IAC Express 2008
Issue number 750: September 2, 2008
 
Contents of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article.
  1. Take time to view Dr. Paul A. Offit's video about his new book, "Autism's False Prophets"
  2. Joint Commission Resources challenges hospitals to increase influenza immunization of healthcare personnel
  3. New: Available in English and Spanish, CDC's public service announcements promote pre-teen vaccination
  4. CDC issues a statement on the cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination
  5. IAC updates two of its print materials for healthcare professionals--"It's Federal Law! You must give your patients current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)" and "Suggestions to Improve Your Immunization Services"
  6. Correction: Use this new link to enroll in eDispense Vaccine Manager, a free web-based application for reimbursement for vaccines under Medicare Part D
  7. New: Fourth edition of CDC's "Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases" available online
  8. Vote & Vax project's September 3 Webinar will give influenza vaccination providers information about holding a clinic at or near a polling site on election day
  9. Cancelled: Immunize Georgia conference, scheduled for October 1, has been cancelled
  10. PATH launches new Vaccine Resource Library
  11. MMWR publishes report on Nigeria's progress toward polio eradication during January 2007-August 12, 2008
 
Abbreviations
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.
  
Issue 750: September 2, 2008
1.  Take time to view Dr. Paul A. Offit's video about his new book, "Autism's False Prophets"

A YouTube video of Paul A. Offit, MD, talking about his soon-to-be released book has been posted on the website of Columbia University Press. The book, titled "Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure," is published by Columbia University Press.

To view the 3-minute video, and to pre-order the book, click here.

Scheduled for release in early September, the book is also available on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites and from your local bookseller.

On August 15, the well-regarded and influential website libraryjournal.com reviewed "Autism's False Prophets," stating the following: "Autistic children, their desperate parents, unscrupulous doctors, and opportunistic lawyers call forth the "false prophets" whom physician Offit resolutely confronts here. Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, he is well placed to marshal extensive evidence to discount theories that either mercury preservatives in vaccines or the MMR inoculations in particular (the most commonly cited culprits) are linked to increasing autism rates. . . ."

To read the review in its entirety, go to: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6586270.html Scroll down to the section titled Health & Medicine. Reviews are listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name.

Dr. Offit is the chief of Infectious Diseases and the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, as well as the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology and professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

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2 Joint Commission Resources challenges hospitals to increase influenza immunization of healthcare personnel

Joint Commission Resources (JCR), a non-profit affiliate of the Joint Commission, has issued a challenge to hospitals to increase influenza vaccination rates among healthcare personnel. Portions of a document posted on the JCR website are reprinted below.


Joint Commission Resources (JCR) has launched a Flu Vaccination Challenge to underscore the responsibility that hospitals have to help keep their employees and patients healthy this flu season. The Flu Vaccination Challenge is designed to increase flu vaccination rates among healthcare workers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the 2005-2006 flu season, only 42 percent of surveyed healthcare workers received a flu vaccination. In past years, flu infections have been documented in healthcare settings and healthcare workers have been implicated as the potential source of these infections. JCR challenges hospitals to achieve higher vaccination rates among their staff.

The Flu Vaccination Challenge begins in September 2008 and will continue through the flu season until May 2009. Hospitals that achieve a vaccination rate of 43 percent or more will be recognized for their dedication to helping keep their employees healthy and helping to protect their patients. Vaccination of healthcare workers may help to decrease the chances that they will get the flu and pass it on to their patients.

"The Flu Vaccination Challenge highlights for healthcare workers the value that flu vaccinations can have on patient safety. Doctors, nurses, technical, and administrative staff may care for patients with compromised immune systems including the elderly and people living with a chronic disease. As a professional devoted to 'do no harm,' flu vaccination gives me an opportunity to help protect my patients by decreasing the chances that I will get the flu and pass it along to my patients" said Barbara M. Soule, RN, MPA, CIC, practice leader, Infection Prevention and Control Services, JCR.

The flu is a serious disease that can be potentially fatal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends an annual flu vaccination for a number of groups, including adults at high risk of complications from the flu and those who are in contact with them, including healthcare workers. Efforts to increase vaccination coverage among healthcare workers are supported by various national accrediting and professional organizations including The Joint Commission. Since January 1, 2007, The Joint Commission has required accredited hospitals, critical access hospitals, and long-term care organizations to offer the flu vaccination annually, on site, to staff and licensed independent practitioners.

"Every year in the United States up to 20 percent of the population is affected by influenza and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from influenza complications. It is crucial that healthcare workers receive their influenza vaccination each year to help curb the spread of this preventable disease," said Dr. William Schaffner, chairman, Department of Preventive Medicine, and professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. . . .

To access the complete document, and to register your hospital, go to: http://www.fluvaccinationchallenge.com

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3 New: Available in English and Spanish, CDC's public service announcements promote pre-teen vaccination

On August 28, CDC issued a media advisory announcing the availability of public service announcements that promote pre-teen vaccination. The media advisory is reprinted below in its entirety.


