Issue Number 216            December 15, 2000

CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE

  1. Watch for the Winter 2001 issue of NEEDLE TIPS in late February
  2. Updated Spanish translation of "When Do Children and Teens Need Vaccinations?"
  3. VISs now available in Turkish!
  4. Influenza vaccine is still available through CDC's contract with Aventis-Pasteur
  5. CDC publishes ACIP recommendations on use of anthrax vaccine
  6. CDC reports on human rabies in the United States
  7. CDC reports on human rabies case in Canada
  8. CDC publishes recommendations on improving global measles control

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(1)
December 15, 2000
WATCH FOR THE WINTER 2001 ISSUE OF "NEEDLE TIPS" IN LATE FEBRUARY

Look for the winter issue of NEEDLE TIPS to be published February 2001. Usually available in October or November, the publication will appear in late winter this season.

According to Deborah Wexler, MD, executive director of the Immunization Action Coalition, although only one issue of NEEDLE TIPS was produced in 2000, the summer issue in August, "We will continue to publish two issues per year in the future, with approximately six months between issues."

"We've relied heavily on IAC EXPRESS, our e-mail news service, and the regularly updated materials on our website to fill in the gaps caused by publishing only one issue in 2000," said Wexler.

Coalition members and people who have subscribed will continue to receive issues through 2001.
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(2)
December 15, 2000
UPDATED SPANISH TRANSLATION OF "WHEN DO CHILDREN AND TEENS NEED VACCINATIONS?"

Visit IAC's website for the updated Spanish translation of "When Do Children and Teens Need Vaccinations?" a one-page chart with simple graphics that illustrate when childhood vaccines should be administered. The updated version includes the new recommended schedule for pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7).

To obtain "Cuando necesitan sus vacunas los ninos y adolescentes?" go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4050-01.htm

To obtain this item in English, go to: http://www.immunize.org/nslt.d/n17/when1.htm
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(3)
December 15, 2000
VISs NOW AVAILABLE IN TURKISH!

Three new Turkish translations of Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) are now available on the IAC website, and more will be available soon. Currently, Turkish translations have been completed for influenza, Hib, and pneumococcal conjugate VISs. Turkish translations of eight other VISs will be completed soon.

To view the list of Turkish-language VISs, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/#turkish

To view the influenza VIS in Turkish, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/tu_flu00.pdf

To view the Hib VIS in Turkish, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/tu_hib98.pdf

To view the pneumococcal conjugate (PCV7) VIS in Turkish, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/tupnPCV7.pdf

IAC greatly appreciates the work of Dr. Mustafa Kozanoglu, pediatrician, and Dr. Murat Serbest, pediatric hematologist, both in a private pediatric practice in Adana, Turkey, who provided these new translations.

To obtain copies of all other VISs, including some in up to 23 languages, visit IAC's website at: http://www.immunize.org/vis/

IAC's website also has links to CDC instructions on how to use VISs and their legal requirements. For "Vaccine Information Statements: What You Need to Know," go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/instr00.htm

For "Instructions for Use of Vaccine Information Materials (Vaccine Information Statements)," go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/instr2.pdf
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(4)
December 15, 2000
INFLUENZA VACCINE IS STILL AVAILABLE THROUGH CDC'S CONTRACT WITH AVENTIS-PASTEUR

The application deadline for ordering influenza vaccine produced by Aventis-Pasteur (Av-P) under a contract with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been extended through February 1, 2001.

Earlier this year, CDC contracted with Av-P to produce an additional 9 million influenza vaccine doses in order to increase the 2000-2001 vaccine production level to approximately the level as last year. Some of this vaccine remains available for purchase.

All requests must be for a minimum of 10 vials (100 doses) per shipping destination. The price for this federally guaranteed influenza vaccine will be $29.88 per 10-dose vial for the public sector and $50.00 per 10-dose vial for the private sector. All vaccine sales are final and returns will not be allowed.

Once an application has been received by Av-P, notification of order acceptance will be provided to the applicant. Shipment will begin the week of December 18, 2000.

To obtain an application for vaccine order placement, go to Av-P's website at http://www.vaccineshoppe.com and click on the link "Fluzone Application Form," or call (800) 720-8972. Completed application forms should be faxed to (888) 889-7129. Orders for this vaccine will not be taken by telephone.

Influenza vaccine administration is recommended through January and February. In past flu seasons, peak influenza infectious periods have occurred during those times.
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(5)
December 15, 2000
CDC PUBLISHES ACIP RECOMMENDATIONS ON USE OF ANTHRAX VACCINE

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a statement titled "Use of Anthrax Vaccine in the United States: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)" in the December 15, 2000, issue of "MMWR Recommendations and Reports" (vol. 49, no. RR-15).

The MMWR summary of the ACIP statement follows. Use the links provided following the summary to obtain the full statement.

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These recommendations concern the use of aluminum hydroxide adsorbed cell-free anthrax vaccine (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed [AVA], BioPort Corporation, Lansing, MI) in the United States for protection against disease caused by Bacillus anthracis. In addition, information is included regarding the use of chemoprophylaxis against B. anthracis.

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To view the complete text of "Use of Anthrax Vaccine in the United States: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)" online in text (HTML) format, go to:  http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr4915a1.htm

To obtain a camera-ready copy (PDF format) of the entire ACIP statement, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr4915.pdf

For a copy of the Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) for anthrax, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/anthrx00.pdf

For instructions on how to obtain a free electronic subscription to the MMWR, see the information following story eight below.
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(6)
December 15, 2000
CDC REPORTS ON HUMAN RABIES IN THE UNITED STATES

CDC published a report titled "Human Rabies--California, Georgia, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin, 2000" in the December 15, 2000, issue of MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WEEKLY REPORT (MMWR). According to the article, since September 20, 2000, five people in the United States have died of rabies. Four cases--one each in California, Georgia, Minnesota, and Wisconsin--are believed to have been transmitted by bats. One case in New York was likely caused by a bite from an unvaccinated puppy in Ghana. This report summarizes the case investigations.

To view the complete text of this article online, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4949a3.htm

For information on how to obtain a free electronic subscription to the MMWR, see the information following story eight below.
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(7)
December 15, 2000
CDC REPORTS ON HUMAN RABIES CASE IN CANADA

CDC published a Public Health Dispatch titled "Human Rabies--Quebec, Canada, 2000" in the December 15, 2000, issue of MMWR. It reports on the rabies death of a 9-year-old boy in Quebec who was bitten by a bat.

To view the complete text of this article online, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4949a4.htm

For information on how to obtain a free electronic subscription to the MMWR, see the information following story eight below.
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(8)
December 15, 2000
CDC PUBLISHES RECOMMENDATIONS ON IMPROVING GLOBAL MEASLES
CONTROL

CDC published a Notice to Readers titled "Recommendations from Meeting on Strategies for Improving Global Measles Control, May 11-12, 2000" in the December 15, 2000, issue of MMWR. It reports on the recommendations for global measles control and regional measles elimination efforts developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and CDC at a technical working group meeting. Participants at the meeting concluded that vaccination coverage of 90% or greater is necessary to achieve measles control and advised providing two opportunities for measles vaccination rather than a one-shot policy.

To view the complete text of this article online, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4949a5.htm

HOW TO OBTAIN A FREE ELECTRONIC SUBSCRIPTION TO THE MMWR:
To obtain a free electronic subscription to MMWR, visit CDC's MMWR website at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr Select "Free MMWR Subscription" from the menu at the left of the screen. Once you have submitted the required information, weekly issues of the MMWR and all new ACIP statements (published as MMWR's "Recommendations and Reports") will arrive automatically by e-mail. 

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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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