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IAC Express 2008 |
| Issue number 737: June 16, 2008 |
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Contents
of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article. |
- AAP News
publishes a pediatrics practice's vaccine policy statement that other
practices are free to use or modify
- New book:
"Do Vaccines Cause That?! A Guide for Evaluating Vaccine Safety Concerns"
answers parents' questions
-
Immunization resources for teens and adults now in Spanish, Arabic,
Chinese, French, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese
- Updated!
IAC revises its VIS resource "It's Federal Law!" and a hepatitis B
brochure for pre-teens
- Teen
immunization advocates will find practical, time-saving resources in
ASHA's 2008 "Give It A Shot" toolkit
- CDC
announces important vaccination information for international travel
during summer 2008
-
International Vaccine Institute released its latest annual
report--"Children, Vaccines and a Better World"--celebrating its first ten
years of operations
- HHS
awards contracts for faster influenza diagnostic tests; CDC finds some
avian influenza strains have properties that could increase potential to
infect humans
- CDC
reports on two U.S. cases of cutaneous anthrax associated with drum making
using goat hides from West Africa
- South
Carolina Older Adult Immunization Workshop scheduled for June 25 in
Columbia, SC
- PATH's
RHO Cervical Cancer web section offers online information resources
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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 737: June 16, 2008 |
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1. |
AAP News publishes a pediatrics practice's vaccine policy statement that
other practices are free to use or modify
The May 2008 issue of AAP News published two
articles related to parents refusal to vaccinate (1) "Letter to the Editor:
Vaccinating children 'absolutely the right thing to do'" and (2) "Letter to
the Editor: All Star Pediatrics' Vaccine Policy Statement." Medical practices
are encouraged to download the All Star Pediatrics policy statement at no
charge and reproduce, edit, and distribute as they see fit.
"Letter to the Editor: Vaccinating children 'absolutely the right thing to
do'" is reprinted immediately below in its entirety. Portions of "Letter to
the Editor: All Star Pediatrics' Vaccine Policy Statement" are also
reprinted. A link to the entire text of the vaccine policy statement is given
at the end of this IAC Express article.
"LETTER TO THE EDITOR: VACCINATING CHILDREN 'ABSOLUTELY THE
RIGHT THING TO DO'"
Our practice has experienced a marked increase in parents
requesting to delay or decline vaccinations. This may be a
result of recent appearances by celebrities claiming that
vaccines harmed their children in some way or as a result of the
tremendous increase in the numbers of vaccines and injections in
recent years.
My colleagues and I find ourselves spending an inordinate amount
of time defending our use of vaccines in each well-child check,
as well as during increasing numbers of telephone inquiries.
Furthermore, we found ourselves on the defensive side more often
than not.
In response to this heightened demand on our time and energy, we
developed a vaccine policy statement that is posted in every
exam room and given out at our "meet and greet" talks as well as
the one month well check. The response has been tremendous! New
parents clearly know where we stand in the vaccine
"controversy," and our established patient families have
expressed their appreciation for confirming choices they made
with their children.
The statement also has been a tremendous time saver for all of
us. In the spirit of Benjamin Franklin (see statement below),
readers should feel free to reproduce, edit and distribute the
information in any way they please.
Bradley J. Dyer, M.D., FAAP
All Star Pediatrics, Lionville, PA
"LETTER TO THE EDITOR: ALL STAR PEDIATRICS' VACCINE POLICY
STATEMENT"
We firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent
serious illness and to save lives.
We firmly believe in the safety of our vaccines.
We firmly believe that all children and young adults should
receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the
schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and the
American Academy of Pediatrics.
We firmly believe, based on all available literature, evidence
and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other
developmental disabilities. We firmly believe that thimerosal, a
preservative that has been in vaccines for decades and remains
in some vaccines, does not cause autism or other developmental
disabilities.
We firmly believe that vaccinating children and young adults may
be the single most important health-promoting intervention we
perform as health care providers, and that you can perform as
parents/caregivers. The recommended vaccines and their schedule
given are the results of years and years of scientific study and
data-gathering on millions of children by thousands of our
brightest scientists and physicians. . . .
To read the full text of "Letter to the Editor: All Star
Pediatrics' Vaccine Policy Statement," go to:
http://www.cispimmunize.org/pro/pro_main.html Scroll down and
click on the link titled Communicating with Parents about
Immunization. On that page, scroll down and click on the link
titled Resources on Parental Refusal to Vaccinate and then click
on the link titled Sample Office Policy/Letter to Parents about
Refusal to Vaccinate.
Note: You will find an array of material for educating vaccine-hesitant parents on AAP's Resources on Parental Refusal to
Vaccinate webpage.
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2. |
New book: "Do Vaccines Cause That?! A Guide for Evaluating Vaccine Safety
Concerns" answers parents' questions
On June 11, Immunizations for Public Health
Press issued a press
release announcing that a new book, "Do Vaccines Cause That?! A
Guide for Evaluating Vaccine Safety Concerns," is now available.
