Issue
Number 578
January 23, 2006
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- MMWR includes CDC's report on adamantane resistance
among influenza A (H3N2) viruses and interim guidelines for use of
antiviral agents
- WHO publishes the December 2005 meeting report of the
Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety
- CDC adds to and updates its Influenza web section
- Attention NIC attendees: The National Immunization
Coalitions (TA) Network needs your immediate feedback
- CDC reports on U.S. influenza activity during January
1-7
- MMWR list of exams available for continuing education
credit includes three related to immunization and viral hepatitis
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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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January 23, 2006
MMWR INCLUDES CDC'S REPORT ON ADAMANTANE RESISTANCE AMONG INFLUENZA A (H3N2)
VIRUSES AND INTERIM GUIDELINES FOR USE OF ANTIVIRAL AGENTS
CDC published "High Levels of Adamantane Resistance Among Influenza A (H3N2)
Viruses and Interim Guidelines for Use of Antiviral Agents--United States,
2005-06 Influenza Season" in the January 20 MMWR. Previously, the article
was available only in electronic format as an MMWR Dispatch.
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the MMWR article, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5502a7.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5502.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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January 23, 2006
WHO PUBLISHES THE DECEMBER 2005 MEETING REPORT OF THE GLOBAL ADVISORY
COMMITTEE ON VACCINE SAFETY
On January 13, the WHO publication Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER)
published "Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety [GACVS], 1-2 December
2005." An expert clinical and scientific advisory body, GACVS deals
independently and with scientific rigor with vaccine safety issues of
potential global importance. It held its thirteenth meeting December 1-2,
2005.
The WER article summarizes some of the issues meeting attendees considered,
including the following vaccine safety and policy issues: (1) the Vaccine
Safety Net Project; (2) safety issues associated with pandemic influenza
vaccines; (3) safety of adjuvants; (4) rotavirus vaccine safety; (5)
subacute sclerosing panencephalitis and measles vaccination; (6) chronic
fatigue syndrome and hepatitis B vaccination; and (7) conjugate
meningococcal vaccine and Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the January 13 issue, go to:
http://www.who.int/wer/2006/wer8102.pdf
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January 23, 2006
CDC ADDS TO AND UPDATES ITS INFLUENZA WEB SECTION
CDC recently added a new patient-information flyer to its Influenza web
section. In addition, CDC posted to the web section many revised pieces
regarding antiviral agents for influenza and one Q&A piece about avian
influenza.
NEW
(1) "Flyer: Important notice to all patients--please tell staff immediately
if you have flu symptoms" (1/18/06)
To access this resource, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/whatsnew.htm#updated and click on the pertinent
link.
UPDATED:
(2) "Questions and answers about avian flu (bird flu) and avian influenza A
(H5N1) virus" (1/18/06)
(3) "Antiviral agents for influenza: background information for clinicians"
(1/17/06)
(4) "Influenza antiviral medications: 2005-06 interim chemopropylaxis &
treatment guidelines" (1/14/06)
(5) "Antiviral drugs and influenza" (1/14/06)
(6) "Avian influenza infection in humans" (1/14/06)
(7) "Preventing the flu" (1/14/06)
(8) "Antiviral agents for influenza: side effects and adverse reactions"
(1/14/06)
(9) "Interim guidance for protection of persons involved in U.S. avian
influenza outbreak disease control and eradication activities" (1/14/06)
(10) "Antiviral drug-resistant strains of influenza" (1/14/06)
(11) "Antiviral agents for influenza: dosage" (1/14/06)
(12) "Influenza symptoms, protection, and what to do if you get sick"
(1/14/06)
(13) "Questions & answers: influenza antiviral medications" (1/14/06)
(14) "Recommendations for using antiviral agents for influenza" (1/14/06)
(15) "Antiviral agents for influenza: indications for use" (1/14/06)
To access these resources, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/whatsnew.htm#updated and click on the pertinent
link(s).
To access a broad range of continually updated information on seasonal
influenza, avian influenza, and pandemic influenza, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu
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January 23, 2006
ATTENTION NIC ATTENDEES: THE NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION COALITIONS (TA) NETWORK
NEEDS YOUR IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK
The National Immunization Coalitions (TA) Network and its parent
organization, the Academy for Educational Development, will offer one or
more training sessions in Atlanta on March 5, one day before the start of
the National Immunization Conference. To decide which session(s) to offer,
the network needs immediate feedback from potential attendees.
The three proposed session topics follow:
(1) Media tools for the immunization professional
(2) Social marketing to reduce health disparities in immunization
(3) Working with pharmacists to increase immunization rates
To access descriptions of the content of the proposed sessions, go to:
http://izcoalitionsta.org/content.cfm?id=454 and click on "open word."
To fill out a form indicating which session(s) you are interested in, go to:
http://www.izcoalitionsta.org/content.cfm?id=455 and click on "open
word."
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January 23, 2006
CDC REPORTS ON U.S. INFLUENZA ACTIVITY DURING JANUARY 1-7
CDC published "Update: Influenza Activity--United States, January 1-7, 2006"
in the January 20 MMWR. A portion of the article is reprinted below.
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During January 1-7, 2006, the number of states reporting widespread
influenza activity remained at seven. Eleven states reported regional
activity, nine reported local activity, and 21 reported sporadic activity.
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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete MMWR article, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5502a8.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5502.pdf
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January 23, 2006
MMWR LIST OF EXAMS AVAILABLE FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT INCLUDES THREE
RELATED TO IMMUNIZATION AND VIRAL HEPATITIS
CDC published "MMWR Continuing Education Exams Available for Credit" in the
January 20 MMWR. It lists 19 exams for which health professionals can
receive continuing education credit.
Three exams relate to immunization:
(1) A comprehensive immunization strategy to eliminate transmission of
hepatitis B virus infection in the United States: Recommendations of the
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Part 1: Immunization of
infants, children, and adolescents (expires 12/23/08)
(2) Prevention and control of meningococcal disease: Recommendations of the
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) (expires 5/27/08)
(3) Guidelines for laboratory testing and result reporting of antibody to
hepatitis C virus (expires 2/7/06)
To access a listing of all available exams, go to:
http://www2a.cdc.gov/ce/availableactivities.asp
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5502.pdf |
