News and Media Resources:
Immunization Works! April 2007 issue
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Immunization Works Monthly Update is provided to national health care provider and consumer groups for distribution to their members and constituencies. The immunization information provided is non-proprietary and is encouraged to be widely disseminated and shared.
Front Page News
Reorganization of CDC’s CCID, Now Official: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt has officially approved the reorganization of CDC's Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases (CCID). Effective immediately, CCID is officially realigned into a new organizational structure with four national centers and two consolidated organizations designed to provide services across all four new centers.
CCID's new structure now includes the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), directed by RADM Anne Schuchat, MD, USPHS; the National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases (NCZVED), directed by Lonnie King, DVM; the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), directed by Kevin Fenton, MD, PhD; and the National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases (NCPDCID), directed by Rima Khabbaz, MD.
NCIRD's mission is to prevent disease, disability, and death through immunization and by control of respiratory and related diseases. The new center supports both domestic and global immunization and respiratory disease prevention and control priorities, and links epidemiology and laboratory science around vaccine-preventable diseases and acute respiratory infections with prevention and control programs and strong communication science. As always, working with partners will remain a high priority for immunization staff at CDC. A press release concerning the reorganization can be found at www.cdc.gov/about/news/2007/03/ccid_reorg.htm
Other News and Summaries
Acute Viral Hepatitis Cases Down: According to a recent report in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), cases of acute viral hepatitis are declining. The three most common forms of acute viral hepatitis in the United States – hepatitis A, B and C – declined dramatically between 1995 and 2005, with hepatitis A and B at the lowest levels ever recorded since the government began collecting surveillance data more than 40 years ago. Hepatitis B and C are diseases that can lead to liver cancer and death. The main factor behind the declines in new cases of hepatitis A and B were the availability of vaccines and strong federally supported immunization programs. The CDC recommends three doses of hepatitis B vaccine beginning at birth. All children 12 months to 23 months should be vaccinated against hepatitis A. In addition, hepatitis A vaccine is also recommended for persons at risk for infection, including international travelers, men who have sex with men, injection- and non-injection drug users, and children living in communities with high rates of the disease. More information can be found in the MMWR article at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5603a1.htm
Influenza Vaccination Rates Low for Children with Asthma: A recent report published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) demonstrates the need to increase influenza vaccination coverage in children 2-17 years old with asthma. According to 2005 data, approximately 9% (6.5 million) of U.S. children less than 18 years old have asthma. Children with asthma are at high risk for complications from influenza, and influenza vaccination has been determined to safely and effectively reduce rates of influenza in these children. Children with asthma are more likely to receive influenza vaccination than children without asthma; however, at 29%, influenza vaccination rates for children with asthma are low. More information can be found in the MMWR article at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5609a2.htm
Elimination of Measles — Republic of Korea: In late 2006, South Korea became the first country in the WHO Western Pacific Region to declare measles elimination. As recently as 2000-2001, a large measles epidemic in the country resulted in 55,000 reported cases and 7 deaths. Several strategies led to the successful elimination of measles from the country, including 1) implementation in 2001 of a primary school entry requirement for documentation of a second dose of measles vaccine, resulting in up to 99% coverage among 7-year olds; and 2) implementation of a nationwide measles vaccination campaign among children aged 8-16 in 2001, which achieved high coverage (97% of the target population). More information can be found in the MMWR article at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5613a3.htm
Meetings, Conferences, & Resources
Celebrate Infant Immunization: National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) will take place April 21 st through April 28th. CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) and national partners will be kicking off nationwide efforts to promote infant immunization with events in Nevada (featuring Assistant Surgeon General Dr. Anne Schuchat of CDC), Colorado (featuring NCIRD’s Deputy Director, Melinda Wharton), and the border town of McClellan, Texas (featuring Deputy Director of the Immunization Services Division Jeanne Santoli). Join health departments and other partners across the country in celebrating NIIW with vaccination clinics, media events, public awareness campaigns, and much more. English and Spanish-language campaign resources including television and radio public service announcements, print ads, and posters are available on line at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw/default.htm
New materials including matte articles from Assistant Surgeon General Dr. Anne Schuchat, public relations tools, and educational materials to help providers answer parents’ questions about vaccines are also available online at the NIIW website. Find out what others are doing to celebrate NIIW by visiting www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw/2007/07activities.htm
Add Your NIIW Event: If your organization is planning any National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) Activities, CDC is interested in hearing from you. To add your event, please visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw/2007/activity_form.htm
2007 NCIRD Annual Report: The 2007 annual report for CDC’s new National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) is now available online. The report can be found at www.cdc.gov/ncird/annual-rpts/default.htm
Updated HPV Materials: CDC has recently updated an HPV brochure for clinicians, and four sets of counseling messages (talking points to assist providers in HPV-related discussions with parents and patients). The newly updates materials are available online at www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/hpv-clinicians-brochure.htm
Influenza Vaccine Summit: The 2007 National Influenza Vaccine Summit will be held on April 19th and 20th in Atlanta, GA. Early registration will take place from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm on Wednesday, April 18th and a reception will be held that evening from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. The National Influenza Vaccine Summit, co-sponsored by the American Medical Association and the CDC, meets annually to provide a forum for discussing influenza vaccine issues with stakeholders from public, private and non-profit organizations. For more information, please visit
www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/13732.html (exit)
Upcoming NetConference: The next Current Issues in Immunization NetConference will be held April 12th, 2007, at 12 noon EST on the topic “ Pre-Travel Health Advice.” The CDC Traveler's Health Team will present an overview of issues related to international travel health and safety (i.e. status, epidemiology, risks, safety, vaccines, health counseling, and available resources). Two additional sessions on international travel health and safety are being planned for late summer (dates pending). Because content will be cumulative, those who plan to participate in the next two sessions are strongly encouraged to participate in this one.
Netconferences are designed to provide clinicians with the most up-to-date information on immunization issues. Programs combine a telephone audio conference with simultaneous online visual content, allowing for a question and answer segment both by telephone and via the Internet. Internet access and a separate phone line are needed to participate. Graphics will be available to download as a Power Point file after the presentations. Registration closes the morning of the day preceding the Netconference. P lease visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/netconferences.htm to register.
Funding for Minority Projects: New funding is currently available that will support projects to improve immunization coverage levels among racial and ethnic minorities. A cooperative agreement entitled “National Minority Organization Immunization Project” will support two to three awards, depending on the availability of funding, averaging $200,000 per year, for a three year period. Applications are due April 23, 2007. For a copy of the full announcement and detailed application requirements, please visit the Federal Grants website www.grants.gov
and search for CDC-RFA-IP07-701.
CDC Job Openings: CDC is committed to recruiting and hiring qualified candidates for a wide range of immunization positions. Researchers, Medical Officers and Epidemiologists as well as other specialties are often needed to fill positions within CDC. For a current listing of positions available at CDC, including international opportunities, please visit the CDC Employment Website
Return to Immunization Works! index page
Non-CDC Link Disclaimer: Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization web pages found at these links.
Content last reviewed on April 11, 2007
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
