Issue Number 224            January 24, 2001

CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE

  1. NNii issues an alert regarding inaccuracies in newly published MMR article from the UK
  2. Hepatitis B immunization coverage extremely low among Vietnamese-American children
  3. Test your immunization knowledge with updated quizzes on IAC's website
  4. Deadline extended! Abstracts for the 2001 immunization registry conference now due January 31

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(1)
January 24, 2001
NNii ISSUES AN ALERT REGARDING INACCURACIES IN NEWLY PUBLISHED MMR ARTICLE FROM THE UK

The National Network for Immunization Information (NNii) issued an alert in the January 24, 2001, issue of "Immunization Newsbriefs," NNii's immunization e-mail news service. The complete text of the alert reads as follows:

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An article was published this week in Adverse Drug Reactions and Toxicological Reviews (v. 19, #4, 2000) in which British researchers claim that the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine was licensed before adequate research on possible adverse events had been done. The methodology and conclusions of the article have been reviewed by the British medical authorities, who found that the authors' conclusions are not supported by the evidence they cite. The authors inaccurately present data from studies cited, and also failed to conduct a thorough review of available literature, selecting only studies that support their point of view and not mentioning studies that do not support that view. The full response from the Medicines Control Agency and the Department of Health in Britain can be found at http://www.doh.gov.uk/mmrresponse.htm. [Note: This subject was covered in the January 22 issue of Immunization News, in the abstract of an article from Reuters entitled "New U.K. Row Breaks Out Over MMR Safety Fears."

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To subscribe to "Immunization Newsbriefs," or to read current and past issues, go to: http://www.immunizationinfo.org/newsbriefs/index.cfm

For more information about NNii, visit: http://www.immunizationinfo.org

For additional information about vaccines and autism, visit the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) website at: http://www.immunize.org/genr.d/vaxsafe.htm#autism or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Immunization Program website at: http://www.cdc.gov/nip/vacsafe/concerns/autism/
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(2)
January 24, 2001
HEPATITIS B IMMUNIZATION COVERAGE EXTREMELY LOW AMONG VIETNAMESE-AMERICAN CHILDREN

An article titled "Hepatitis B Immunization Coverage Among Vietnamese-American Children 3 to 18 Years Old," by Christopher N.H. Jenkins, et al., was published in the December 2000 issue of PEDIATRICS. The study surveyed the hepatitis B immunization rates of Vietnamese-American children 3 to 18 years old living in the Houston, Dallas, and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas. Hepatitis B immunization rates in these three settings ranged from only 10 to 38 percent for completing the three dose series.

The authors concluded that without successful catch-up campaigns, the low rates of hepatitis B vaccine coverage among Vietnamese-American children and adolescents could result in a generation of unprotected adults.

To read the text of this article online, go to:
http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/106/6/e78

IAC has the following resources that can be used to inform the Vietnamese population about hepatitis B and the need for vaccination.

"All Kids Need Hepatitis B Shots!" an IAC brochure for parents, is available online in both English and Vietnamese, as well as fifteen other languages.

For the English version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/4055kidb.htm

For the Vietnamese version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/4055vn.pdf

An IAC brochure on hepatitis B information for adults and children from endemic areas, titled "If you, your parents, or your children were born in any of these places..." is also available in both English and Vietnamese.

For the English version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4170.htm

For the Vietnamese version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4170vn.pdf

"Hepatitis B and Uncle Tam's Family" (Benh viem gan B va gia dinh bac Tam), a top-notch video in Vietnamese language with English script, is available for $10 from IAC. This 10-minute video, produced by Vietnamese Community Health Promotions Project, offers a series of ten brief hepatitis B vignettes that are suitable for use as public service announcements or as an educational video. Call (651) 647-9009 for more information, or visit http://www.immunize.org/catalog to obtain IAC's order form for requesting materials. The video is item #V4030.
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(3)
January 24, 2001
TEST YOUR IMMUNIZATION KNOWLEDGE WITH UPDATED QUIZZES ON IAC'S WEBSITE

Want a quick opportunity to check your knowledge of current immunization recommendations or vaccine administration techniques? Take these revised editions of IAC's popular quizzes, compiled from "Ask the Experts" questions in NEEDLE TIPS, the American Academy of Pediatrics' 2000 RED BOOK, and ACIP statements.

For Quiz #1: Immunization, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p7001qz.htm

For Quiz #2: Vaccine Administration, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p7002qz.htm

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(4)
January 24, 2001
DEADLINE EXTENDED! ABSTRACTS FOR THE 2001 IMMUNIZATION REGISTRY CONFERENCE NOW DUE JANUARY 31

The deadline for submitting abstracts for the 2001 American Immunization Registry Association conference has been extended by two weeks to January 31, 2001. Scheduled for July 9-11 in Little Rock, Ark., this conference will help participants exchange information, share ideas on building support for immunization registries, and more.

For detailed guidelines on submitting abstracts or registering for the conference, call (404) 639-8816 or go to: www.cdc.gov/nip/registry/2001broc.pdf (link discontinued)
Disregard the email address listed in the call for abstracts, however. Instead, send abstracts and biographical data forms to Elizabeth Parra at eparra@cdc.gov

For a detailed list of additional upcoming immunization and hepatitis conferences and events, visit IAC's "Calendar of Events" at: http://www.immunize.org/calendar/

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Editorial Information

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