On December 4, CDC published an MMWR Early Release titled, "Safety of Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccines--United States, October 1-November 24, 2009." The first paragraph is reprinted below.

On December 1, CDC posted provisional recommendations for use of HPV vaccine on the ACIP web section. Provisional recommendations are those ACIP has voted on but that are not yet approved by CDC or the Department of Health and Human Services and have not yet been published in MMWR. A portion of the HPV provisional recommendations is reprinted below.

CDC has received reports of fraudulent emails asking users to register their vaccination profile with the government. A statement from CDC about this phishing scam follows.

CDC continually updates information about H1N1 influenza vaccination on its website and through email notices. On December 2, CDC informed its partners that 70.2 million doses of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine had been made available, with approximately 24% of the doses being the live, nasal-spray vaccine.

CDC experts have also noted that although H1N1 influenza disease is declining, the virus is far from gone. Vaccination is the best prevention against the 2009 H1N1 virus, and the lull in disease activity provides a window of opportunity for vaccinating susceptible people.

In addition, CDC recently added or updated the following resources for healthcare professionals on its H1N1 web section:

2009 H1N1 Influenza: Resources for Pharmacists
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/pharmacist

Questions and Answers on 2009 H1N1 Vaccine Financing
http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/vaccination/statelocal/vaccine_financing.htm

Interim Guidance for Management of Influenza-Like Illness aboard Commercial Aircraft during the 2009-10 Influenza Season
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance/air-crew-dom-intl.htm

Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Schools (Grades K-12)
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/schools/toolkit

Opening and Mixing Tamiflu Capsules with Liquids if Child Cannot Swallow Capsules [for caregivers]
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/antivirals/mixing_tamiflu_qa.htm

Fraudulent Emails Referencing CDC-Sponsored State Vaccination Program
http://www.cdc.gov/hoaxes_rumors.html

CDC's H1N1 Flu web section contains hundreds of documents for healthcare professionals and the public. To access the  web section's home page, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu

To make it easy for you to keep up to date with developments, IAC has gathered important information related to H1N1 influenza into a single web section. To access this resource, go to: http://www.immunize.org/h1n1

[The following is cross posted from CDC's Immunization Works electronic newsletter, November 2009.]

ACIP HIGHLIGHTS
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) held its final meeting for 2009 in Atlanta October 21 and 22. The meeting produced several new and updated recommendations. These recommendations are provisional until they are reviewed by the director of CDC and published in the MMWR. Full minutes of the meeting, including slides from presentations, will be available soon on the ACIP Meetings web page.

Topics addressed at this meeting were

HPV

• The committee voted to update the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine recommendations to include the recently licensed bivalent vaccine for women.
   
• They voted to harmonize the schedule and dosing recommendations for the two vaccines (for women) without expressing a preference for either vaccine, to update the precautions and contraindications to apply to both vaccines.
   
• The committee also voted to add a permissive recommendation for males 9 through 26 years of age to receive the quadrivalent HPV vaccine to prevent genital warts.

SCHEDULES
The committee voted to approve the 2010 vaccine schedules both for children and adolescents and for adults. Each will contain minor changes and updates from the previous year's edition.

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
After discussing the incorporation into the General Recommendations of previously free-standing, but non-vaccine specific, ACIP statements on Adolescent and Adult Vaccination Principles, the General Recommendations Work Group summarized revisions to the document. These include small changes to the sections on combination vaccines, timing and spacing, storage and handling, and syncope. The committee voted to accept the final document with the understanding that several outstanding issues, e.g., vaccination of persons with altered immunocompetence, will be resolved prior to publication.

YELLOW FEVER
The committee voted to approve an updated yellow fever statement in light of evolving epidemiologic and adverse event data. Changes will affect indications, contraindications and precautions, and the vaccine's adverse event profile.

PNEUMOCOCCAL
The committee reviewed epidemiologic data regarding invasive pneumococcal disease in children, heard immunogenicity and cost-effectiveness data on the forthcoming 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, and discussed proposed recommendations for incorporating it into the routine and catch-up childhood schedules.

