Issue Number 337            September 23, 2002

CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE

  1. Revised! IAC's updated "Give These People Influenza Vaccine!" now online
  2. Revised! IAC's updated "It's Federal Law! You Must Give Your Patients Current VISs" now online
  3. New! IAC adds web page: Immunization and Health Care Workers
  4. New! CDC's National Immunization Program releases Influenza Vaccine Bulletin #4
  5. National Hepatitis Coordinators' Conference set for January 26-30, 2003, in San Antonio, TX
  6. New pertussis website! Hear it, see it, and learn about it online
  7. MMWR notifies readers about a recent human rabies encephalitis death in Tennessee
  8. Adult Immunization Symposium: 2002 Clinical Update to be held November 7, 2002, in New York
  9. Online now! Report of the meeting on "Strengthening Immunisation Systems and Introduction of Hepatitis B Vaccine in Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States"

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September 23, 2002
REVISED! IAC'S UPDATED "GIVE THESE PEOPLE INFLUENZA VACCINE!" NOW ONLINE

The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) has updated "Give These People Influenza Vaccine!" just in time for the 2002-2003 flu season. Intended to keep you and your staff informed about the latest  recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the one-page professional educational sheet contains two significant revisions:

  1. All children age 6-23 months are now encouraged to receive influenza vaccine (when feasible) because of their increased risk for influenza-related hospitalization.
     
  2. Household contacts of children age 0-23 months are now encouraged to receive influenza vaccine.

You may want to put copies of the sheet in each exam room to remind yourself and your staff to ask questions that will help you decide which of your patients need flu vaccination this year.

To view or download the revised "Give These People Influenza Vaccine!" go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2013flu.htm

For a camera-ready (PDF) version of the revised "Give These People Influenza Vaccine!" go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2013flu.pdf
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September 23, 2002
REVISED! IAC'S UPDATED "IT'S FEDERAL LAW! YOU MUST GIVE YOUR PATIENTS CURRENT VISs" NOW ONLINE

The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) has updated "It's Federal Law! You Must Give Your Patients Current VISs" to include revision dates for two VISs. The interim VIS for MMR now carries a June 13, 2002, revision date; the VIS for influenza carries a June 26, 2002, revision date.

The material in "It's Federal Law!" was originally written by Neal A. Halsey, MD, Director, Institute for Vaccine Safety, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. It succinctly explains the following: what VISs are, which are required by the National Childhood Vaccination Injury Act and which are not, how to use VISs in your health care setting, the dates of the most current versions, and how to get current VISs.

To view or download the revised "It's Federal Law!" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2027law.htm

For a camera-ready (PDF) version of the revised "It's Federal Law!" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2027law.pdf
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September 23, 2002
NEW! IAC ADDS WEB PAGE TITLED IMMUNIZATION AND HEALTH CARE WORKERS

The new Immunization and Health Care Workers web page of the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) brings you a list of more than 25 journal articles and other resources with just the click of a mouse.

The information currently on the new web page is culled from academic journals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and IAC publications. Journal articles make up the bulk of the page, but it also contains recommendations, resources, and questions and answers from the IAC's "Ask the Experts" information column.

To view the new Immunization and Health Care Workers web page, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/hcw/index.htm
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September 23, 2002
NEW! CDC'S NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION PROGRAM RELEASES INFLUENZA VACCINE BULLETIN #4

On September 13, 2002, the National Immunization Program (NIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued the fourth in a series of influenza vaccine bulletins designed to update health professionals on the production, distribution, and administration of influenza vaccine for the 2002-2003 influenza season. To view or download the bulletin, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/nip/flu/Bulletins_2002-03/bulletin_4.htm The bulletin is printed here in its entirety.

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INFLUENZA VACCINE BULLETIN #4
Flu Season 2002-2003
September 13, 2002

The National Immunization Program (NIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is publishing and distributing periodic bulletins to update partners about recent developments related to the production, distribution, and administration of influenza vaccine for the 2002-2003 influenza season. All recipients of this bulletin are encouraged to distribute each issue widely to colleagues, members, and constituents.

INFLUENZA VACCINE SUPPLY AND PRODUCTION

  • Projected influenza vaccine production for the 2002-03 season, based on aggregate manufacturers' estimates, is approximately 94 million doses. All three manufacturers report that influenza vaccine production is proceeding satisfactorily. According to the manufacturers, approximately 80 percent of the total production is anticipated to be distributed before November 1.