The book is written by Martin G. Myers, MD, and Diego Pineda,
both of whom are with the National Network for Immunization
Information (NNii). The press release is reprinted below.
Almost 70% of parents who refuse to vaccinate their children do
so because they believe vaccines may cause harm. Indeed vaccines
have been blamed for causing asthma, autism, diabetes, and many
other conditions--most of which have causes that are
incompletely understood. Some parents believe that vaccines can
"overwhelm the immune system."
To respond to these concerns about vaccine safety, the National
Network for Immunization Information (NNii) writing team of
Martin G. Myers, MD, and Diego Pineda have written a book titled
"Do Vaccines Cause That?! A Guide for Evaluating Vaccine Safety
Concerns."
"The authors of this volume have recognized the absolute need to
provide parents with clearly understandable, science-based
information about vaccines, immunization, and vaccine safety,"
write Samuel Katz, MD, of Duke University, and Louis Sullivan,
MD, of Morehouse School of Medicine, in the foreword to the
book.
This 272-page book is divided in two sections. The first section
tells parents how best to weigh and evaluate what they read or
hear about vaccine safety, emphasizing how scientists determine
whether a vaccine actually causes a specific effect. The second
section deals specifically with vaccine safety concerns such as
asthma, autism, and autoimmune diseases, among others. The
overall theme is to help parents arrive at conclusions based on
science.
Dr. Myers is an internationally recognized vaccine expert and
former director of the National Vaccine Program Office. He is
presently a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB). Mr.
Pineda has been NNii's science writer since 2004.
"Do Vaccines Cause That?!" is available for $14.95 at Amazon.com
(http://www.amazon.com) and DoVaccinesCauseThat.com
(http://www.dovaccinescausethat.com), where the electronic
version is also available for just $12.95.
To access the press release and additional information, go to:
http://www.dovaccinescausethat.com/pressroom
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3. |
Immunization resources for teens and adults now in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese,
French, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese
IAC now offers two of its popular teen and
adult vaccination
resources in languages in addition to English. The resources are
"Are You 11-19 Years Old? Then you need to be vaccinated against
these serious diseases!" and "Vaccinations for Adults: You're
NEVER too old to get immunized!" Both are now available in
Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French, Korean, Russian, and
Vietnamese. Links to all follow.
Remember: IAC's Print Materials web section has more than 175
FREE, ready-to-print resources for healthcare professionals and
the public. To access them, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/printmaterials
"ARE YOU 11-19 YEARS OLD?"
For the Spanish version of "Are You 11-19 Years Old?" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4020-01.pdf
For the Arabic version of "Are You 11-19 Years Old?" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4020-20.pdf
For the Chinese version of "Are You 11-19 Years Old?" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4020-08.pdf
For the French version of "Are You 11-19 Years Old?" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4020-10.pdf
For the Korean version of "Are You 11-19 Years Old?" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4020-09.pdf
For the Russian version of "Are You 11-19 Years Old?" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4020-07.pdf
For the Vietnamese version of "Are You 11-19 Years Old?" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4020-05.pdf
For the English version of "Are You 11-19 Years Old?" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4020.pdf
"VACCINATIONS FOR ADULTS"
For the Spanish version of "Vaccinations for Adults" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030-01.pdf
For the Arabic version of "Vaccinations for Adults" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030-20.pdf
For the Chinese version of "Vaccinations for Adults" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030-08.pdf
For the French version of "Vaccinations for Adults" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030-10.pdf
For the Korean version of "Vaccinations for Adults" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030-09.pdf
For the Russian version of "Vaccinations for Adults" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030-07.pdf
For the Vietnamese version of "Vaccinations for Adults" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030-05.pdf
For the English version of "Vaccinations for Adults" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030.pdf
To access more FREE, ready-to-print translations from the IAC
website, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/printmaterials/translations.asp
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4. |
Updated! IAC revises its VIS resource "It's Federal Law!" and a hepatitis B
brochure for pre-teens
IAC recently revised two of its print
resource: (1) "It's
Federal Law! You must give your patients current Vaccine
Information Statements (VISs)" and (2) the pre-teen hepatitis B
brochure "Every Year, Thousands of People Are Infected with
Hepatitis B Virus, Including Teens." The brochure was previously
titled "Every Day Teens Are Infected with Hepatitis B Virus."
The VIS issue dates listed on "It's Federal Law!" were updated.
To access the revised "It's Federal Law!" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2027.pdf
Substantive changes were made throughout "Every Year, Thousands
of People Are Infected with Hepatitis B Virus, Including Teens."
To access the revised brochure, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4100.pdf
IAC's Print Materials web section has more than 175 FREE, ready-to-print resources for healthcare professionals and the public.