The committee discussed the use of meningococcal conjugate vaccines, including proposed combination vaccines, in infants; heard an update on rotavirus vaccine and post-licensure monitoring of intussusception; got the initial report from the new RSV work group; and heard updates on the vaccine supply and influenza and influenza vaccine. CDC, CMS, DoD, DVA, FDA, HRSA, HIS, NIH, NVAC and NVPO provided agency updates, and there were a number of public comments, mainly regarding HPV vaccine.

This week, IAC's Video of the Week section includes a 28-minute episode from the PBS animated series "Sid the Science Kid" that deals with getting an influenza vaccine, as well as a 2-minute song from the show. The episode is titled, "Getting a Shot: You can do it!"

The video will be available on the home page of IAC's website through December 13. To access it, go to: http://www.immunize.org and click on the image under the words Video of the Week. It may take a few moments for the video to begin playing; please be patient!

Remember to bookmark IAC's home page to view a new video every Monday. To view an IAC Video of the Week from the past, go to the video archive at http://www.immunize.org/votw

The VISs for 2009 H1N1 inactivated influenza vaccine (injectable) and 2009 H1N1 live attenuated influenza vaccine (nasal spray) are now available in Dinka (spoken in Sudan), Kirundi (spoken in Burundi), Kunama (spoken in Eritrea), Punjabi (spoken in India and Pakistan), and Tigrigna (spoken in Ethiopia). IAC gratefully acknowledges the California Department of Public Health, Immunization Branch, for the translations.

The VIS for the seasonal inactivated influenza vaccine (injectable) is now available in Amharic (spoken in Ethiopia). IAC gratefully acknowledges the Minnesota Department of Health and the DSMA Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Parish Nursing Program, Minneapolis, MN, for the translation.

To access the new translations (Dinka, Kirundi, Kunama, Punjabi, and Tigrigna) of the VIS for the injectable 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine, as well as this VIS in English and other translations, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_h1n1_inactive.asp Click on the pertinent languages.

To access the new translations (Dinka, Kirundi, Kunama, Punjabi, and Tigrigna) of the VIS for the nasal-spray 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine, as well as this VIS in English and other translations, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_h1n1_live.asp Click on the pertinent languages.

To access the new Amharic translation of the VIS for the seasonal inactivated influenza vaccine, as well as the VIS in English and other translations, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_flu_inactive.asp

For information about the use of VISs, and for VISs in more than 35 languages, visit IAC's VIS web section at
http://www.immunize.org/vis

For general information about VISs from CDC's website go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis

Healthy Roads Media has posted the English-language H1N1 influenza VISs in alternative formats, including one (MPEG video format) that can be used in closed-circuit television or video-on-demand systems.

To access the free MPEG video versions of the H1N1 influenza VISs, go to:
http://www.healthyroadsmedia.org/videos/agree.htm

To access the H1N1 influenza VIS in other alternative formats (audio, mobile video, multimedia), as well as Healthy Roads Media's other immunization resources, go to:
http://www.healthyroadsmedia.org/topics/immunization.htm

CDC advises healthcare professionals that during seasonal and H1N1 influenza outbreaks, all people who have existing indications for pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV) should be vaccinated according to current ACIP recommendations. This is important because people with existing indications are not only at increased risk for pneumococcal disease, but are also at increased risk for serious complications from influenza.

CDC has issued related guidance titled "Prevention of Pneumococcal Infections Secondary to Seasonal and 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus Infection." To access it, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/provider/provider_pneumococcal.htm

With vaccination against 2009 H1N1 influenza now underway, it is important to remember that seasonal influenza vaccination efforts must continue. To aid in these efforts, the Immunization Action Coalition is inviting IAC Express readers to place orders now for the National Influenza Vaccine Summit's laminated 2009-10 Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Pocket Information Guides. The pocket guides are the perfect size to fit in a lab coat pocket. And best of all--they're free!

