News and Media Resources:
Immunization Works! March 2008 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
Get Ready for NIIW 2008:
April 19-26 is National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW). NIIW is an annual observance to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases and celebrate the achievements of immunization programs and partners in promoting healthy communities. Since 1994, NIIW has served as a call to action for parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers to ensure that infants are fully immunized against fourteen vaccine-preventable diseases.
During NIIW 2008, hundreds of communities across the United States will join those in the Western Hemisphere and Europe to celebrate Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) and European Immunization Week. Over sixty countries around the world will participate and promote immunization the last full week in April.
CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) will kick-off NIIW 2008 with special events in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and the state of Washington featuring NCIRD Assistant Surgeon General Dr. Anne Schuchat and Deputy Director Melinda Wharton. Additionally, bi-national events are being planned along the United States - Mexico border in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the US-Mexico Border Health Commission (USMBHC), and state and local health departments.
Join health departments, community coalitions, and immunization partners from across the country and world in celebrating NIIW through community awareness, healthcare provider education and media events to promote infant immunizations. Visit the CDC NIIW Website to find out what others are doing, share your plans, access planning resources, and download English and Spanish-language campaign materials. New for 2008: radio PSA, radio novella, radio live reads, and matte articles for parents and providers. Additional resources, included transcripts from recent technical assistance teleconferences with CDC’s NIIW contractor, the Immunization Coalition Technical Assistance Network (IZTA), are available at the IZTA NIIW Website (exit).
Other News & Summaries
ACIP Votes:
On February 27-28, 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:
Expansion of Influenza Vaccine Recommendations:
During the meeting, ACIP voted for expanding the recommended ages for annual influenza vaccination of children to include all children from 6 months through 18 years of age. (The previous recommendation was for vaccination of children from 6 months to 59 months of age.) The expanded recommendation is to take effect as soon as feasible, but no later than the 2009–2010 influenza Season. It increases the number of children recommended for vaccination by approximately 30 million. Studies have shown that healthy children bear a significant burden from influenza disease and are at increased risk of needing influenza-related medical care. In addition, there is evidence showing that reducing influenza transmission among children has the potential to reduce influenza among their household contacts and within the community. This change is expected to be reflected in the 2009 child and adolescent schedules, after publication in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). More information can be found in the CDC Press Release on this topic.
Updated Recommendations for MMRV:
After new information was presented on the risk of febrile seizures after measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine, the ACIP updated recommendations to remove its previous preference for administering combination MMRV vaccine over separate injections of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and varicella vaccine. The updated recommendations have been published in CDC's MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report). This safety update provides information for health care providers about the risk of febrile seizures after MMRV vaccine, ongoing CDC and FDA MMRV vaccine safety activities, and clinical guidance for use of MMRV vaccine.
Maintain Current Recommendation for MCV4:
ACIP also voted against recommending universal vaccination of children 2 years through 10 years of age with meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4). This vote maintains the current recommendation to vaccinate with MCV4 children at high risk 2 through 10 years old, all children 11 through 18 years old, and adults at high risk that are 19 years through 55 years old. For persons 2 through 55 years old, MCV4 is preferred; the meningococcal polysaccharide vaccination (MPSV) is an acceptable alternative if MCV4 is not available. Adults 56 years old and older at high risk should receive MPSV.
Slide presentations and the full report from the February ACIP meeting are posted on the ACIP website. The next ACIP meeting will be held at the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 25-26, 2008.
Two Measles Outbreaks - one San Diego, one Multi-State:
Measles, once a common childhood disease in the United States, can result in severe complications, including encephalitis, pneumonia, and death. Because of successful implementation of measles vaccination programs, endemic measles transmission has been eliminated in the United States and the rest of the Americas. However, measles continues to occur in other regions of the world, including Europe, and can be easily transmitted through travel. A recent report published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) summarizes an outbreak in San Diego, California that began in January 2008 with an unvaccinated boy from San Diego who had recently traveled to Europe with his family. While the investigation is still preliminary, 11 additional unvaccinated children have so far been infected. A second report , also recently published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) summarizes a multi-state measles outbreak which began in August 2007 in Pennsylvania when a participant in an international youth sporting event became ill with measles, after traveling from Japan to the U.S. while infectious. Because the boy participated in an event with thousands of participants and spectators, an outbreak investigation was conducted in multiple states. Six additional cases were identified in three states: Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Texas. To prevent future measles outbreaks in the U.S., health care providers should
- consider a diagnosis of measles in ill persons who have traveled overseas,
- use appropriate infection-control practices to prevent transmission in health-care settings, and
- maintain high coverage with measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine among children. These reports also highlight the continuing importance of promoting measles control and elimination in other countries.
