News and Media Resources:

Immunization Works July 2012 Issue

News and Summaries

Pertussis Update: Many states are seeing higher than expected cases of whooping cough. As of July 20, 2012, nearly 18,000 pertussis cases have been reported to CDC for 2012. That’s more than twice as many as we had at the same time last year. In fact, it’s more than we had in each of the past 5 years. We may be on track for record high pertussis rates this year.

Whooping cough is a serious disease and it is most serious in infants who are too young to be fully vaccinated. In general, more than half of babies younger than 1 year of age who get the disease need to be cared for in the hospital.

Whooping cough is preventable through immunization. Infants and babies should get the whooping cough vaccine, DTaP, as recommended - starting at 2 months of age. Since protection from the childhood vaccine wears off over time, adolescents and adults should get the whooping cough booster shot, Tdap, if they have not yet had one. Tdap is especially important for pregnant women and those who care for infants.

Vaccination remains the single most effective strategy to prevent whooping cough and protect infants—we need concerted continued efforts, especially for pregnant women and those who are around infants. Call your doctor or clinic now to schedule an appointment to get you and your children vaccinated.

Please visit the CDC pertussis website and a press briefing transcript from a recent telebriefing for additional information.

Pertussis Epidemic in Washington, 2012: Since mid-2011, a substantial rise in pertussis cases has been reported in the state of Washington. In response to this increase, the Washington State Secretary of Health declared a pertussis epidemic on April 3, 2012. By June 16, the reported number of cases in Washington in 2012 had reached 2,520 (37.5 cases per 100,000 residents), a 1,300% increase compared with the same period in 2011 and the highest number of cases reported in any year since 1942. To assess clinical, epidemiologic, and laboratory factors associated with this increase, all pertussis cases reported during January 1–June 16, 2012, were reviewed. Consistent with national trends, high rates of pertussis were observed among infants younger than 1 year and children aged 10 years. However, the incidence in adolescents aged 13–14 years also was increased, despite high rates of vaccination with tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine, suggesting early waning of immunity. The focus of prevention and control efforts is the protection of infants and others at greatest risk for severe disease and improving vaccination coverage in adolescents and adults, especially those who are pregnant. Pertussis vaccination remains the single most effective strategy for prevention of infection. Please visit the July 20, MMWR for the full report.

New Influenza VISs: On July 2, CDC released two new influenza Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) for use during the 2012–13 influenza season. One VIS is for trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine  [292 KB, 2 pages](TIV; injectable), the other for live attenuated intranasal influenza vaccine [274 KB, 2 pages] (LAIV; nasal spray). The 2012–13 influenza vaccine VISs will also be available in several additional languages in the near future from the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC).

The content of the 2012–13 influenza vaccine VISs is the same as the content of the 2011–12 influenza vaccine VISs. Only the formatting and date have been changed. To avoid confusion, health-care providers should use the 2012–13 VISs when administering influenza vaccine during the 2012–13 influenza season.

 

Influenza Information

Stay Informed! Influenza information is updated frequently. Please visit the Flu website for the latest updates.

Meetings, Conferences and Resources

Pertussis Posters: With rising rates of pertussis in many states across the country, efforts are underway to raise awareness about vaccine recommendations. See new downloadable posters at the pertussis multimedia web page.

Resources from the Vaccines for Preteens and Teens Campaign: In this 30-second Spanish language television PSA, a busy Hispanic mother receives a call from her doctor reminding her to get her adolescent son and daughter caught up on their shots. Please visit the Preteen and Teen Campaign web page to view this PSA and the accompanying English PSA.

New plain-language fact sheets provide detailed information about each of the routinely recommended adolescent vaccines, including Tdap, meningococcal vaccine, the HPV vaccine, and the seasonal influenza vaccine. There is also a new fact sheet summarizing all of the vaccine recommendations for adolescents. Spanish versions will be coming soon, so please check back with the website.

Health-care providers will find this new fact sheet full of useful information about adolescent vaccine recommendations, side effects, and contraindications. The fact sheet also includes tips for ensuring that their adolescent patients are fully vaccinated. CDC has also created a new reminder/recall e-card that providers can send to parents of adolescents.

