News and Media Resources:
Immunization Works! November 2007 issue
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Immunization Works Monthly Immunization Update is provided to professional organization partners for broad distributino to their members and constituencies. The immunization information provided is non-proprietary.
Influenza Update
Note: To mark the start of National Influenza Vaccination Week, this edition of Immunization Update contains a special section devoted to seasonal influenza.
NIVW Starts Monday, November 26: To help raise awareness regarding the importance of obtaining influenza vaccination throughout the entire influenza season, HHS, The National Influenza Vaccine Summit, CDC, and other partners are conducting activities during the second annual National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW), November 26-December 2. Influenza vaccination coverage in all groups recommended for vaccination remains suboptimal. Despite the timing of the peak of influenza disease, administration of vaccine decreases substantially after November. According to results from the National Health Interview Survey regarding the two most recent influenza seasons, approximately 84% of all influenza vaccinations were administered during September-November. Among persons 65 years or older, the percentage of September-November vaccinations was even higher, at 92%. Because many persons recommended for vaccination remain unvaccinated at the end of November, CDC is encouraging public-health partners and health-care providers to conduct vaccination clinics and other activities that promote influenza vaccination during NIVW and throughout the remainder of the influenza season.
Each year, on average, approximately 15-60 million persons in the United States are infected with influenza virus; an estimated 200,000 persons are hospitalized from influenza complications, and an estimated 36,000 persons die from those complications. Influenza vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza and potentially severe complications. CDC recommends that anyone who wants to reduce their risk for influenza infection should be vaccinated every influenza season. Annual vaccination is particularly important for persons at high risk for influenza-related complications and severe disease as well as their close contacts.
The time to receive influenza vaccination starts when vaccine becomes available in the local community, and continues into January or later, when the influenza season typically peaks. Throughout NIVW, CDC will be highlighting the importance of influenza vaccination for persons at high risk, their close contacts, and all those who want to be protected from influenza. CDC, Families Fighting Flu, and other partners also have designated Tuesday, November 27, as Children's Flu Vaccination Day to put a special focus on the importance of vaccinating children at high risk and their close contacts.
NIVW posters and other influenza educational materials are available to download for local printing and distribution at CDC's Flu Gallery. Other influenza-related tools and information for health-care professionals and patients are available at CDC's Influenza Website. More information about NIVW can be found in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Notice to Readers.
Nation′s Influenza Vaccine Supplies Continue to Increase: So far this season 108 million doses of influenza vaccine have been distributed by manufacturers and major distributors — more doses than had ever previously been distributed in the U.S. in a single season. CDC officials believe that most influenza vaccine providers currently have supplies sufficient for meeting demand. As many as 132 million total doses of vaccine could be produced by the end of the 2007-2008 flu season, according to manufacturers. This record amount would be about 12 million more doses than were produced during the 2006-2007 season. During the 2006-2007 season, manufacturers distributed 102.5 million doses to providers. CDC officials have worked closely with vaccine manufacturers, distributors and the Food and Drug Administration to ensure improved vaccine availability. Flu vaccine distribution typically continues through December and early January. For more information, see the CDC press release.
Breaking from your Comfort Zone: Please mark your calendars for December 6, noon EST, when The National Influenza Vaccine Summit and CDC will co-host a conference call about late season influenza vaccination for healthcare providers and partner constituents. Entitled Breaking from your Comfort Zone - Extending the Influenza Vaccination Season, the call will explain why it is important to extend the influenza vaccination season through March. The call will also provide up-to-the minute information about influenza activity and the status of influenza vaccine supply. More details about the call will be posted soon on the CDC Vaccines website and through other partner communication channels.
Flu Activity and Surveillance: Please bookmark the CDC Flu Activity and Surveillance website for weekly reports with U.S. influenza surveillance data. This site will be kept updated throughout the influenza season. The influenza activity map has a new look that will allow a dynamic view of the season’s progression of influenza activity and will facilitate making black and white photocopies.
Front Page News
New ACIP Recommendations: On October 24-25, CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met in Atlanta, GA. The ACIP meets three times annually and provides recommendations to the Director of the CDC and the Secretary of HHS concerning the prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States. Below are key votes from the meeting:
Adult Immunization Schedule:
ACIP approved the 2008 Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule for Persons 0 through 18 years of Age. The schedule had previously been approved by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and American College of Physicians (ACP), and is now available on the CDC Vaccines website. The updated schedule includes the addition of zoster vaccine, recommended for persons 60 years or older, and the recommendation of varicella vaccine for all adults without evidence of immunity. The table has been simplified, and some content has been moved to the footnote. This year marks the first time the Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule has been published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Please see CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for more information.
Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV):
ACIP voted to recommend the nasal-spray flu vaccine LAIV (FluMist®) for children 2 through 4 years old to accompany the current recommendation for use in persons 5 through 49 years old. The new recommendation is consistent with the recent approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand the use of FluMist® to the younger age group. FluMist®, an intranasally administered influenza vaccine, was first licensed by the FDA in 2003 for healthy, nonpregnant persons age 5 through 49 years old. Expanding the age indications to include healthy children 2 through 4 years old provides another influenza vaccination option for young children. In granting the new approval, FDA emphasized that FluMist® is not approved for vaccination of children less than 2 years old or adults older than 49, and that FluMist® safety has not been established in persons with underlying medical conditions predisposing them to influenza-related complications. In addition, FluMist® should not be administered to persons with asthma or children aged <5 years with recurrent wheezing. Please see CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for more information.
Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV):
ACIP clarified existing Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) recommendations to emphasize its recommendation that for healthy 24 through 59 months old children with an incomplete PCV schedule, providers should administer one dose of PCV. For incompletely vaccinated children 24 through 59 months with underlying medical conditions, providers should administer two doses of PCV (if they have previously received three doses they only need one dose). The ACIP also recommended Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine (MCV4) for high risk children from 2 through 10 years old.
Slide presentations and the full report from the October ACIP meeting will be posted soon at the ACIP website. The next ACIP meeting will be held at the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia, on February 27-28, 2008.
Other News & Summaries
Vaccine Preventable-Diseases at an All-Time Low: A CDC-authored article in JAMA showed that the number of cases of most vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) has shrunk to an all-time low, resulting in fewer hospitalizations and deaths for VPDs. In a historical analysis, declines were 80% or greater for cases and deaths of most VPDs targeted since 1980 including hepatitis A, acute hepatitis B, Hib, and varicella. Declines in cases and deaths of invasive S pneumoniae were 34% and 25%, respectively. Endemic transmission of poliovirus and measles and rubella viruses has been eliminated in the United States; smallpox has been eradicated worldwide. The full article, which can be found in the November 14, 2007 issue of JAMA (Vol 298, No. 18), can be downloaded from the JAMA website.
Updated Hepatitis A Recommendations: A new report in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report details updated recommendations, made by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in June 2007, for prevention of hepatitis A after exposure to HAV and in departing international travelers and incorporates existing ACIP recommendations for prevention of hepatitis A. In 1995, highly effective inactivated hepatitis A vaccines were first licensed in the United States for pre-exposure prophylaxis against hepatitis A virus (HAV) among persons 2 years and older. In 2005, vaccine manufacturers received Food and Drug Administration approval for use of the vaccines in children 12 through 23 months old. ACIP issued recommendations for pre-exposure use of hepatitis A vaccine in 1996, 1999, and 2006. Currently, ACIP recommends hepatitis A vaccination of all children at age 12 through 23 months, catch-up vaccination of older children in selected areas, and vaccination of persons at increased risk for hepatitis A (e.g., travelers to endemic areas, users of illicit drugs, or men who have sex with men). For decades, immune globulin (IG) has been recommended for prophylaxis after exposure to HAV. IG also has been recommended in addition to hepatitis A vaccine for pre-exposure prophylaxis for travelers to countries with high or intermediate hepatitis A endemicity scheduled to depart less than 4 weeks after receiving the initial vaccine dose.
FDA Approves Expanded Age range for Menactra ® : The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently expanded the approved age range for Menactra ® , a bacterial meningitis vaccine, to include children ages 2 to 10 years. Menactra ® was first approved by FDA in January 2005 for people ages 11 to 55 years. Previously, Menomune ® was the only meningococcal vaccine available in the United States for use in children ages 2 years and older. Both vaccines offer protection against four groups of Neisseria meningitidis, the bacterium that can cause meningitis. CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) currently recommends meningococcal vaccination for children ages 2 to 10 years who are at increased risk of developing meningococcal disease, such as those who have had their spleen removed or whose spleen is not functioning; those with a medical condition called terminal complement component deficiency which makes it difficult to fight infection; and those who expect to travel to areas outside of the United States where the disease is common. Vaccination also is used to control outbreaks of bacterial meningitis. For more information, see the FDA Press Release
FDA Approves New Adult Influenza Vaccine: On September 28, 2007, CSL Biotherapies, Inc., (King of Prussia, Pennsylvania) received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for use of Afluria ®, a trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) administered intramuscularly in persons aged 18 years or older. Afluria can be used for any adult influenza vaccine indication. The addition of Afluria brings to six (five TIVs and one live, attenuated influenza vaccine) the number of seasonal influenza vaccines licensed for the U.S. market. More information can be found in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Notice to Readers.