Is it Less Costly to Vaccinate Refugees Oversees or in the U.S?
Since 2000, approximately 50,000 refugees have entered the United States each year from various regions of the world. Although persons with immigrant status are legally required to be vaccinated before entering the United States, this requirement does not extend to U.S.-bound persons with refugee status. After one year in the United States, refugees can apply for a change of status to that of legal permanent resident, at which time they are required to be fully vaccinated in accordance with recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). A potentially less costly alternative might be to vaccinate U.S.-bound refugees overseas routinely, before they depart from refugee camps. For more information, see the full article in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
Human Rabies Case:
A new report in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) summarizes the clinical course of rabies in a patient from Alberta, Canada. The patient died after 9 weeks in an intensive care unit (ICU) from encephalitis caused by a rabies virus variant associated with silver-haired bats. He was treated using the Milwaukee Protocol, an experimental treatment protocol similar to one used for the rabies survivor described in 2005. Rabies continues to be a cause of human death in the developed and developing world. The findings in this report underscore the need for continued public education that promotes rabies prevention and post-exposure prophylaxis while emphasizing the importance of bat exposure in rabies transmission.
IPD Reduced in Kids, 5 Years after New Conjugate Vaccine: Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a major cause of meningitis, pneumonia, and bacteremia, especially among young children and older adults. Before the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) was introduced in the United States in 2000, the seven pneumococcal serotypes covered by the vaccine (4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F, and 23F) caused 80% of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) cases among young children, and the incidence of IPD was relatively stable. In October 2000, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended PCV7 for all children aged less than 2 years-old and for older children at increased risk for IPD. Introduction of PCV7 in the United States led to substantial reductions in the incidence of IPD among the target population of children less than 5 years. Use of the vaccine also reduced IPD among unvaccinated populations through reductions in nasopharyngeal colonization and transmission of vaccine-type pneumococci from vaccinated children (i.e., indirect, or herd, effects of PCV7). For more information, see the full article in MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report).
Meetings, Conferences & Resources
Vaccine Injury Case Resources:
CDC continues to share on-line information and materials with partners concerning the Vaccine Injury Case being discussed in the news. Information was recently posted on mitochondrial disease and autism on CDC's Autism Website. Links to more U.S. government websites with resources pertaining to this case are listed below:
- Transcript of CDC, NIH and NVPO Telebriefing on Vaccine Safety
- Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Statement on Autism and the Vaccine Injury Program
- The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) Website
- The US Court of Federal Claims, Office of Special Masters Website (exit)
- CDC's Vaccine Safety Website
Increasing Adult Vaccination Rates: WhatWorks:
CDC is pleased to announce Increasing Adult Vaccination Rates: WhatWorks, a new, interactive, web-based training course. WhatWorks is a self-study course that frontline practitioners (physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants) and other healthcare professionals can complete at their own pace. The course, and continuing education credits, are available free of charge. WhatWorks was developed through a Cooperative Agreement between NCIRD and the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research (ATPR) (exit). To take the course, please visit the WhatWorks Website. Questions or comments about WhatWorks may be e-mailed to nipinfo@cdc.gov.
New Vaccine Information Statements:
New Vaccine Information Statements (VIS) are now available for Meningococcal and varicella vaccines. Both VISs have been updated to include information about MMRV, including information about the increased rates of certain adverse events such as febrile seizures after MMRV, compared with MMR and varicella vaccines given separately. When giving MMRV, the new VISs should be used. When giving MMR or varicella vaccine separately, the previously-published VISs may be used until stocks are depleted. Links to the new VIS can be found on the CDC VIS web page.
National Influenza Vaccine Summit:
The 2008 National Influenza Vaccine Summit (NIVS) will be held on May 12-13 in Atlanta, GA. 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 The National Influenza Vaccine Summit Website (exit).
Get Ready for NIC:
The 42 nd National Immunization Conference (NIC) will be held from March 17–20, 2008 in 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
- Health and Risk Communication
More information can be found on the NIC Website.
National Conference on Immunizations and Health Coalitions Conference:
Register now for the 8 th National Conference on Immunization and Health Coalitions. 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 (exit) 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 - 16, 2008 at CDC. Space is limited. Questions can be directed to Laverne Graham at 404-639-8225. Or, download the brochure.
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.
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Content last reviewed on March 14, 2008
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