An updated matte article explains the latest HPV vaccine recommendations for girls and boys. It is approximately 450 words, and can be placed directly into your newsletter or posted on your website.

ACIP Meeting: The most recent ACIP meeting was held on June 20-21, 2012, in Atlanta, Georgia. Please visit the ACIP meeting web page for the presentation slides, meeting minutes, and additional information. The next meeting will be held October 24-25, 2012.

Save the Date: Join us for CDC’s annual Immunization Update on August 16, 2012. This webcast is CDC’s annual update on the most recent and significant developments in the rapidly changing field of immunization. Anticipated topics include Influenza, Pertussis Outbreaks, Tdap, Immunization of Health-Care Personnel (HCP), PCV for Immunocompromised Adults, Storage and Handling of Vaccines, VIS/Barcodes, and Vaccine Briefs. The 2.5-hour webcast will occur from 9:00 to 11:30 am (EST) and there will also be a re-broadcast that day from 12:00 noon to 2:30 pm (EST). Both webcasts will feature a question-and-answer session in which participants nationwide can interact with the course instructors via email and fax.

Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases 2012, Eleven-Session Series: This comprehensive immunization course provides the most current information in the constantly changing field of immunization. The course is updated annually to provide the latest recommendations from the ACIP. The course is now available in web-on-demand format. The DVD version will not be available this year but the sessions should be available for download in the near future. Each of the 11 sessions are 60 to 90 minutes in length and includes case studies and a discussion of frequently-asked questions on each topic.

Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Course: This self-study program provides information on case investigation, outbreak control, disease reporting, and case notification for vaccine-preventable diseases. The course discusses the epidemiologically important data that should be collected during case investigations and presents methods for enhancing surveillance. The course provides current surveillance guidance for HPV, measles, rotavirus, mumps, varicella, hepatitis B, pneumococcal disease, Haemophilus influenzae, pertussis, and meningococcal disease. The course is now available in web-on-demand format and DVD format. The DVD can be ordered on the NCIRD publication ordering form.

Vaccine Storage and Handling Guide: NCIRD has released the updated Vaccine Storage and Handling Guide (formerly Vaccine Management). It is a comprehensive and authoritative document on storage and handling guidelines for specific vaccines (including combination vaccines). Available in this document are guidelines on vaccine-specific shipping requirements, arrival conditions, storage requirements, and information on shelf life, preparation, and special instructions.

Note: Since this newsletter was published, this guide has become outdated and is no longer available. Please consult the FDA's package inserts OR CDC's Storage and Handling Toolkit. Feb 2013

Save the Date:  The 19th annual Immunize Georgia Conference will take place in Macon, Georgia, on September 13, 2012. Scheduled speakers include Dr. Paul Offit, Dr. Walter Orenstein, and Dr. Andrew Kroger. Please visit the web page for additional information.

CDC and Medscape Videos: This special series of commentaries is part of a collaboration between CDC and Medscape and is designed to deliver CDC's authoritative guidance directly to Medscape's physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other health-care professionals. In this series, experts from CDC offer video commentaries on the current topics important to practicing clinicians. NCIRD has contributed to a variety of commentaries.

Immunization Publications: Please visit the NCIRD publications ordering form for the latest immunization publications. Copies of the 2012 Immunization Works DVD, 2012 adult immunization schedules and childhood/adolescent schedules, Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases DVD, the Parents Guide to Childhood Immunizations, and various campaign materials areavailable for ordering.

Updated Pink Book Now Available to Order or Download: The 12th edition (2nd printing) of Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (The Pink Book) is now available for purchase or download. The book provides health-care professionals with comprehensive information on vaccine-preventable diseases. The Pink Book can be downloaded for free from the NCIRD Vaccines and Immunizations web page or it can be purchased from the Public Health Foundation. The Pink Book is also available in E-reader format from Amazon.com, Google E-books, and Barnes and Noble.

CDC Job Openings: CDC is committed to recruiting and hiring qualified candidates for a wide range of immunization and other positions. Researchers, Medical Officers, Epidemiologists, and other specialists are often needed to fill positions within CDC. For a current listing, including international opportunities, please visit CDC’s employment web page.

 

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The Immunization Works database manager and editor can be contacted at nipimmzwrks@cdc.gov.

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