CDC URGES PRE-TEEN VACCINATION WITH NEW PUBLIC SERVICE
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Campaign encourages parents to protect their 11- and 12-year-olds from meningitis, whooping cough, and the virus that causes cervical cancer

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases today announced that new public service announcements (PSAs) targeting the parents of pre-teens are now available to broadcast organizations. The television and radio spots, part of CDC's Pre-Teen Vaccine campaign, urge the parents of 11- and 12-year-olds to vaccinate their kids to protect them against serious, sometimes life-threatening diseases such as meningitis, whooping cough, and cervical cancer. The PSAs, available in both English and Spanish and at lengths of 60, 30, and 15 seconds, are available for download and broadcast at www.countingonyoupsas.com

The three pre-teen vaccines include MCV4, which protects against meningitis and its complications, Tdap, which is a booster against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis or "whooping cough," and for girls, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which protects against the types of HPV that most commonly cause cervical cancer.

For more information about pre-teen vaccines, and the campaign, visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/preteen


To access the English-language version of the media advisory, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/a080829.htm

To access the Spanish-language version of the media advisory, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/a080829s.htm

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4 CDC issues a statement on the cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination

On August 28, CDC issued a statement on the cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination. It is reprinted below in its entirety.


There has been recent media attention related to a study of the cost effectiveness of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in the United States published in the New England Journal of Medicine on August 21, 2008. This study confirms the cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination of 11- and 12-year-old girls and is consistent with the main focus of the CDC's recommendations which call for routine HPV vaccination of 11- and 12-year-old girls in the United States. The HPV vaccine is highly effective in preventing four types of HPV in young women who have not been previously exposed to HPV. The vaccine targets HPV types that cause up to 70% of all cervical cancers and about 90% of genital warts.

It is clear that vaccinating women in their mid-to-late twenties is not as cost-effective as vaccinating 11- and 12-year-old girls. However, the majority of girls and women 13 through 26 years of age also can benefit from vaccination. Ideally, HPV vaccine should be administered before sexual debut. Females 13 through 26 years of age who are not yet sexually active can be expected to receive the full benefit of vaccination. Studies suggest that while sexually active females in this age group might have been infected with one or more vaccine HPV types, only a small percentage have been infected with all four of the HPV vaccine types. Females already infected with one or more HPV vaccine types before vaccination would be protected against disease caused by the other HPV vaccine types. Therefore, the majority of females in this age group will derive benefit from vaccination.

A number of different models have been developed to look at cost effectiveness of HPV vaccination. These models are complicated and use many assumptions. The basic structures of the models differ, and assumptions used in the models also vary, including those related to HPV epidemiology and natural history. It is expected that different models will produce different estimates of cost effectiveness.

CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) considers many factors in making recommendations for use of vaccines. As part of its process for developing vaccine recommendations, the committee reviews data about disease severity and distribution, information from clinical trials about vaccine efficacy and safety, information on vaccine acceptability (among potential vaccinees, their caregivers, and providers), and cost effectiveness. The committee also considers issues of equity; access to vaccine and vaccine administration; impact on healthcare delivery systems; and logistical, social, legal and ethical concerns. In 2004, ACIP began to review a variety of data in preparation for a recommendation about the use of HPV vaccine. Cost-effectiveness data were reviewed, and in June 2006 ACIP voted on recommendations for use of HPV vaccine. ACIP recently reviewed data published in the New England Journal of Medicine article during deliberations on recommendations for use of HPV vaccine in women age 27 years and older. The committee continues to review new information and data as they become available.

ACIP has not considered changing its current recommendation for catch-up vaccination of females 13 through 26 years of age.

When any new vaccine is licensed, some aspects of that vaccine are not known. Information on duration of protection is usually limited when a vaccine is first licensed. While clinical studies of HPV vaccine to date have only evaluated duration of protection through 5 and 6 years, these studies show no evidence of waning of protection. Long-term evaluations are underway to assess a variety of issues such as duration of immunity, the impact of vaccination on the risk of cervical cancer with non-vaccine HPV types, the impact of vaccine on ongoing use of Pap testing and rates of genital warts, abnormal Paps, cervical precancer, and cervical cancer.


To access the CDC statement, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/hpv/cost-effect-hpv-vac.htm

To access the article published in the August 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, titled "Health and Economic Implications of HPV Vaccination in the United States," go to:
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/359/8/821

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5 IAC updates two of its print materials for healthcare professionals--"It's Federal Law! You must give your patients current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)" and "Suggestions to Improve Your Immunization Services"

IAC recently reviewed and revised the following two print materials for healthcare professionals.

"It's Federal Law! You must give your patients current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)." The issue dates were changed for the VISs for trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV; injectable) and live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV; nasal spray).

To access the revised "It's Federal Law! You must give your patients current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)," go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2027.pdf

NOTE: To access continually updated information on the issue dates for VISs, see the chart on IAC's Vaccine Information Statement web section at http://www.immunize.org/vis

"Suggestions to Improve Your Immunization Services" was reviewed and minor revisions were made.

