Issue Number 463            June 7, 2004

CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE

  1. IAC's "Adults Only Vaccination: A Step-by-Step Guide" receives praise
  2. Update: IAC adds new information to its educational sheet on reliable sources of immunization information
  3. CDC Health Update announces the end of the suspension of adoptions from China
  4. CDC issues an update on measles among children adopted from China
  5. CDC reports that the United States has completed the first phase of its plan for laboratory containment of poliovirus
  6. Gates Foundation grant helps UNICEF's childhood measles vaccination campaign in Sudan

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ABBREVIATIONS: AAFP, American Academy of Family Physicians; AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics; ACIP, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; FDA, Food and Drug Administration; IAC, Immunization Action Coalition; MMWR, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; NIP, National Immunization Program; VIS, Vaccine Information Statement; VPD, vaccine-preventable disease; WHO, World Health Organization.
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June 7, 2004
IAC'S "ADULTS ONLY VACCINATION: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE" RECEIVES PRAISE

Released in early May, IAC's "Adults Only Vaccination: A Step-by-Step Guide" has received praise from many in the immunization community. The American Medical Association described the guide as "indispensable" and publicized it in two of its member listservs. The guide has also been termed "awesome" and a "treasure chest."

During its development, the guide was thoroughly reviewed for technical accuracy by immunization experts from CDC. In addition, the introductory letter was signed by heads of four divisions at CDC, Department of Health and Human Services (Women's Health), American Medical Association, National Medical Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College Health Association, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

With a print run of 5,000, the guide has been mailed to 1,800 organizations that placed advance orders. Twenty percent of remaining copies have been sold. Following is a description of the guide and ordering information.

CONTENTS OF THE GUIDE AND ACCOMPANYING TOOLS

The guide
Though designed to help integrate immunizations into settings new to adult vaccination, the 157-page guide is also valuable for use in settings experienced in delivering vaccine to adult and pediatric patients. Divided into seven chapters, the guide presents practical information on getting started, setting up vaccination services, handling and storing vaccines, deciding whom to vaccinate, administering vaccines, documenting vaccination delivery, and financing vaccination services. In addition, the guide has two appendices containing approximately 50 educational materials for health care providers and patients, including standing orders for every adult vaccine. IAC updates these materials as needed and provides a link on each page to the most current version. This makes it easy for providers to stay up to date.

To view the cover of the guide, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/guide/aovguide.jpg

Accompanying tools
Packaged as a kit, the guide comes with a pack of 25 adult immunization record cards, two videos, and other useful clinic materials. The videos, "How to Protect Your Vaccine Supply" (25 minutes long, produced by CDC in 2004) and "Immunization Techniques: Safe, Effective, Caring" (35 minutes long, produced by California Department of Health Services in 2001), present comprehensive, easy-to-follow information and make valuable viewing for beginners and seasoned professionals alike.

For more information on the adult immunization record cards, go to: https://www.immunize.org/adultizcards

For more information on the video "How to Protect Your Vaccine Supply," go to: https://www.immunize.org/vachandling

For more information on the video "Immunization Techniques: Safe, Effective, Caring," go to: https://www.immunize.org/iztech

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PRICE, AND ORDERING METHODS
For additional information about the kit (including access to a ready-to-copy [PDF] version of the guide), pricing (including discounts for orders of more than nine kits), and ordering methods, go to: http://www.immunize.org/guide
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June 7, 2004
UPDATE: IAC ADDS NEW INFORMATION TO ITS EDUCATIONAL SHEET ON RELIABLE SOURCES OF IMMUNIZATION INFORMATION

In May, IAC updated its one-page information sheet "Reliable Sources of Immunization Information: Where to go to find answers!" Intended for health professionals to give to parents and patients, the sheet lists website addresses, phone numbers, books, and videos that provide dependable immunization information.

The sheet now includes ordering information for two videos produced by the Vaccine Education Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, "Vaccines and Your Baby" and "Vaccines: Separating Fact from Fear." It also has ordering information for the most recent editions of two books for parents, "Vaccines: What you should know" and "Vaccinating Your Child: Questions and answers for the concerned parent." New editions of both were published in 2003.

To access a ready-to-copy (PDF) version of IAC's updated information sheet, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4012.pdf

To access a web-text (HTML) version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4012.htm
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June 7, 2004
CDC HEALTH UPDATE ANNOUNCES THE END OF THE SUSPENSION OF ADOPTIONS FROM CHINA

On June 3, CDC issued an official Health Update announcing it has lifted suspension of adoptions from China. It is reprinted below in its entirety.

