Issue 974: January 24, 2012
TOP STORIES
VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENTS
OFFICIAL RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
FEATURED RESOURCES
CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
TOP STORIES
CDC publishes report on a 2009 hospital-associated measles outbreak in Pennsylvania
CDC published Hospital-Associated Measles Outbreak—
Pennsylvania, March–April 2009 in the January 20 issue of MMWR (pages 30-32). The first paragraph is reprinted below.
Although endemic measles transmission has been interrupted in the United States, importations of this highly infectious virus continue. On March 28, 2009, a physician notified the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH) of a measles case involving an unvaccinated child. Within 5 days, four additional cases were reported to PADOH and the Allegheny County Health Department. All five infected persons had been in the same hospital emergency department (ED) on March 10; one of them was a physician who worked in the ED. To find the source patient, PADOH reviewed electronic records of patients evaluated in the ED on March 10 for fever and rash. This identified a child who arrived recently from India, was treated for viral exanthema, and discharged. On April 3, PADOH obtained serum from this child and confirmed a diagnosis of measles. After an extensive regional search and investigation of the six patients' 4,000 contacts, no additional cases were identified. The hospital reviewed employee health records to identify any exposed personnel who did not have serologic evidence of measles immunity. Among 168 potentially exposed employees, 72 (43%) had no documented measles immunity, thus requiring serologic testing and subsequent vaccination if they lacked serologic evidence of immunity. This outbreak highlights the potential for measles transmission in health-care settings. To decrease transmission, clinicians should know the signs and symptoms of measles, request travel histories of patients suspected of any infectious disease, and isolate potentially infectious patients. Hospital employees should have documented immunity to measles, and employees without evidence of measles immunity should be offered vaccination in accordance with Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) recommendations.
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Spotlight on immunize.org: “Technically Speaking” column from IAC’s executive director covers practical topics in delivering vaccination services
IAC is pleased to announce the launch of a new web section on immunize.org. The new section is called Technically Speaking, and it features a monthly column about practical vaccine topics written by IAC’s executive director, Deborah L. Wexler, MD. The columns cover subject matter in vaccine delivery such as needle length, vaccine administration, cold chain, and immunization schedules. Dr. Wexler’s column made its debut in 2010 in Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers, a monthly e-newsletter of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education Center (VEC), and is a regular feature. Dr. Wexler’s column is now accessible on immunize.org as well.
Check out the recent issue of VEC’s Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers. This e-newsletter keeps providers up to date on vaccine-related issues. To subscribe to the VEC e-newsletter, send your request by email to the Vaccine Education Center. Please include your title, name, practice name, practice address, and email address.
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VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENTS
IAC posts Thai translation of the VIS for inactivated polio vaccine
IAC recently posted the Thai translation of the VIS for inactivated polio vaccine. IAC thanks Asian Pacific Health Care Venture, Los Angeles, for the translation.
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OFFICIAL RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
RAND Health publishes a blueprint for improving adult vaccination promotion and delivery in the United States
RAND Health recently published a technical report titled A Blueprint for Improving the Promotion and Delivery of Adult Vaccination in the United States. The report's intent is to provide public health professionals and others involved in manufacturing, purchasing, and administering vaccines with insights useful for strengthening the promotion and delivery of adult vaccination in the nation.
RAND Health is a division of the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit institution involved in research and analysis on public issues such as health, education, national security, international affairs, law and business, the environment, and more.
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FEATURED RESOURCES
Influenza vaccination is recommended for almost everyone, so please keep vaccinating
Influenza vaccination is recommended for everyone age 6 months and older, so please keep vaccinating your patients.
Following is a list of resources related to influenza disease and vaccination for healthcare professionals and the public.
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CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
Conference on Vaccine Research to be held in Baltimore on May 7–9
The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is hosting its Conference on Vaccine Research in Baltimore on May 7–9. Now in its 15th year, the conference has become the largest scientific meeting devoted exclusively to research on vaccines and associated technologies for disease prevention and treatment through immunization.
Additional information, including a detailed conference agenda and registration form, is available on the online conference brochure.
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Tdap: Now for Pregnant Women and 65 Plus: Dr. Jennifer Liang discusses the latest Tdap vaccine recommendations in this CDC Expert Commentary on Medscape. CDC is taking measures to fill a gap in the protection of infants from pertussis, by vaccinating pregnant women and people in contact with infants younger than 1 year.
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| Issue 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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| Publication Staff |
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| Editor: Deborah L. Wexler, MD |
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| Managing Editor: Dale Thompson, MA |
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| Associate Editor: Teresa Anderson, DDS, MPH |
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| Editorial Assistant: Janelle Tangonan Anderson |
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