Immunization Works March 2017

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National Infant Immunization Week is April 22–29, 2017: National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is fast approaching! NIIW is an annual observance to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases and celebrate the achievements of immunization programs and their partners. During this week, hundreds of communities across the U.S. will celebrate the critical role vaccination plays in protecting the health of our children, families, and communities.

CDC is hosting a Blog-a-Thon and other digital activities you can participate in during NIIW. We will also be announcing the recipients of the 2017 CDC Childhood Immunization Champion Award on the Champions web page. Visit the NIIW web page, where you can find sample social media content, web banners, key messages, a media toolkit, signage, and more.

If you are planning an event for NIIW, be sure to complete an online activity form.

Netconference Series on Vaccinating Adults: CDC has announced a new six-part netconference series on vaccinating adults. The sessions are scheduled for Wednesdays, April 12–May 31 and will address key issues related to protecting adults from vaccine-preventable diseases. A collaborative effort between CDC and Maryland’s adult immunization coalition and state immunization program, the “Vaccinating Adults” series will feature six presentations by experts on promoting, administering, and securing reimbursement for adult immunizations.

Wednesday, April 12—Burden of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Adults: Medical, Social, and Economic Costs
Wednesday, April 19—Provider Reimbursement for Adult Immunizations
Wednesday, April 26—Immunizing Adults: Immunization Schedule, Coverage, and Challenges
Wednesday, May 17—Immunizing Older Adults and the Chronically Ill
Wednesday, May 24—Immunizing Pregnant Women, Health Care Personnel, and Adults in the Workplace
Wednesday, May 31—Clinic Logistics: Vaccine Administration, Storage, and Handling

Advanced registration is required to participate and each session will start at 12:00 p.m. (ET).

Continuing education will be available for each event. The weekly sessions will be archived and available for viewing a few days after the original broadcast date.

2017 Immunization Schedules: The Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule and the Adult Immunization Schedule are available online. Every year, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) develops recommendations for routine use of vaccines in children, adolescents, and adults. When adopted by the CDC Director, these recommendations become official CDC/HHS policy.

Please visit the “Changes in the Schedule” section on the Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule page to read about changes in the footnotes for hepatitis B vaccine and polio vaccines.

CDC encourages organizations to syndicate content rather than copy a PDF version of the schedule onto their websites to share with visitors. Content syndication allows other organizations’ websites to mirror CDC web content, with automatic updates whenever changes are made on the CDC site. This helps ensure that all schedules are current across the Internet. See how to display the schedules on your site.

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MMWR

General Best Practice Guidelines for Immunization: In April, CDC will release the General Best Practice Guidelines for Immunization as an online report available on the ACIP web page. It will replace the General Recommendations on Immunization, which was last published in the MMWR in 2011.

According to ACIP Executive Secretary Amanda Cohn, MD, “The General Best Practice Guidelines for Immunization is a living document, and releasing it as an online report allows ACIP to update the document more quickly, giving vaccination providers the most up-to-date guidance on vaccination practice.” Changing the name to General Best Practice Guidelines for Immunization differentiates this document from ACIP’s vaccination recommendations, according to Dr. Cohn. “ACIP follows a different process for producing the General Best Practice Guidelines for Immunization than for developing vaccination recommendations,” said Dr. Cohn.

Vaccine providers, immunization managers, and anyone interested in updates to this document can sign up to receive e-mail notifications whenever new information is released.

A specific release date for the report will be announced in early April. To receive updates on this and other ACIP recommendations and guidelines, sign up for the CDC e-mail subscription service on the ACIP web page.

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Influenza Information

Flu Season Update: According to the FluView report for the week ending March 4, 2017 (week 9), while flu activity remained elevated for the 12^th consecutive week, the season has likely peaked. Thirty-nine states were reporting widespread flu activity compared with 43 during the previous week. However, the southern and southeastern parts of the U.S. continued to have high flu activity. Influenza A (H3N2) viruses continued to predominate overall, but an increasing proportion of influenza B viruses were detected in recent weeks. Based on early estimates, flu vaccines this season have reduced a vaccinated person’s risk of getting sick and having to go to the doctor because of flu by about half (48%). CDC recommends annual flu vaccination for everyone 6 months of age and older. Anyone who has not been vaccinated yet this season should get vaccinated now.