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This is an official CDC Health Update
Distributed via Health Alert Network
June 03, 2004, 11:53 EDT (11:53 AM EDT)

CDC LIFTS SUSPENSION OF ADOPTIONS FROM CHINESE ORPHANAGE

Effective immediately, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lifted the temporary suspension of adoptions from the Zhuzhou Child Welfare Institute in Hunan Province of China.

On April 16, 2004, CDC recommended a temporary suspension of adoption proceedings for children from the Zhuzhou Child Welfare Institute, which was experiencing an outbreak of measles. Last week, Chinese health authorities reported that the recommended measles vaccination campaign for all eligible children has been completed and that no additional children from the orphanage had developed measles for the past 21 days (one incubation period of the disease).

As a result, CDC is now recommending that the temporary suspension of adoptions from the affected orphanage in China be ended and standard adoption procedures be resumed.

Additional information for prospective parents adopting children internationally is available from CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/other/adoption.htm

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June 7, 2004
CDC ISSUES AN UPDATE ON MEASLES AMONG CHILDREN ADOPTED FROM CHINA

CDC published "Update: Measles Among Children Adopted from China" in the June 4 issue of MMWR. The update is reprinted below in its entirety, excluding references.

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As of May 24, 2004, investigators have identified 10 confirmed measles cases associated with adoptees who traveled to the United States from China during March 2004. No cases have been reported since April 18, and all the ill persons have recovered without complications. CDC is now recommending that the temporary suspension of adoptions from the affected orphanage in China be ended and standard adoption procedures be resumed.

The 10 cases included nine imported cases among adopted children aged 12-18 months who acquired their infections while still in China and then traveled to three states (Maryland, New York, and Washington) during March 26-27, and one importation-linked case in a female student aged 19 years from California. The student had close contact with an adoptee aged 18 months during a visit to Washington when the child was infectious with measles. The student had a nonmedical exemption and had not received measles-containing vaccine; upon her return to California, she was quarantined in her off-campus home. She had onset of rash 14-16 days after contact with the adopted child, and measles was diagnosed. No other cases linked to this outbreak have been identified.

The cases in adoptees were associated with the Zhuzhou Child Welfare Institute in Hunan Province. On May 24, Chinese authorities reported that the last patient with measles at the orphanage had rash onset on April 23, and that the recommended vaccination campaign for all eligible children at the orphanage had been completed. Because no cases of measles were reported from the orphanage during the next 21 days (i.e., one incubation period), the outbreak appears to have been controlled. As a result, CDC is recommending that standard adoption procedures for children from the orphanage be resumed.

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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5321a5.htm

To access a ready-to-copy (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5321.pdf

To receive a FREE electronic subscription to MMWR (which includes new ACIP statements), go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwrsubscribe.html
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June 7, 2004
CDC REPORTS THAT THE UNITED STATES HAS COMPLETED THE FIRST PHASE OF ITS PLAN FOR LABORATORY CONTAINMENT OF POLIOVIRUS

CDC published "National Laboratory Inventory for Global Poliovirus Containment--United States, November 2003" in the June 4 issue of MMWR. A summary made available to the press is reprinted below in its entirety.

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The United States has successfully completed the first phase of a plan for the laboratory containment of poliovirus following its eradication.

Before the world can be certified as free of polio, it is necessary for countries to identify sources of material that may contain poliovirus and either destroy or properly contain them. The first phase of this process is to create an inventory of laboratories that have stored poliovirus-containing materials. The United States has completed such an inventory. Surveys were sent to institutions and laboratories representing 105,356 individual laboratories. From the survey responses, 180 laboratories were identified that had wild poliovirus-containing materials. These laboratories comprise the final inventory of institutions and laboratories that would be kept informed of eradication progress and appropriate containment procedures to minimize the risk for reintroducing wild poliovirus from laboratories to communities.

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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5321a4.htm

To access a ready-to-copy (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5321.pdf
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June 7, 2004
GATES FOUNDATION GRANT HELPS UNICEF'S CHILDHOOD MEASLES VACCINATION CAMPAIGN IN SUDAN

On May 25, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF issued a press release announcing the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided a $500,000 grant to kick-start a childhood measles immunization campaign in the Dafur region of Sudan. Planned for early June, the 10-day campaign will immunize all children in the region under age 15. The campaign is a joint project of UNICEF, WHO, and the Sudanese government.

To access the complete press release, go to: http://www.unicefusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=duLRI8O0H&b=25933 Click on Measles Drive in Dafur in the What's New column at the right of the screen.

About IZ Express

IZ Express is supported in part by Grant No. 1NH23IP922654 from CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Its contents are solely the responsibility of Immunize.org and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC.

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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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