The January 2010 issue of Vaccinate Adults is now available online for viewing, downloading, and printing. This special issue focuses on seasonal and H1N1 influenza vaccine recommendations and patient education.

This is the third issue of Vaccinate Adults that is online-only. Complete information about this issue is available at http://www.immunize.org/va There you will find a link for displaying and printing the entire 16-page PDF of the issue, along with a table of contents for viewing and printing individual sections of Vaccinate Adults.

All of the content of this issue of Vaccinate Adults has also been included in the January 2010 special edition of Needle Tips published on December 23, 2009. To access this issue of Needle Tips, go to: http://www.immunize.org/nt

If you would like to download the entire issue right now, go to: http://www.immunize.org/va/va25.pdf

CDC, AAP, and AAFP have endorsed and released the "Recommended Immunization Schedules for Persons Aged 0 Through 18 Years--United States, 2010." On January 8, CDC published the schedule as an MMWR QuickGuide; it is reprinted below in its entirety, excluding references, two figures, and a table. On January 7, CDC posted downloadable versions of the 2010 U.S. Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedules; a link is given at the end of this IAC Express article.

To access CDC's downloadable versions of the three major components (for ages 0-6 years, ages 7-18 years, and the catch-up schedule) of the 2010 U.S. Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedules, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/child-schedule.htm

IAC's VIS web section is easily the most popular single feature on our website, racking up more than 1.5 million VIS downloads in 2009 alone. Now, its main page has been redesigned to offer users an at-a-glance understanding of what is available to them. To enter it, click on this link: http://www.immunize.org/vis

The first thing you'll see is the organizing heart of the page, a large box with Vaccine Index, Language Index, and Alphabetical Index running horizontally across it.

The Vaccine Index lists all 26 VIS used in the U.S. when vaccinating patients. Click on the name of a VIS, and you'll be taken to a link to the English-language version of the VIS and all its translations.

Click on Language Index, and you'll be taken to a list of the 48 languages that IAC makes VISs available in (not every VIS is available in all 48 languages, by any means!).

Click on Alphabetical Index to be taken to an alphabetical list of VISs. If you click on the name and most recent issue date of the VIS (e.g., DTaP VIS--5/17/07), you'll be taken DIRECTLY to the English-language version of the VIS--no searching around for it! You also have the option of viewing the translated versions of the VIS.

Another useful feature of the VIS home page is the chart titled Current VIS Dates. Use it to check your stock of VISs against--some of yours may be out of date.

If you immunize, you need speedy access to VISs. So, take a few minutes now and click around on the various hyperlinks on the VIS home page. You might find a few really useful resources that you and your co-workers hadn't known about before.

National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is a national observance that was established to highlight the importance of continuing influenza vaccination after the holiday season into January and beyond. This year, it's scheduled for January 10-16.

CDC has produced a broad range of communication materials that drive home the message that influenza is a serious disease and vaccination is the best protection against it. Materials include posters and brochures, a media toolkit, web tools, audio and video public service announcements, ready-to-print articles, and more.

To access these materials, go to the NIVW home page at
http://www.flu.gov/news/nivw.html

If you are planning an activity during NIVW or beyond to encourage influenza vaccination, CDC would like to hear from you. Provide details about your NIVW activities at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/NIVW/form.htm

On January 8, MMWR published "Announcement: National Influenza Vaccination Week--January 10-16, 2010." To read the announcement, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5851a4.htm

On December 23, 2009, FDA issued a press release announcing that it approved sanofi pasteur's request to supplement its license application for influenza virus vaccine to include a high-dose formulation. Portions of the press release are reprinted below. The package insert and other information are posted on the FDA website; links to both are given at the end of this IAC Express article.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Fluzone High-Dose influenza vaccine will NOT be available for use during the 2009-10 influenza season.

To access the package insert, go to:
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM195479.pdf

IAC encourages IAC Express readers to view several videos on seasonal and H1N1 influenza developed by CDC. Run times range from 1 to 7 minutes.

These videos will be available on the home page of IAC's website through January 17. To access them, go to: http://www.immunize.org and click on the image under the words Video of the Week. It may take a few moments for the video to begin playing; please be patient!

