Issue
Number 579
January 30, 2006
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- CDC releases Dear Colleague letter about new
recommendations to prevent perinatal hepatitis B virus transmission
- Reminder: Epidemiology & Prevention of
Vaccine-Preventable Diseases satellite broadcast begins February 9
- Reminder: February 17 is deadline for regular-price
registration for the National Immunization Conference
- New: January 19 issue of CDC's Pandemic Influenza Update
now available on IAC website
- CDC's web section on avian influenza has a link to WHO's
updated information on global occurrences of the disease
- New: Award-winning BBC documentary "Fragile lives:
Immunization at risk" now available on DVD
- New VIS translation: Spanish-language version of the new
rabies VIS now available on IAC's website
- Updated translations: Revised IAC patient-education
brochure on hepatitis B now available in Vietnamese and Chinese
- Teleconference on working with pharmacies to increase
immunization rates is scheduled for February 14
- CDC adds to and updates its Influenza web section with
Spanish- and English-language materials
- CDC reports on U.S. influenza activity during January
8-14
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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 30, 2006
CDC RELEASES DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTER ABOUT NEW RECOMMENDATIONS TO PREVENT
PERINATAL HEPATITIS B TRANSMISSION
On January 18, CDC released a Dear Colleague letter intended for healthcare
and public health professionals who provide care to pregnant women and
infants. The letter succinctly summarizes the updated ACIP recommendations
for hepatitis B that prenatal care providers, delivery hospitals, newborn
care providers, and health departments should follow to prevent perinatal
and early childhood hepatitis B virus transmission.
In addition, the letter includes information about an Internet conference on
the updated recommendations. The conference is scheduled for February 2 from
noon to 1PM ET.
To access the letter, which was signed by the directors of CDC's Division of
Viral Hepatitis and Division of Immunization services, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/acip/HBVinfant_dearcolleague.pdf
To access complete updated recommendations (including Appendix A, B, and C)
in ready-to-print (PDF) format, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5416.pdf
To access the body of the updated recommendations in web-text (HTML) format,
go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5416a1.htm
To access Appendix A (Case Finding and Management of Hepatitis B Surface
Antigen [HBsAg]-Positive Persons During Delivery of Vaccination Services) in
web-text (HTML) format, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5416a2.htm
To access Appendix B (Immunization Management Issues) in web-text (HTML)
format, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5416a3.htm
To access Appendix C (Postexposure Prophylaxis of Persons with Discrete
Identifiable Exposures to Hepatitis B Virus [HBV]) in web-text (HTML)
format, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5416a4.htm
To access information about the Internet conference, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/ed/ciinc/hepatitisb.htm
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January 30, 2006
REMINDER: EPIDEMIOLOGY & PREVENTION OF VACCINE-PREVENTABLE DISEASES
SATELLITE BROADCAST BEGINS FEBRUARY 9
The first session of NIP's four-session satellite broadcast of Epidemiology
& Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases is scheduled for February 9. A
live interactive program, the broadcast will be given on four consecutive
Thursdays: February 9, 16, and 23, and March 2. All sessions will be
broadcast from 12 noon ET to 3:30PM ET.
Together, the four sessions present comprehensive core content about VPDs
and immunization practice. The course is intended for physicians, nurses,
nurse practitioners, physician assistants, DoD paraprofessionals, and
pharmacists who either give immunizations or set policy for their offices,
clinics, and communicable disease or infection control programs. The course
is also appropriate for private and public healthcare providers, including
pediatricians, family practice specialists, medical assistants, residents,
and medical and nursing students.
The content of the sessions is outlined below:
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Session One: principles of vaccination; general recommendations on
immunization; and vaccine storage, handling, and administration
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Session Two: pertussis, pneumococcal disease (childhood), polio, and Hib
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Session Three: measles, rubella, varicella, and meningococcal disease
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Session Four: hepatitis B, hepatitis A, influenza, and pneumococcal
disease (adult)
The faculty includes Donna Weaver, RN, MN; Judy Schmidt, RN, EdD; Andrew
Kroger, MD, MPH; and William Atkinson, MD, MPH. All are with NIP; additional
presenters will include other CDC experts.
For comprehensive course information, including online registration
information, go to:
http://www.phppo.cdc.gov/phtn/epv06
If you have registration questions, email
ce@cdc.gov or phone (800) 418-7246. For other questions, email
nipinfo@cdc.gov
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January 30, 2006
REMINDER: FEBRUARY 17 IS DEADLINE FOR REGULAR-PRICE REGISTRATION FOR THE
NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION CONFERENCE
Scheduled for March 6-9 in Atlanta, this year's National Immunization
Conference will bring together local, state, federal, and private-sector
immunization partners to explore science, policy, education, and planning
issues related to immunization in general and vaccine-preventable disease.
The deadline for regular-price registration ($200) is February 17. To
register online, go to:
http://conferences.taskforce.org/2006NIC/2006NIC.htm
Online conference information was recently expanded and now includes new
sections on (1) presentation information and guidelines and (2)
continuing-education credit. In addition, the section on conference
accommodations was recently updated.
To access online information, including the preliminary conference agenda,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/nip/nic
To plan some fun in Atlanta, visit the official tourism website at
http://www.atlanta.net
For additional information, contact the conference planning team at (404)
639-8225 or nipnic@cdc.gov
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January 30, 2006
NEW: JANUARY 19 ISSUE OF CDC'S PANDEMIC INFLUENZA UPDATE NOW AVAILABLE ON
IAC WEBSITE
IAC recently updated its pandemic influenza web section with the January
19 issue of CDC's email newsletter Pandemic Influenza Update. To access
it, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/pandemic/panflu011906.pdf
To access a range of pandemic influenza resources, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/pandemic
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January 30, 2006
CDC'S WEB SECTION ON AVIAN INFLUENZA HAS A LINK TO WHO'S UPDATED
INFORMATION ON GLOBAL OCCURRENCES OF THE DISEASE
CDC's web section on avian influenza offers users a link to a
comprehensive index of WHO updates on global occurrences of the disease.