INFLUENZA VACCINE DISTRIBUTION

Contact information for ordering influenza vaccine from U.S.-based manufacturers (Aventis-Pasteur and Wyeth), as well as the three distributors handling the Evans product, can be found on the CDC  influenza website at http://www.cdc.gov/nip/flu/Provider.htm#ordering

  • The U.S.-based manufacturers have established waiting lists. Health care providers who still want to place orders may find that some distributors who normally carry influenza vaccine still have it available.

Health care providers may redistribute influenza vaccine this season.

  • The FDA has indicated that, during the 2002-03 vaccination season, providers may exchange influenza vaccine between and among themselves in local circumstances where vaccine distribution is uneven. When redistribution occurs, the hospital or health care entity that is redistributing influenza vaccine should document and maintain the following information: vaccine brand name; manufacturer and distributor; lot number; number of doses transferred; and the  recipient's name and address. In any such redistribution, the influenza vaccine and its transfer must comply with FDA's current good manufacturing practices. Information on proper handling, storage, and shipping can be found on the CDC influenza website at http://www.cdc.gov/nip/flu/Provider.htm#handling

FDA recently approved a preservative-free influenza vaccine for pediatric use.

  • In early September, FDA approved a preservative-free influenza vaccine for pediatric use. The vaccine, manufactured by Aventis, will be available in limited quantities in November. Health care  providers can be placed on a waiting list for the vaccine by contacting the manufacturer at 800-822-2463.

INFLUENZA VACCINE COMMUNICATIONS

A continuing education program is available on CD-ROM that offers primary care providers strategies they can use to increase vaccination rates among their adult patients.

  • "Increasing Adult Vaccination Rates: WhatWorks" is a program that offers users the opportunity to test their knowledge of vaccine usage, explore epidemiological facts, access reference  materials and answers to frequently asked questions, and review information about which strategies are effective. The CD-ROM can be ordered free from this website (limit 1) https://www2.cdc.gov/nchstp_od/PIWeb/niporderform.asp

New influenza patient-education materials for the coming season are available on the CDC influenza website.

  • New patient-education print materials, which reflect the most recent recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), can be viewed and reproduced directly from http://www.cdc.gov/nip/flu/gallery.htm on the CDC influenza website. Health care  providers can download black and white master copies of the flyers and reproduce them on their office copy machines. Commercial printers can access the .pdf Press files to reproduce higher quality materials, large quantities of materials, items in multiple colors, posters, or buttons.  Commercial printers can also request a CD-ROM with traditional QuarkXPress 5.0 files by calling (404) 639-8226 or emailing nipinfo@cdc.gov

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has completed their 2002-2003 Immunizers' Question and Answer Guide to Medicare Coverage of Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccinations.

  • The guide can be found at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/preventiveservices/2.asp#1 and includes information on vaccination benefits, immunization guidelines, coverage policy, payment policy, mass immunization, centralized billing, and managed care.
      
  • While many Medicare carriers have not yet posted a payment for the 2002 influenza vaccine, according to sources at CMS, effective October 1, the correct rate will be $8.01 per dose.

The next meeting of the ACIP will be on October 16-17 in Atlanta, GA.

  • On the agenda for the fall 2002 ACIP meeting will be a discussion of influenza vaccine recommendations for the 2003-04 season.

National Adult Immunization Awareness Week (NAIAW) is October 13-19. More information regarding NAIAW can be found at http://www.nfid.org/ncai/publications/naiaw-kit/
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September 23, 2002
NATIONAL HEPATITIS COORDINATORS' CONFERENCE SET FOR JANUARY 26-30, 2003, IN SAN ANTONIO, TX

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has chosen an inviting site for the January 26-30, 2003, National Hepatitis Coordinators' Conference: The Hyatt Regency San Antonio, on the Riverwalk in old town San Antonio.

Designed to provide training and networking opportunities, the conference is intended for public health professionals, administrators, educators, counselors, social workers, and others working with clients at risk for viral hepatitis.

The focus will be on prevention of perinatal, infant, childhood, adolescent, and adult infections and on dealing with high-risk populations such as inmates, clients in HIV/STD clinics, substance abusers/injection drug users, and men who have sex with men. Models of integrating hepatitis prevention services into STD, HIV, correctional health, and substance abuse treatment programs will be presented.

