The August 2010 issue of Needle Tips has just been placed online at http://www.immunize.org/nslt.d/n46/n46.pdf

This issue, which emphasizes the importance of vaccinating everyone age 6 months and older against influenza, includes these related features:

• Where to Find Influenza Vaccination Resources
   
• Influenza Vaccine Products for the 2010-11 Season
   
• Screening Questionnaires for Influenza Vaccination
   
• Standing Orders for Administering Influenza Vaccines
   
• A "Dear Provider" letter from Anne Schuchat, MD, director, NCIRD, CDC
   
• Many influenza educational materials for patients & staff

Here are additional features included in the issue:

• Ask the Experts from CDC experts
   
• Vaccine Highlights: Recommendations, Schedules, and More
   
• Vaccine Administration Record forms for Children, Teens, and Adults
   
• Documenting Parental Refusal to Have Their Children Vaccinated, developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics

To access the Needle Tips web page where you can view the table of contents and print individual sections, go to: http://www.immunize.org/nt Back issues are accessible from this page as well.

To download a PDF of the entire 18-page issue, go to: http://www.immunize.org/nslt.d/n46/n46.pdf

IAC recently posted Spanish translations of the inactivated influenza (TIV) VIS and the live, intranasal influenza (LAIV) VIS on its website. IAC gratefully acknowledges the Oregon Immunization Program for the translations.

To access the new translation of the VIS for inactivated influenza vaccine, as well as the English-language version, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_flu_inactive.asp

To access the new translation of the VIS for live, intranasal influenza vaccine, as well as the English-language version, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_flu_live.asp

For information about the use of VISs, and for VISs in more than 35 languages, visit IAC's VIS web section at http://www.immunize.org/vis

Anne Schuchat, MD, director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC, has written an open letter to all immunization providers, encouraging them to use every opportunity to offer influenza vaccine to all patients age 6 months and older. The letter concludes:

To read the complete letter, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/drschuchatslettertoproviders2010.pdf

CDC published "National, State, and Local Area Vaccination Coverage among Adolescents Aged 13-17 Years--United States, 2009" in the August 20 issue of MMWR. The first paragraph is reprinted below.

To access the full article in web-text (HTML) format, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5932a3.htm

The August 16 issue of IAC Express and the early release edition of Needle Tips (posted online August 18) included IAC's handout titled "Influenza Vaccine Products for the 2010-11 Influenza Season" that included inaccurate CPT codes for Fluarix vaccine and Fluzone multi-dose vial vaccine.

The corrected version can be accessed at http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4072.pdf

It carries a date of 8/20/10.

Note: If your browser shows an earlier version, it could be that your system is "caching" the old file (i.e., retaining a copy of the file that was downloaded from our site at an earlier time). You might solve this problem by cleaning out your cache, hitting "refresh," or using a different browser.

IAC has developed a new piece for healthcare professionals titled "Guide for determining the number of doses of influenza vaccine to give to children ages 6 months through 8 years during the 2010-11 influenza season." This handout is based on the related guidance found in ACIP's influenza recommendations for the 2010-11 season, but presented in a user-friendly table format.

To access this new handout, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p3093.pdf

IAC's web section titled Handouts for Patients and Staff offers healthcare professionals and the public approximately 250 FREE English-language handouts (many also available in translation), which we encourage website users to print out, copy, and distribute widely. To access all of IAC's free handouts, go to: http://www.immunize.org/handouts

IAC recently made minor revisions to "Seek emergency medical care if you or a family member shows the signs below--a life could be at risk!" Specific references to H1N1 influenza were removed.

To access the revised handout, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4073.pdf

IAC recently updated the following two handouts for the public related to hepatitis B vaccination.

(1) "Every week hundreds of people get hepatitis B. Get Protected! Get Vaccinated!" is a tri-fold brochure on hepatitis B vaccination for adults. IAC made several revisions to the text and also changed the title and URL.Go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4112.pdf

(2) "Every year, thousands of people are infected with hepatitis B virus, including teens--Be sure you're fully vaccinated against this infection!" is a tri-fold brochure for preteens. This piece received minor revisions. Go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4100.pdf

In 2008, Joint Commission Resources (JCR) launched The Flu Vaccination Challenge to help increase influenza vaccination rates among healthcare workers above the national average of 49%.

Among participating healthcare organizations, the second year of The Flu Vaccination Challenge (2009-10 influenza season) yielded an average immunization rate of 76%. This is a 13% increase over the Flu Vaccination Challenge rate reported in 2008-09.

For the 2010-2011 influenza season, The Flu Vaccination Challenge is hoping to increase vaccination rates even more. For information about how your healthcare organization can join the challenge, go to: http://www.jcrinc.com/fluchallenge

In honor of National Immunization Awareness Month, IAC encourages IAC Express readers to watch three video selections geared to getting patients of all ages vaccinated and up-to-date with their immunization requirements. August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). The goal of NIAM is to increase awareness about immunizations across the life span, from infants to the elderly.

Links to these videos will be available on the home page of IAC's website through August 29. To access them, go to: http://www.immunize.org and click on the image under the words Video of the Week.

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

The Indiana Department of Health, Immunization Division, has graciously offered to share some immunization resources with IAC Express readers. Resources include modified temperature logs, "Do Not Unplug" and "Warning" stickers in English and Spanish, and a booklet with photos and text about vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). This booklet is designed to help clinicians educate patients and parents on the various VPDs and the vaccines that prevent them.

To access these resources, go to:
https://myshare.in.gov/ISDH/LHDResource/immunizations/Provider%20Education/Forms/AllItems.aspx

Readers with questions about these pieces should contact April Bailey, Deputy Director, Immunization Division, by email at abailey@isdh.IN.gov or phone at (317) 233-7603.

Nurses have an important stake in helping to promote immunizations. By being fully vaccinated themselves and by promoting vaccinations to their family and their patients,nurses can serve as role models and advocates for timely immunization. As part of a two-year cooperative agreement with CDC, the American Nurses Association (ANA) is proud to announce the ANA Immunity Award. This award will honor nurses who have become champions of immunization by demonstrating a high level of competency in their nursing role as advocate, educator, and leader within the field of immunizations. The ANA Immunity Award will honor a new nurse each month through the end of September 2011.

Visit http://www.anaimmunize.org/immunityaward for additional information on how to nominate yourself or a colleague for the ANA Immunity Award.

The Center for Bioethics of the University of Pennsylvania is co-sponsoring a conference titled "The Science, Ethics, and Politics of Vaccine Mandates." This meeting will take place on September 21, on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia.

The conference is free, but you must pre-register to attend. For more information, go to: http://www.bioethics.upenn.edu/ConferenceSept21.shtml or call (215) 898-7136.

PKIDs (Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases) has scheduled a 1.5-hour webinar for September 1. It will provide hands-on, how-to instruction on the basics of using YouTube. The webinars are part of Communications Made Easy, a PKIDs' program intended to help immunization educators learn the ropes of social marketing and traditional and social media.

"YouTube: Part 1" is scheduled for September 1 at 9AM Pacific Time (noon Eastern Time). Space is limited and pre-registration is recommended. To register, go to: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/vj70v0n4p6kk

For more information on the Communications Made Easy program, go to: http://www.pkids.org/cme

Registration is now open for the Missouri Immunization Conference, to be held November 17-19 in St. Louis. The focus of the conference will be current issues in immunization and vaccine-preventable diseases, with presentations by national and local experts.

For more information, go to: http://www.dhss.mo.gov/immunizations/UpcomingEvents.html