To access them, go to: http://www.immunize.org/printmaterials
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5. |
Teen immunization advocates will find practical, time-saving resources in
ASHA's 2008 "Give It A Shot" toolkit
The bookstore on the website of the
American School Health
Association (ASHA) recently posted ordering and downloading
information for the second edition (2008) of the "Give It a
Shot" toolkit. The toolkit is formally titled "Give It a Shot! A
Toolkit for Nurses and Other Immunization Champions Working with
Secondary Schools." It was edited by Lynda Boyer-Chu, RN, MPH, a
school nurse in the San Francisco Unified School District, and
Susan F. Wooley, PhD, executive director of the American School
Health Association.
The toolkit includes the following:
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A 64-page manual
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Current information on adolescent immunizations
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Tips on incorporating immunization messages into your work
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A CD that contains many of the handouts described in the
manual
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Three colorful posters to promote awareness
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A DVD featuring a parent-friendly video titled "Vaccines:
Separating Fact from Fear" and a youth-friendly video titled
"The Case of the Missing Shots"
The manual, which includes a continuing education exam and
answer sheet, can be downloaded at no charge. The toolkit is
available to ASHA members for $19.95 and to non-members for
$24.95.
For additional information, go to: http://www.ashaweb.org Click
on the tab titled Bookstore. Bookstore products are arranged
alphabetically. Scroll down to "Give It a Shot" to access the
toolkit listing.
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6. |
CDC announces important vaccination information for international travel
during summer 2008
On June 9, CDC's Travelers' Health web
section posted an
announcement informing international travelers about the
importance of getting routine or travel-related vaccines before
departing. This is of particular significance to those traveling
to the EURO 2008 Soccer Games, the 2008 Beijing Olympic and
Paralympic Games, as well as to other international destinations
in summer 2008.
To access the announcement, as well as information and links to
pertinent travel vaccine information, go to:
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentVaccinesSummer2008.aspx
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7. |
International Vaccine Institute released its latest annual report--"Children,
Vaccines and a Better World"--celebrating its first ten years of operations
[The following is cross posted from
Vaccines: The Week in Review
electronic newsletter, 6/9/08.]
The International Vaccine Institute released its latest annual
report--"Children, Vaccines and a Better World"--celebrating its
first ten years of operations. The 116-page document provides
analysis of IVI's program initiatives across the immunization
spectrum. The report is available at
http://www.ivi.int/publication/annual_report/2007/annual_report1_2007_5MB.pdf
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8. |
HHS
awards contracts for faster influenza diagnostic tests; CDC finds some avian
influenza strains have properties that could increase potential to infect humans
The federal government recently issued the
following news
releases related to developments in avian influenza:
On June 12, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a
news release titled "HHS Awards Contracts for the Development of
Faster Influenza Diagnostic Tests." To access it, go to:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2008pres/06/20080612a.html
On June 10, CDC issued a news release titled "CDC Finds Some
Bird Flu Strains Have Acquired Properties that Might Enhance
Potential to Infect Humans." To access it, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/r080610a.htm
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9. |
CDC
reports on two U.S. cases of cutaneous anthrax associated with drum making using
goat hides from West Africa
CDC published "Cutaneous Anthrax Associated
with Drum Making
Using Goat Hides from West Africa--Connecticut, 2007" in the
June 13 issue of MMWR. A summary made available to the press is
reprinted below in its entirety.
The findings underscore the potential hazard of working with
untreated animal hides from areas with epizootic anthrax and the
potential for secondary cases from environmental contamination.
Until a process for certifying that imported hides from West
Africa are free of anthrax exists, drum-makers should follow
current disinfection guidelines to reduce the risk for disease.
This report summarizes results of the joint epidemiologic and
environmental investigation lead conducted by public health
officials, environmental agencies, and law enforcement
authorities. Last August, the Connecticut Department of Public
Health was notified by a physician of two suspect cutaneous
anthrax cases involving a drum-maker working with untreated goat
hides from Guinea and his child. The individuals recovered and
the investigation indicated the exposures were unintentional.
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5723a3.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5723.pdf
To receive a FREE electronic subscription to MMWR (which
includes new ACIP recommendations), go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwrsubscribe.html
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10. |
South Carolina Older Adult Immunization Workshop scheduled for June 25 in
Columbia, SC
The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence
announced that the
South Carolina Older Adult Immunization Workshop will be held on
June 25 at the South Carolina Hospital Association in Columbia,
SC. The workshop, which is free, is limited to the first 150
registrants.
For additional information, go to:
http://www.thecarolinascenter.org In the column titled Upcoming
Events, scroll down to the pertinent link.
Questions? Contact Darius Jones at DJones2@scqio.sdps.org or
(803)251-2215 or (800) 922-3089.
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11. |
PATH's RHO Cervical Cancer web section offers online information resources
PATH's RHO Cervical Cancer web section is
an online information
resource for health program managers and decision-makers working
in developing countries and low-resource settings.
To access the web section, go to: http://www.rho.org
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