See an image of the laminated seasonal influenza vaccine pocket guide at
http://www.preventinfluenza.org/fluguide/pocketguide_flu.pdf

For description of the content of the pocket guides and information on their background, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/express/issue833.asp#n16

The Summit is also pleased to be able to offer a companion piece to the laminated influenza pocket guides--free laminated pocket guides for the administration of pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV). See an image of the PPSV pocket guide at
http://www.immunize.org/ppvguide/pocketguide.pdf

HOW TO ORDER
Each order must be for a minimum of 100 pocket guides. Place your order at http://www.preventinfluenza.org/pocketguides There is no cost for the pocket guides, shipping, or handling within the U.S.

If you have questions, email admininfo@immunize.org

If you plan on submitting an abstract for CDC's 2010 National Immunization Conference, be aware that the deadline is December 11. The conference will take place April 19-22, in Atlanta, GA.

On December 3, CDC published a special edition of Immunization Works, encouraging people to submit abstracts appropriate for the health and risk communication track of the conference. The text of this communication follows.

CDC recently released the November issue of its monthly newsletter Immunization Works; it is posted on the website of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). The newsletter offers the immunization community information about current topics. The information is in the public domain and can be reproduced and circulated widely.

Most of the information in the November issue has already appeared in previous issues, or the current issue, of IAC Express. Here are two articles not covered elsewhere:

STAY INFORMED
Stay Informed! Information on 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) is updated frequently. Please visit the following websites for the latest updates:

• 2009 H1N1 Flu home page (http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu)
   
• 2009 H1N1 Flu Vaccine (http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination)
   
• Ask the [Flu] Experts! (http://www.flu.gov/fluexperts.html)

CDC PODCASTS
CDC has released several podcasts this month including "H1N1 Flu Vaccine--Why the Delay," "Influenza Round Table: Warning Signs," and "Influenza Round Table: Don't Get, Don't Spread." Each podcast is approximately 2 to 4 minutes long and there are more than 300 different podcasts in 20 different series covering a wide range of health topics. Access CDC podcasts on your computer or download them for reliable health and safety information. (http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts)

To access the complete November issue from CDC's Vaccines & Immunizations website, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/news/newsltrs/imwrks/2009/200911.htm

In 2005, IAC consultant Teresa Anderson, DDS, MPH, presented a workshop talk titled "Quick Answers to Tough Questions" at the National Immunization Conference. The presentation provided healthcare professionals with basic talking points and resources to use with vaccine-hesitant parents and patients. The presentation has been updated to include discussion of current controversies such as alternative schedules and vaccine adjuvants.

Feel free to use this information as needed. The Immunization Action Coalition is pleased when others reprint or adapt our materials. If you adapt our material for your organization or personal use, please acknowledge the Immunization Action Coalition as the source.

CDC published "Global Measles Mortality, 2000-2008" in the December 4 issue of MMWR. The first paragraph of the Editorial Note follows.

[The following is cross posted from CDC's Immunization Works electronic newsletter, November 2009.]

RELAUNCH OF THE MEASLES INITIATIVE

The Measles Initiative is a partnership committed to reducing measles deaths globally. Launched in 2001, the Measles Initiative--led by the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization--provides technical and financial support to governments and communities conducting mass vaccination campaigns, improving routine immunization services, and establishing effective disease surveillance. After more than a year's worth of work, the Measles Initiative has re-launched a new website design that features improved navigation, enhanced internal search engine capabilities, a comprehensive multimedia library and interactive map. A substantial amount of updated content has also been added to better showcase this public health partnership's work around the world. Visit the Measles Initiative website (http://www.measlesinitiative.org) to learn how the Measles Initiative is helping reduce global measles deaths as well as to access journal articles, presentations and campaign reports.

The November 30, 2009, issue of WHO's Global Immunization News can be accessed online at http://www.who.int/immunization/GIN_November_2009.pdf

Older issues of the Global Immunization News are archived at http://www.who.int/immunization/gin/en

CDC published "Announcement: 13th Annual Conference on Vaccine Research" in the December 4 issue of MMWR. The first paragraph follows.