News and Media Resources:

Immunization Works September 2012 Issue

News and Summaries

ACIP Provisional Recommendations for use of PCV13 in Adults With Immunocompromising Conditions: On September 18, MMWR posted ACIP Provisional Recommendations for Use of 13-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Adults With Immunocompromising Conditions [119 KB, 2 pages] on its website.

On June 20, 2012, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended routine use of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13; Prevnar 13, Pfizer) for adults 19 years and older with immunocompromising conditions, functional or anatomic asplenia, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks, or cochlear implants. PCV13 should be administered to eligible adults in addition to the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23; Pneumovax, Merck & Co. Inc.), the vaccine recommended for these groups of adults since 1997. Please visit the website for the full report, references, and tables.

National, State, and Local Area Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 19-35 Months in the United States in 2011: High vaccination coverage in children by age 2 years has resulted in historically low levels of most vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States, but coverage must be maintained to reduce the burden of disease further and prevent a resurgence of these diseases, particularly in populations with lower vaccination coverage. The September 7, 2012, MMWR describes national, state, and selected local area vaccination coverage by age 19–35 months for children born during January 2008–May 2010, based on 2011 National Immunization Survey (NIS) results. Vaccination coverage remained above the national Healthy People 2020 target of 90% for 1 or more doses of measles, mumps, rubella vaccine (MMR) (91.6%), 3 or more doses of hepatitis B vaccine (HepB) (91.1%), 3 or more doses of poliovirus vaccine (93.9%), and 1 or more doses of varicella vaccine (90.8%). For the birth dose of HepB, coverage increased from 64.1% in 2010 to 68.6% in 2011; for the more recently recommended 2 or more doses of hepatitis A vaccine (HepA) and rotavirus vaccines, coverage increased from 49.7% to 52.2% and from 59.2% to 67.3%, respectively; and for the full series of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine (Hib), coverage increased from 66.8% to 80.4%, reflecting recovery from the Hib shortage that occurred during December 2007–September 2009. The percentage of children who had not received any vaccinations remained at less than 1%. Children living below the poverty level had lower coverage than children living at or above poverty for 4 or more doses of diphtheria, tetanus toxoid, and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) and 4 or more doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) (by 6 percentage points each); the full Hib series (by 8 percentage points); and for rotavirus vaccination (by 10 percentage points). Few differences by racial/ethnic group were observed after adjusting for poverty status. Continued partnerships among national, state, local, private, and public entities are needed to sustain current coverage levels and to ensure that coverage for the more recently recommended vaccines continues to increase for all children. Please visit the MMWR web page for additional information.

Influenza Information

Flu Season Resources: Are you ready to promote flu vaccination this season? CDC provides a variety of free materials for all audiences, including print, audio/video, social media tools, and web tools. This season, the website features expanded materials for American Indian and Alaska Natives. You can order these free resources and more at the resources web page; it’s one-stop shopping for up-to-date flu information!

And check out our new partner website, where partners are already entering activities into the calendar of events for the 2012-2013 flu season. Submit your flu prevention activities/events and see what others are planning now.

You can also visit our main website to read relevant Q&As, get the latest information on the H3N2v virus, learn more about the most recent ACIP recommendations, keep up with national and international flu activity, surveillance, and vaccine coverage data, or view information tailored specifically for health-care professionals.

Flu-related questions and information requests (including web content syndication or to receive updates via subscription) should be directed to CDC at fluinbox@cdc.gov.

Meetings, Conferences and Resources

ACIP Meeting: The next ACIP meeting will be held on October 24-25, 2012, in Atlanta, Georgia. Please visit the new and improved ACIP meeting web page for the agenda, presentation slides, meeting minutes, and additional information.

Save the Date: The Fall 2012 National Foundation of Infectious Diseases (NFID) Clinical Vaccinology Course will be held November 2-4, 2012, in Miami, Florida and the Spring Clinical Vaccinology Course will be held March 8-10, 2013, in Chicago, Illinois.

These two and a half-day courses will focus on new developments and issues related to the use of vaccines. Expert faculty will provide the latest information on both current and prospective vaccines, updated recommendations for vaccinations across the lifespan, and innovative and practical strategies for ensuring timely and appropriate vaccination. Target audience includes physicians (family, internists, pediatricians, and infectious disease specialists); nurses; nurse practitioners; physician assistants; pharmacists; vaccine program administrators; federal, state, and local public health professionals; and other health-care professionals interested in clinical aspects of vaccine delivery.

Save the Date: The Gateway Immunization Coalition, in partnership with the Missouri State Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Immunization Assessment and Assurance, is pleased to announce the opening of registration for the 2012 Missouri Immunization Conference. The conference will be held November 15-16, 2012, at the Hilton-St. Louis Airport, St. Louis, Missouri.

Keynote speakers include the Who’s Who of the immunization world: Gregory Storch, Washington University/St. Louis Children’s Hospital; Gary Marshall, University of Louisville, Department of Pediatrics; Robert Belshe, St. Louis University, School of Medicine; William Atkinson, Epidemiologist; and Mark Grabowsky, Deputy Director, National Vaccine Program Office.

Registration for the conference is easy and secure. At this site, you will be directed to the hotel registration, where you can book your room for the special conference group rate. The special group name and group code is there for you to access easily and quickly.

Should you have any questions about registration, contact Kim Jackson at kjackson@stl-mcfhc.org or 314-289-5686.

Pertussis Educational 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 print material 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 [374 KB, 4 pages] 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.

Immunization Update 2012: NCIRD presented the annual Immunization Update webcast on August 16, 2012. This webcast highlighted the most recent and significant developments in the rapidly changing field of immunization. Topics included 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 webcast will be edited and offered as a self-study program with continuing education credit. The web-on-demand version is now available for viewing.

Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases 2012, 11-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. The DVD version will not be available this year.

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, including a recently released commentary titled Recommended Vaccines for All Health-Care Personnel, featuring JoEllen Wolicki from NCIRD.

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 are available for ordering.

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.

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

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