To access the revised "Suggestions to Improve Your Immunization Services," go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2045.pdf

IAC's Print Materials web section has more than 175 FREE, ready-to-print English-language materials for healthcare professionals and the public--as well as many in translation. To access all of IAC's print materials, go to: http://www.immunize.org/printmaterials

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6 Correction: Use this new link to enroll in eDispense Vaccine Manager, a free web-based application for reimbursement for vaccines under Medicare Part D

In the IAC Express issue published on July 14, we ran an article (http://www.immunize.org/express/issue742.asp#n3) on a service the American Medical Association (AMA) made its membership aware of earlier this year. The service, eDispense Vaccine Manager, gives physicians and approved staff members free access to real-time claims processing for in-office distribution of Medicare Part D vaccines.

Interested physicians are required to enroll to use the service. The information provided by AMA, which we included in our July 14 issue, contained an incorrect web link to the enrollment form. The correct link is https://enroll.edispense.com

IAC Express regrets the error and any confusion it may have caused our readers.

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7 New: Fourth edition of CDC's "Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases" available online

CDC recently announced the online availability of the fourth edition of its "Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases." The manual provides current guidelines for those directly involved in surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases, especially personnel at the local health departments.

To access the manual, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual

NOTE: The manual is available only through the URL above and is no longer offered in a printed version. Offering the manual online keeps the manual as current as possible. As changes occur, the chapters will be replaced with updated versions.

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8 Vote & Vax project's September 3 Webinar will give influenza vaccination providers information about holding a clinic at or near a polling site on election day

On Election Day, November 4, 2008, vaccination providers will host convenient influenza vaccination clinics at or near many polling sites across the country. This new national public health strategy, called Vote & Vax, is intended to increase the number of Americans who receive a vaccination against the influenza virus. Interested providers are encouraged to learn more about Vote & Vax 2008 at an interactive Webinar, which will be held on September 3 at 3:30-4:30PM ET.

To register for the September 3 webinar, go to:
https://rwjf.webex.com/rwjf/onstage/g.php?d=575965111&t=a

A partnership between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Sickness Prevention Achieved through Regional Collaboration, the Vote & Vax project recruits and helps influenza vaccination providers operate Vote & Vax clinics.

For comprehensive information on the Vote & Vax project, go to:
http://www.voteandvax.com

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9 Cancelled: Immunize Georgia conference, scheduled for October 1, has been cancelled

The annual Immunize Georgia conference has been cancelled; it had been scheduled for October 1 in College Park. Immunize Georgia will be providing refunds for payments made to date for the conference.

For additional information, go to:
http://www.choa.org/default.aspx?id=3606

Questions? Contact Angie Matthiessen at angie.matthiessen@choa.org

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10.  PATH launches new Vaccine Resource Library

PATH recently launched a new Vaccine Resource Library and provided the following information about it.


PATH is pleased to announce the launch of its redesigned and upgraded Vaccine Resource Library (VRL). The VRL seeks to gather the leading immunization resources in a single, easy-to-use website.

Visitors will find the new website flexible and easier to navigate. The VRL offers a wide variety of high-quality, scientifically accurate documents and links on specific diseases and topics in immunization. The resources are organized in a web-based database that provides a number of ways to view information and access content.

Materials on the site are collected from a variety of sources, such as news media, scientific journals, and leaders in public health. Subjects included range from diseases and vaccines like influenza, hepatitis B, and rotavirus, to related immunization topics such as injection safety, service delivery, and immunization financing.

The VRL is geared for health professionals in the developing and industrialized worlds, as well as journalists, policymakers, community leaders, parents, and anyone else interested in vaccine-related resources.

Visit PATH's new Vaccine Resource Library at www.path.org/vaccineresources


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11.  MMWR publishes report on Nigeria's progress toward polio eradication during January 2007-August 12, 2008.

CDC published "Progress Toward Poliomyelitis Eradication--Nigeria, January 2007-August 12, 2008" in the August 29 issue of MMWR. A summary made available to the press is reprinted below in its entirety.


Nigeria urgently needs to address the increasing spread of wild poliovirus by ensuring that polio vaccination campaigns reach every target child and making this a top public health priority.

Progress towards global polio eradication is threatened by poor vaccination coverage of children in Nigeria, primarily in the north, with a resulting large increase in reported cases in 2008. Despite increased efforts to improve vaccine acceptance and implementation of new vaccination strategies, as of August 12, 2008, more than 550 confirmed wild poliovirus cases have been reported in Nigeria, a more than 300 percent increase over this time period in 2007. Most cases are wild poliovirus type 1, which is more likely to cause paralytic disease and have wider geographic spread than other types. Urgent measures are needed to reach all children during vaccination campaigns in order to bring wild poliovirus under control in Nigeria and decrease the risk of spread to other countries.


To access a web-text (HTML) version of the article, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5734a4.htm

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5734.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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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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