For complete information on continuing medical education credits, registration, meeting venue and accommodations, conference materials, pre- and post-conference sessions, and the conference program, click here: http://www.med.umn.edu/cme/brochures2002/hepcoord2003/hepcoordbro2003.html

For toll-free registration information, call the conference planner, the University of Minnesota Office of Continuing Medical Education, at (800) 776-8636.
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September 23, 2002
NEW PERTUSSIS WEBSITE! HEAR IT, SEE IT, AND LEARN ABOUT IT ONLINE

We now have a potent tool for educating parents about the serious risk pertussis poses to infants and small children.

A new website, www.pertussis.com, was created by the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners to help the public and healthcare providers recognize the illness in its classic and mild forms and adequately diagnose and treat it.

To heighten people's appreciation of the disease, the site offers an 8-second video of a child coughing with pertussis. It also features questions and answers about the disease in English and Spanish. We urge you to explore the site and make your patients aware of it.

The site also has information for health professionals: a 7-minute educational video, background information on the disease, a United States map showing state-by-state disease incidence for 2001,  and a reporting guide with reporting forms and contact information for each state.

To access the site, click here: http://www.pertussis.com
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September 23, 2002
MMWR NOTIFIES READERS ABOUT A RECENT HUMAN RABIES ENCEPHALITIS DEATH IN TENNESSEE

On September 20, 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published "Human  Rabies-Tennessee, 2002" in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

The article recounts the case of a boy aged 13 years residing in Franklin County, Tennessee, who died on August 31, 2002, from rabies encephalitis caused by a rabies virus variant associated with  silver-haired and eastern pipistrelle bats.

The article reports the following: "The patient's family had several pets, including cats, dogs, and horses, none of which had been ill. The parents reported that the patient had found a bat on the ground during the day at a nearby lake on approximately July 1 and brought it home. No other family members handled the bat, which was released the same day. The patient never reported being bitten by the bat, but at the time of the investigation the patient could not be asked directly. The family was unaware of any animal bite, and the patient never sought medical counseling or care related to the bat exposure. The family was unaware that bats might be rabid and can transmit rabies virus to humans."

The article's editorial note concludes as follows: "Bat rabies has been documented throughout the continental United States. Prevention of human cases of bat-variant rabies is complicated by the cryptogenic nature of many exposures. However, certain prevention guidelines should be followed. The public should be informed that bats carry the rabies virus. Unvaccinated or untrained persons should not handle bats unless necessary. If necessary, protective gloves and safety precautions should be used. Bats are not appropriate as pets. Bats should be excluded from buildings and other structures in close proximity to humans. In cases of known or possible exposure to a bat, timely submission of the bat to public health officials facilitates testing for the presence of rabies virus, helps to ensure rapid PEP [postexposure prophylaxis] when indicated, and minimizes the unnecessary use of an expensive therapy."

To obtain the complete text of the article online, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5137a2.htm

To obtain a camera-ready (PDF format) copy of this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5137.pdf

HOW TO OBTAIN A FREE ELECTRONIC SUBSCRIPTION TO THE MMWR:
To obtain a free electronic subscription to the "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" (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 email.
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September 23, 2002
ADULT IMMUNIZATION SYMPOSIUM: 2002 CLINICAL UPDATE TO BE HELD NOVEMBER 7, 2002, IN NEW YORK

The Second Adult Immunization Symposium: 2002 Clinical Update is set for November 7, 2002, in the Stern Auditorium of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY.

It will feature experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the New York City Department of Health, as well as faculty members from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and other leading institutions in the United States and Canada.

It is intended for primary care physicians and practitioners; internists, infectious diseases attending physicians, and fellows; health and occupational health service practitioners; nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants; and other health care providers who handle or educate about adult vaccines.

For further information on the symposium, click here:
http://www.mssm.edu/new/medicine/infectious-disease/overview.shtml

For registration information, call (212) 241-6737.
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September 23, 2002
ONLINE NOW! REPORT OF THE MEETING ON "STRENGTHENING IMMUNISATION SYSTEMS AND INTRODUCTION OF HEPATITIS B VACCINE IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND THE NEWLY INDEPENDENT STATES"

The Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board has made the report of the meeting on "Strengthening Immunisation Systems and Introduction of Hepatitis B Vaccine in Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States" available online in English and Russian. The meeting was held June 24-27, 2001, in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation.

For a camera-ready (PDF) version of the English language meeting report, click on:
http://www.vhpb.org/stpetersburg/backgrounddoc/fullmeetingreport.pdf

For a camera-ready (PDF) version of the Russian language meeting report, click on:
http://www.vhpb.org/stpetersburg/backgrounddoc/rusianmeetingreport.pdf

To learn more about the Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board, visit their home page at: http://www.vhpb.org

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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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