To access the index directly, go to:
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/updates/en/index.html
To locate the link to the index on CDC's avian influenza web section, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian
Scroll down the right column to the subhead News & Highlights and click on
the topic WHO News & Updates.
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January 30, 2006
NEW: AWARD-WINNING BBC DOCUMENTARY "FRAGILE LIVES: IMMUNIZATION AT RISK"
NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD
Filmed on location in Africa, Asia, and Europe, and broadcast worldwide on
BBC World in May 2004, the documentary "Fragile Lives: Immunization at
Risk" is now available in DVD format from amazon.com
Produced by PATH's Children's Vaccine Program, with WHO and UNICEF as
production partners, the 48-minute documentary puts a human face on
immunization. It won two awards in 2004: Best Documentary (Denver
International Independent Film Festival) and Honorable Mention (Global Art
Film Festival & Repertory of Sacramento).
The cost from amazon.com is $29.95. To order, click
here.
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January 30, 2006
NEW VIS TRANSLATION: SPANISH-LANGUAGE VERSION OF THE NEW RABIES VIS NOW
AVAILABLE ON IAC'S WEBSITE
Dated 1/12/06, the current version of the rabies vaccine VIS is now
available on the IAC website in Spanish. IAC gratefully acknowledges the
California Department of Health Services for the translation.
To obtain a ready-to-copy (PDF) version of the rabies VIS in Spanish, go
to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/sp_rab06.pdf
To obtain it in English, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/rabies06.pdf
For information about the use of VISs, and for VISs in up to 33 languages,
visit IAC's VIS web section at
http://www.immunize.org/vis
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January 30, 2006
UPDATED TRANSLATIONS: REVISED IAC PATIENT-EDUCATION BROCHURE ON HEPATITIS
B NOW AVAILABLE IN VIETNAMESE AND CHINESE
IAC recently posted on its website the updated Vietnamese- and
Chinese-language versions of its patient-education brochure "If you, your
parents, or your children were born in any of these places. . . ." The
updated brochure, which was revised in September 2005 to reflect new
treatment options for chronic hepatitis B virus infection, had been
available only in English. IAC gratefully acknowledges the California
Department of Health Services for the translations.
To obtain the updated Vietnamese-language version of the brochure in
ready-to-print (PDF) format, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4170vn.pdf
To obtain the updated Chinese-language version of the brochure in
ready-to-print (PDF) format, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4170ch.pdf
To obtain the updated English-language version of the brochure in
ready-to-print (PDF) format, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4170ref.pdf
To obtain it in web-text (HTML) format, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4170.htm
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January 30, 2006
TELECONFERENCE ON WORKING WITH PHARMACIES TO INCREASE IMMUNIZATION RATES
IS SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 14
The National Immunization Coalition TA [technical assistance] Network has
scheduled a teleconference that will focus on ways immunization coalitions
and pharmacies can collaborate to increase immunization rates. It will be
held at 1:00PM ET, February 14.
NOTE: CDC will give updates on the current influenza vaccine supply at the
beginning of this teleconference and at the beginning of future
teleconferences throughout the influenza season.
The February 14 presenter is Mitchel C. Rothholz, RPh, vice president,
professional practice and membership services, American Pharmacists
Association. A member of several immunization coalitions, Rothholz is a
nationally recognized expert on pharmacy-based immunization delivery. He
currently serves on the executive committee of the National Influenza
Vaccine Summit (a collaboration between the American Medical Association
and CDC) and on the advisory board of IAC.
Teleconference participants will learn how pharmacies can act as advocates
to educate the public about vaccination and can host local immunization
clinics.
To register for the teleconference, send an email to
IZTA@aed.org Include this message: "Sign
me up for the lifelong relationships with pharmacists teleconference."
For additional information, or to access earlier programs, go to:
http://www.izcoalitionsta.org/confcall.cfm
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January 30, 2006
CDC ADDS TO AND UPDATES ITS INFLUENZA WEB SECTION WITH SPANISH- AND
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE MATERIALS
CDC recently added a new Spanish-language resource to its Influenza web
section and two revised English-language resources:
NEW
1. "Hoja informativa: Sintomas de la gripe, como protegerse y que hacer si
se enferma" (posted 1/25/06; this is the Spanish-language version of "Fact
sheet: Influenza symptoms, protection, and what to do if you get sick,"
which was updated 1/14/06 with information advising against the use of the
antivirals amantadine and rimantadine during the 2005-06 influenza season)
To access this resource, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/whatsnew.htm#new and click on the pertinent
link.
UPDATED
2. "Antiviral agents for influenza: Dosage" (posted 1/23/06)
3. "Questions & answers: Vaccine supply and prioritization recommendations
for the U.S. 2005-06 influenza season" (posted 1/23/06)
To access these resources, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/whatsnew.htm#updated and click on the pertinent
links.
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 30, 2006
CDC REPORTS ON U.S. INFLUENZA ACTIVITY DURING JANUARY 8-14
CDC published "Update: Influenza Activity--United States, January 8-14,
2006" in the January 27 issue of MMWR. The first paragraph of the article
is reprinted below.
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During January 8-14, 2006, the number of states reporting widespread
influenza activity increased to eight. Fourteen states reported regional
activity, 11 reported local activity, and 16 reported sporadic activity.
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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5503a4.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5503.pdf
To receive a FREE electronic subscription to MMWR (which includes new ACIP
statements), go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwrsubscribe.html |
