire book or selected chapters. The development of the Guide was supported by the National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Expert staff from both agencies also provided early technical review of the content.

The Guide is a uniquely valuable resource to assist providers in increasing adult immunization rates. Be sure to get a copy today!

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JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS


April issue of CDC's Immunization Works newsletter now available

CDC recently released the April issue of its monthly newsletter Immunization Works. The newsletter offers the immunization community information about current topics. The information is in the public domain and can be reproduced and circulated widely.

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CDC reports on increase in hepatitis A virus infections in the Marshall Islands

CDC published Notes from the Field: Increase In Hepatitis A Virus Infections—Marshall Islands, 2016–2017 in the May 4 issue of MMWR (pages 504–5). Sections of the report are reprinted below.

In mid-September 2016, a case of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection was reported to the Marshall Islands Ministry of Health and Human Services (MOHHS)....

From September 2016 (epidemiologic week 37) through July 2017 (epidemiologic week 28), 194 outbreak-associated hepatitis A cases (168 confirmed and 26 probable) were reported by MOHHS....

Before this outbreak, HAV was thought to be endemic in the Marshall Islands; however, this outbreak demonstrates that the country might be undergoing an epidemiologic transition toward intermediate endemicity. Health officials are evaluating the potential costs and benefits of incorporating routine hepatitis A vaccination in Marshall Islands as a means of reducing ongoing transmission and preventing outbreaks.


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EDUCATION AND TRAINING


CDC to offer May 10 webinar on recommendations for the use of zoster vaccines 

CDC's Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity program (COCA) will present a webinar titled "Recommendations for the Use of Herpes Zoster Vaccines" on May 10 at 2:00 p.m. (ET). During this session, clinicians will learn about CDC recommendations for herpes zoster vaccines and the clinical guidelines for the new Shingrix vaccine. Continuing education credit is available.

Registration information

COCA prepares clinicians to respond to emerging health threats and public health emergencies by communicating relevant, timely information related to disease outbreaks, disasters, terrorism events, and other health alerts. Access the COCA web section on CDC's website.

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May 16 webinar to present strategies and interventions for eliminating new hepatitis B and C infections to reduce the risk of liver cancer

Through funding from CDC, the George Washington University Cancer Center is hosting a webinar on May 16, at 2:00 p.m. (ET) titled "Eliminating Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C Viruses to Reduce Liver Cancer." Learning objectives for the webinar include: 
  1. Describe the work of the CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis and Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.
  2. Relay strategies and key interventions to eliminate new viral hepatitis B and C infections and reduce the risk of liver cancer to others.
  3. Describe the connection between chronic hepatitis B and C viruses and liver cancer and at-risk populations.
  4. List key interventions outlined in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report to eliminate new viral hepatitis B and C infections and reduce the risk of liver cancer.
  5. Locate technical assistance resources and partner organizations to introduce or improve strategies to eliminate hepatitis B and C viruses and reduce liver cancer.

Weekly CDC webinar series on "The Pink Book" chapter topics runs June 6 through September 26; register now

CDC is again presenting a 15-part webinar series to provide a chapter-by-chapter overview of the 13th edition of Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (also known as "The Pink Book"). This is a live series of weekly 1-hour webinars that will start June 6 and run through September 26. Recordings of sessions will be available online within 2 weeks after each webinar. All sessions begin at 12:00 p.m. (ET). Continuing education will be available for each event.

The webinar series will provide an overview of vaccines and the diseases they prevent, general recommendations for vaccines, vaccination principles, and immunization strategies for providers.

Registration and more information is available on CDC's Pink Book Webinar Series web page.

All the sections of "The Pink Book" (i.e., chapters, appendices, 2017 supplement) are available to download at no charge at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/index.html.

You can also order this resource from the Public Health Foundation for $40 plus shipping and handling. This print version does not include the 2017 supplement.
 


CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS


Attending the National Immunization Conference? Presentation on empowering clinicians to become champions for influenza vaccination to be offered the evening of May 16

During the 48th National Immunization Conference in Atlanta, an educational dinner program titled "Empowering Clinicians to Become Champions for Influenza Vaccination" will be held on May 16 from 6:00–8:30 p.m. (ET). The program will feature the following multidisciplinary group of experts: 
  • Tracy Bieber, RN, BSN, clinical services manager, Enterprise Clinic Services, Sanford Health, Sioux Falls, SD
  • Ruth M. Carrico, PhD, DNP, APRN, associate professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, founding co-director, Global Health Center, and clinical director, Global Health Center–Travel Clinic, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY
  • Serese Marotta, chief operating officer, Families Fighting Flu, Arlington, VA
  • Barbara A. Pahud, MD, MPH, associate director, Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit, Children’s Mercy Hospital; associate professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO

The dinner and education program are sponsored by Sanofi Pasteur. In accordance with Sanofi Pasteur’s policies and the PhRMA Code on Interactions with Health Care Professionals, attendance at this educational program is limited to healthcare professionals.

More information about the program and registration (required) is available here.

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About IAC Express
The Immunization Action Coalition welcomes redistribution of this issue of IAC Express or selected articles. When you do so, please add a note that the Immunization Action Coalition is the source of the material and provide a link to this issue.

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IAC Express is supported in part by Grant No. 6NH23IP922550 from the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC. Its contents are solely the responsibility of IAC and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC. IAC Express is also supported by educational grants from the following companies: AstraZeneca, Inc.; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.; Pfizer, Inc.; and Sanofi Pasteur.

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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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ISSN 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

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