Issue
Number 618
August 28, 2006
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- New: CDC'S 2006-07 Flu Gallery materials are ready for
downloading
- Updated: IAC makes significant revisions to the
professional-education Q&A "Hepatitis B and the Healthcare Worker"
- CDC reports 13 cases of plague in the United States in
2006; presents case reports on six
- Updated: CDC adds information to its HPV web section for
patients and professionals
- CDC reports on completion of first phase of laboratory
containment of polioviruses in WHO's European Region
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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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August 28, 2006
NEW: CDC'S 2006-07 FLU GALLERY MATERIALS ARE READY FOR DOWNLOADING
On August 21, CDC posted an array of patient and provider education
materials to its influenza web section.
The following are now available for downloading:
-
Patient education materials for the 2006-07 flu season
-
Provider education materials for the 2006-07 flu season
-
Patient screening form for trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV)
-
Stop the Spread of Germs posters and flyers in several languages
-
Fact sheets in several languages
-
Influenza vaccine VISs
To access the materials, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/patiented.htm
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August 28, 2006
UPDATED: IAC MAKES SIGNIFICANT REVISIONS TO THE PROFESSIONAL-EDUCATION Q&A
"HEPATITIS B AND THE HEALTHCARE WORKER"
With the assistance and review of CDC, IAC recently revised and added to
the three-page professional-education piece titled "Hepatitis B and the
Healthcare Worker."
The document contains frequently asked questions with corresponding
answers that are written briefly and can be quickly read. Many questions
have been identified by our readers during their work in caring for
patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection or in dealing with their
own hepatitis B issues. The document discusses the uses and importance of
hepatitis B vaccine and the methodology used to administer the vaccine.
Questions and answers also address the efficacy, immunogenicity, and
safety of the vaccine. Many answers concern what steps to take when
official recommendations are not followed. The document also has a table
detailing the recommendations for postexposure prophylaxis after
percutaneous or mucosal exposure to HBV in an occupational setting.
Finally, chronic HBV infection in healthcare workers is discussed.
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the revised piece, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2109hcw.pdf
To access a web-text (HTML) version, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2109hcw.htm
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August 28, 2006
CDC REPORTS 13 CASES OF PLAGUE IN THE UNITED STATES IN 2006; PRESENTS CASE
REPORTS ON SIX
On August 25, CDC published "Human Plague—Four States, 2006" in the MMWR
Dispatch. The opening paragraph is reprinted below.
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Plague is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. In
2006, a total of 13 human plague cases have been reported among residents
of four states: New Mexico (seven cases), Colorado (three cases),
California (two cases), and Texas (one case). This is the largest number
of cases reported in a single year in the United States since 1994. Dates
of illness onset ranged from February 16 to August 14; two (15%) cases
were fatal. The median age of patients was 43 years (range: 13–79 years);
eight (62%) patients were female. Five (38%) patients had primary
septicemic plague, and the remaining eight (62%) had bubonic plague. Two
(15%) patients developed secondary plague pneumonia, leading to
administration of antibiotic prophylaxis to their healthcare providers.
This report summarizes six of the 13 cases, highlighting the severity and
diverse clinical presentations of plague and underscoring the need for
prompt diagnosis and treatment when plague is suspected.
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To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the entire MMWR Dispatch, go
to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/wk/mm55d825.pdf
To access a web-text (HTML) version, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm55d825a1.htm
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August 28, 2006
UPDATED: CDC ADDS INFORMATION TO ITS HPV WEB SECTION FOR PATIENTS AND
PROFESSIONALS
CDC recently added two resources to its human papillomavirus (HPV) web
section:
ACIP Provisional Recommendations for the Use of Quadrivalent HPV Vaccine:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/recs/provisional_recs/hpv.pdf
The revised HPV Vaccine Q&A for the general public:
http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/STDFact-HPV-vaccine.htm
To access these and other related materials, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv
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August 28, 2006
CDC REPORTS ON COMPLETION OF FIRST PHASE OF LABORATORY CONTAINMENT OF
POLIOVIRUSES IN WHO'S EUROPEAN REGION
CDC published "National Laboratory Inventory for Global Poliovirus
Containment—European Region, June 2006" in the August 25 issue of MMWR. A
summary made available to the press is reprinted below in its entirety.
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Containment of facility-based polioviruses is an important component of
the polio eradication initiative. Successful completion of Phase I in the
WHO European Region [EUR] demonstrates the feasibility of containment.
Inadvertent release of poliovirus from a facility into the population once
the virus has been eradicated and immunization against polio stopped could
have devastating implications. Therefore it is critical to carefully plan
and implement laboratory containment measures. The 52nd World Health
Assembly passed a resolution urging all member states to begin the process
leading to the laboratory containment of wild poliovirus. The national
containment process begins with a survey of all biomedical facilities,
called "Phase I—laboratory survey and inventory." The purpose of the
survey is to alert institutions and facilities to the upcoming need for
containment, encourage reduction of unneeded wild poliovirus materials,
and develop a national inventory of facilities holding such materials. WHO
initiated the containment process in the European region in 1999, and
provided significant technical direction and assistance to countries
implementing Phase I containment processes. By March 2006, the 52 EUR
Member States had surveyed 55,748 laboratories. Twenty-five countries,
mostly in Western Europe, reported that no facility holds wild poliovirus
infectious or potential infectious materials. In June 2006, the European
Regional Commission for the Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication
accepted the EURO containment report and declared Phase I complete in the
WHO European Region.
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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5533a3.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5533.pdf
To receive a FREE electronic subscription to MMWR (which includes new ACIP
statements), go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwrsubscribe.html |