Remember to bookmark IAC's home page to view a new video every Monday. To view an IAC Video of the Week from the past, go to the video archive at http://www.immunize.org/votw

CDC advises healthcare professionals that during seasonal and H1N1 influenza outbreaks, all people who have existing indications for pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV) should be vaccinated according to current ACIP recommendations. This is important because people with existing indications are not only at increased risk for pneumococcal disease, but are also at increased risk for serious complications from influenza.

CDC has issued related guidance titled "Prevention of Pneumococcal Infections Secondary to Seasonal and 2009 H1N1 Influenza Viruses Infection." To access it, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/provider/provider_pneumococcal.htm

Every Child by Two (ECBT) recently launched a new web page titled Video FAQs on its Vaccinate Your Baby website. The new web page features video clips of experts on immunization and autism briefly answering parents' most frequently asked questions about vaccination. Questions are grouped under four categories: (1) Why Vaccinate, (2) Why Follow the Recommended Immunization Schedule, (3) Vaccine Testing, Ingredients, and Safety, and (4) Vaccines and Autism. The video clips vary from 30 seconds to two minutes in length and are a valuable resource for healthcare professionals and the general public.

The experts include

• Paul Offit, MD, Vaccine Education Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Mark Sawyer, MD, University of California-San Diego School of Medicine
• Mary Beth Koslap-Petraco, DPN(c), CPNP, Suffolk County Department of Health Services, NY
• Alison Singer, Autism Science Foundation

To access the video clips and related information, go to:
http://www.vaccinateyourbaby.org/faq

The next NCIRD live Net Conference will cover the 2010 U.S. immunization schedules for children and adults. The Net Conference is scheduled from noon to 1PM ET on January 28. William Atkinson, MD, MPH, will speak on "What's New on the Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedules," and Carol Friedman, DO, will address "What's New on the Adult Immunization Schedule." Dr. Andrew Kroger will moderate.

Participation in the Q&A section of the program is available by phone and Internet. This is a limited-entry event. Registration will close on January 26 or when the course is full.

To register, go to:
http://www2.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/ciinc

PKIDS recently launched Communications Made Easy, a fun, easy-to-understand program that will help immunization educators learn the ropes of social marketing and traditional and social media.

The program uses webinars, one-to-one tech assistance, and an eToolkit that includes templates, how-to videos, and tutorials that are intended to take the guesswork out of communications planning and make outreach more effective. As a bonus, Communications Made Easy includes admittance to a national network that connects groups and increases resource-sharing among participants, allowing dollars budgeted for outreach to go further.

For complete details about Communications Made Easy, go to: http://pkids.org/cme

Registration is necessary to take full advantage of the program. To register, go to: http://pkids.org/cme/registration

CDC published "Outbreak of 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) at a School--Hawaii, May 2009" in the January 8 issue of MMWR. A summary made available to the press is reprinted below in its entirety.

To access the full article in web-text (HTML) format, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5851a3.htm

CDC published "Patients Hospitalized with 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1)--New York City, May 2009" in the January 8 issue of MMWR. A summary made available to the press is reprinted below in its entirety.

To access the full article in web-text (HTML) format, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5851a2.htm

The National Conference on Immunization and Health Coalitions will take place in Chicago on May 26-28. The event host is the Chicago Area Immunization Campaign.

Abstracts are being sought on many topics. The deadline for submitting abstracts is February 1; submissions must be in electronic format. To access the Call for Abstracts and the submission form, go to:
http://www.ilmaternal.org/ncihc/CallforAbstracts.pdf

The early registration fee is $260, a savings of $40 off the regular $300 registration fee. The deadline for early registration is February 12. To register online, go to:
http://www.ilmaternal.org/ncihc/registration.html

For comprehensive conference information, including information on the conference program, go to: http://www.ilmaternal.org/ncihc2010.html Click on the links in the dark purple box located in the lower right corner of the web page.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will hold its next meeting on February 24-25, at CDC's Clifton Road campus in Atlanta. The meeting is open to the general public.

To attend the ACIP meeting at the Clifton Road campus, ACIP attendees (participants and visitors) must register online. The online registration deadline for the February meeting for non-U.S. citizens is February 2. The deadline for U.S. citizens is February 9.

To access the online registration form, go to:
http://www2a.cdc.gov/nip/ACIP/FebruaryRegistration.asp

To access detailed information about the meeting agenda, driving directions, and other useful material, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/acip/meetings.htm#dates