Update on H7N9 in China: Annual epidemics of avian influenza A (H7N9) in China occurring since 2013 have resulted in 1,258 H7N9 virus infections in humans reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) as of February 2017. During an ongoing fifth epidemic, which began in October 2016, 460 human infections with H7N9 virus have been reported, making this the largest epidemic to date. Most human infections result in severe respiratory illness and have been associated with poultry exposure. Some limited human-to-human spread has been identified, but no sustained human-to-human A (H7N9) transmission has been observed. For more information on the increase in H7N9 infections, see the March 10, 2017, MMWR.

Ready Wrigley: CDC’s Ready Wrigley activity book provides parents, guardians, teachers, and young children with tips, activities, and a story to prepare families for emergencies. In this new book, Wrigley helps her family stay healthy during flu season. The Ready Wrigley activity book [1.6 MB, 20 pages] is designed to educate children and prevent the spread of flu in their communities.

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Resources and Information

Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, 13^th Edition (the Pink Book): The human papillomavirus (HPV), meningococcal disease, and pneumococcal disease chapters of the textbook, Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (the Pink Book), have recently been updated and are now available. Published by CDC, NCIRD, and the Public Health Foundation (PHF), the Pink Book provides health care professionals with the most comprehensive information available on vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases. The Pink Book is available for purchase from the PHF Learning Resource Center, and the chapters and appendices can be viewed/downloaded from the NCIRD vaccines site.

Current Issues in Immunization NetConferences: Immunization netconferences are live, one-hour events combining an online visual presentation with simultaneous audio via telephone conference call, along with a live question and answer session. Registration, Internet access, and a separate phone line are needed to participate. Please visit the netconference web page for information on upcoming netconferences and viewing of archived webcasts. The latest netconference held March 29, addressed the 2017 Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule and 2017 Adult Immunization Schedule and will be available soon for viewing.

You Call the Shots Modules: You Call the Shots is a web-based training course developed through the Project to Enhance Immunization Content in Nursing Education and Training. The HPV module, Vaccines for Children (VFC) module, and Vaccine Storage and Handling module have recently been updated and are now available. Please visit the You Call the Shots web page for additional information and other modules. Continuing Education (CE) is available for viewing a module and completing an evaluation.

ACIP Meeting: ACIP comprises medical and public health experts who develop recommendations on the use of vaccines in the U.S. The recommendations stand as public health guidance for the safe use of vaccines and related biological products. The next ACIP meeting is scheduled for June 21–22, 2017. Please visit the ACIP meeting web page for agendas, presentation slides, meeting minutes, and archived video broadcasts.

Vaccine Storage and Handling-Vaccine Labels: The vaccine label examples on the CDC Vaccine Storage and Handling web page were recently updated. When used to organize vaccines within a storage unit, these labels can help prevent confusion about vaccines among staff. Labeling the area where vaccines are stored can help prevent vaccine administration errors by allowing staff to quickly locate and choose the correct vaccine. Proper vaccine storage and handling practices play an important role in protecting individuals and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases. Ensuring vaccine quality is the shared responsibility of everyone, from the time vaccine is manufactured until it is administered.

Measles Resources: CDC aims to continue increasing awareness of measles among individuals and families and to encourage MMR vaccination. To support disease prevention and vaccination educational efforts, CDC has developed a variety of measles and vaccination resources, including fact sheets, podcasts, and matte articles. There are also infographics available in English and Spanish.

CDC and Medscape: This special series of commentaries, part of a collaboration between CDC and Medscape, is designed to deliver CDC’s authoritative guidance directly to Medscape’s physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care providers. In this series, CDC experts offer video commentaries on current topics important to practicing clinicians. NCIRD has contributed to a variety of commentaries. You will need to sign up and log in as a member to view the commentaries. Registration is free.

Immunization Resources: Publications are available for ordering at CDC-INFO on Demand. You can search for immunization publications by using the “Programs” drop-down menu and selecting “Immunization and Vaccines,” or you can search by “Title.” Numerous items are available, including the Parents’ Guide to Childhood Immunizations and various campaign materials. The 2017 immunization schedules will be available for ordering in early April.

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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