Update -- CDC’s Global Immunization Activities: CDC recently led a team to establish an all-vaccine preventable disease (VPD) integrated surveillance system in Costa Rica with subject matter experts in Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae type b, rotavirus and influenza. An integrated surveillance system for VPDs will build upon existing VPD surveillance infrastructure, highlight synergies, and conserve public health resources. In other global immunization news, in October, CDC led an immunization course in Atlanta to prepare Chinese provincial and national health officials for the 2008 Olympics. The course focused both on strategies for achieving regional goals of Measles Elimination and Hepatitis B Control by 2012, and on immunization systems issues in anticipation of the expansion of momentum is critical for successful interruption of poliovirus transmission and eventual global eradication. From January 2006-September 2007, India experienced two outbreaks of poliomyelitis—type 1 poliovirus in 2006 and type 3 poliovirus in 2007. The outbreak in 2006 was rapidly controlled using targeted vaccination campaigns in the areas where the outbreak occurred, and a similar strategy is underway this year for the type 3 polio outbreak. For more information, see CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Update -- CDC’s Global Immunization Activities: CDC recently led a team to establish an all-vaccine preventable disease (VPD) integrated surveillance system in Costa Rica with subject matter experts in Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae type b, rotavirus and influenza. An integrated surveillance system for VPDs will build upon existing VPD surveillance infrastructure, highlight synergies, and conserve public health resources. In other global immunization news, in October, CDC led an immunization course in Atlanta to prepare Chinese provincial and national health officials for the 2008 Olympics. The course focused both on strategies for achieving regional goals of Measles Elimination and Hepatitis B Control by 2012, and on immunization systems issues in anticipation of the expansion of China's routine vaccinations from 6 to 12 recommended antigens.
Meetings, Conferences, & Resources
Note: Please see the first section of this publication, entitled “Influenza Update” for influenza-specific meetings, conferences, and resources.
End of an Era: The satellite broadcast series Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases has been presented at least once a year since 1995. Because of escalating costs and limited availability of the CDC broadcast facility the series will no longer be presented as a live broadcast. Beginning in 2008 this training program will be available only on DVD and by internet. The 2008 series is expected to be available in late spring. Additional details will be forthcoming in future editions of this publication.
Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedules in Spanish: CDC has recently posted Spanish versions of the Child, Adolescent and “Catch-up” Immunization Schedules. The Spanish versions can be found on the CDC Vaccines website.
Get Ready for NIC: The 42 nd National Immunization Conference (NIC) will be held from March 17–20, 2008in Atlanta, Georgia, and will be comprised of six topic tracks: Adolescent and Adult Vaccination, Epidemiology and New Vaccines, Health and Risk Communication, Immunization Information Systems, Influenza, and Programmatic Issues, and Health and Risk Communication. Abstract submission is now closed. Any questions can be addressed to the Conference Planning Team at nipnic@cdc.gov.
Call for Abstracts for Coalitions Conference: The 8 th National Conference on Immunization and Health Coalitions is now accepting abstracts. The conference will be held in San Francisco, CA from May 21-23, 2008. This year’s conference will be expanded to include participants across all health issues. Visit the Coalition Conference website for more information about the conference and how to submit an abstract.
On-Site Training in Atlanta: A two-day Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases course will be held in Atlanta on April 15 and 16, 2008 at CDC. Course registration and information will be posted soon at CDC’s Vaccine website on the On-site Training page.
Upcoming Broadcasts, Webcasts and Netconferences: Please mark your calendars for the December 13, 2007 satellite broadcast from CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). More information about this broadcast and other training opportunities can be found at the CDC Vaccine Education and Training page .
CDC Training Opportunities: Through established programs, CDC offers many unique training opportunities in infectious disease, including international opportunities. For a current listing of CDC training opportunities, please visit the CDC Public Health Training website.
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.
Contact information: The Immunization Works Database Manager can be contacted at immunizationworks@cdc.gov.
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Content last reviewed on November 26, 2007
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
