Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers

This newsletter is meant to keep you up to date on issues related to vaccines quickly and easily. We welcome your comments and questions; please email us at vacinfo@email.chop.edu.

VEC Announcements: Next Webinar on November 14, New VEC Resources and Updated Informational Tear Sheets
 

Next webinar on Wed., Nov. 14, 2012

Registration is now open for the next VEC webinar scheduled for November 14 at noon ET. The topics will include:
 

• Pertussis vaccine, new recommendations
• Meningococcal vaccine, new recommendations
• HPV vaccine update
• Rotavirus vaccine update
• New influenza vaccine update
   

CME credits will be offered for both the live and archived event through collaboration with event co-sponsors, PA Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics. The VEC webinar series is supported by the Thomas F. McNair Scott Endowed Research and Lectureship Fund. Learn more and register today»

New VEC resources
The Vaccine Education Center is proud to announce the availability of new resources meant to assist and inform your communication with parents interested in altering the immunization schedule:
 

• Recommended Immunization Schedule: What you should know: Informational tear sheets answer questions such as “How can the recommended schedule be appropriate for all children?”, “When is it OK to use a different vaccine schedule?” and “Wouldn’t it be better for children to get some of these diseases naturally?” Tear sheets are available in pads of 50 colored sheets in English and Spanish languages for a nominal fee plus shipping or can be printed free of charge from our website:
  • English
  • Spanish
  • Order online or use this PDF order form
• Immunization clings: Printed on paper that allows them to cling to surfaces such as walls and refrigerators without using adhesives, the immunization clings remind parents, “ Don't let your baby sail in unchartered waters . . . Stay on Course” and shows the recommended immunization schedule. A life preserver reminds parents that it is the “ Tested and approved schedule.” Clings are also available in Spanish and can be ordered in multiples of five using the online order form or this PDF order form. Discounts are offered for increasing quantities of clings; shipping charges will be added.
• Revised “Immunization Schedule” section of the VEC website: To provide additional information supporting the above-mentioned new materials, the section of the VEC website related to the immunization schedule has been updated and an easy-to-remember URL has been added, http://vaccine.chop.edu/schedule:
  • An immunization schedule matching that of immunization cling with links from each disease to the relevant materials elsewhere on our site. This section also contains information related to differences between the types of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccines, oral versus injectable polio vaccine, hepatitis B vaccine for newborns, among others.
  • A history of the vaccine schedule beginning with the first vaccines and looking at vaccine schedule maturation through the decades.
  • Questions and answers related to the vaccine schedule includes many of the questions on the new informational sheet plus additional content such as “Why does the schedule change?” and “ What is the ‘catch-up’ schedule?”
  • A vaccine availability timeline.
  • Information related to lessening the pain of vaccines.
     

Updated informational tear sheets
The following informational tear sheets have been updated:
 

• The Facts about Childhood Vaccines – Volume 7, Fall 2012: English, Spanish (coming soon)
• Aluminum and Vaccines: What you should know – Volume 4, Fall 2012: English, Spanish 
• Vaccine Ingredients: What you should know – Volume 2, Fall 2012: English, Spanish (coming soon)
   

Pads of 50 sheets can be ordered online or using this PDF form.

News and Views: Update on Vaccine Shortages and Vaccine Storage and Handling

Charlotte A. Moser, Assistant Director, and Paul A. Offit, Director, Vaccine Education Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated information related to the Pentacel® and DAPTACEL® shortages. They also announced revised vaccine storage and handling guideline.

Read more about both of these topics and get links to the CDC information» 

In the Journals: HPV Vaccine and Promiscuity

Paul A. Offit, MD, Director, Vaccine Education Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

In October 2012, Robert Bednarczyk and coworkers at Kaiser Permanente, the Rollins School of Public Health, and Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, performed a study to determine whether receipt of HPV vaccine among adolescents led to an increase in sexual activity (Bednarczyk RA, Davis R, Ault K, Orenstein W, and Omer SB. Sexual Activity-Related Outcomes After Human Papillomavirus Vaccination of 11- to 12-Year-Olds. Pediatrics, 2012; 130:798-805).

To answer this question, they enrolled 1,398 girls; 493 had received the vaccine and 905 hadn’t. To determine the level of sexual activity following vaccination, investigators examined medical records for the incidence of pregnancy, the number of tests ordered or diagnoses made for sexually transmitted diseases, and the number of adolescents who had sought contraceptive counseling.

Read more about the findings and why they make sense in the context of what we would have predicted»

Technically Speaking: New Recommendations for the Use of Pneumococcal Vaccines in Adults with Certain Health Conditions

Deborah L. Wexler, MD, Executive Director, Immunization Action Coalition

On October 12, 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published new recommendations for the use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13/Prevnar 13, Pfizer) and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23/Pneumovax, Merck) in adults with certain health conditions, including immunocompromising ones.

See additional details about these new recommendations»

From the Media — Reports of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, Nature Publishes Insightful Article About the State of Vaccine Exemptions and Measles Exhibit by Sophie Blackall
 

Reports of vaccine-preventable diseases
See where vaccine-preventable diseases made the news in the last few weeks, read about the Nature article related to vaccine exemptions, and find out how Sophie Blackall is helping fight measles.

Read more»

On the Calendar

Find out about new meeting listings in Minnesota and New Jersey, the annual Infectious Diseases in Children Symposium, National Immunization Conference next June, and 2013 ACIP dates.

Don’t forget that World Pneumonia Day is November 12, 2012.

Check the calendar»

On the Bookshelf: The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age by Nathan Wolfe

Charlotte A. Moser, Assistant Director, Vaccine Education Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Author Nathan Wolfe is a virus hunter; he has spent his career trying to figure out ways to find the world’s newest viruses before they become a pandemic. Much like vaccines, when he and his colleagues are successful, chances are we don’t know about it. Read our review of the book»

Resources: October Needle Tips is Now Available, WHO Offers Free Vaccine Safety Course, and Washington State Shares Pertussis Campaign Research Findings
 

October Needle Tips is now available
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) recently published the October issue of Needle Tips. Topics in this issue include:
 

• Special Focus on Influenza Vaccination, including summary of 2012-2013 vaccines, discussion of mandatory influenza immunization for healthcare workers, screening for contraindications, and a compilation of educational materials and posters.
• Editorial: HPV Vaccination: How Can We Do Better?
• Updates on vaccine recommendations, schedules and news from the CDC
• Fact sheet about the importance of cocooning babies
• And more!
   

Be sure to check out the latest issue or archives and consider signing up to receive future issues.

WHO offers free vaccine safety course
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a new vaccine safety course. The course was designed with an understanding that people who work in this area come with different levels of understanding and different needs, yet must be able to communicate with a common language.

Subject areas include vaccines, adverse events, pharmacovigilance, vaccine safety stakeholders and communication. Modules include assessments, case studies and supplementary tools.

To learn more about the course or review the modules, go to www.vaccine-safety-training.org.

Washington state shares pertussis campaign research findings
In response to the whooping cough epidemic occurring in the state of Washington, the Thurston County Health Department and the state health department collaborated in a partnership funded by the Group Health Foundation to create an informational campaign directed toward community members. The campaign is using a website, online banner ads, billboards, social media and target outreach to educate the population about the importance of immunizations. The campaign is targeted around findings showing that while people understood the importance of vaccination, they were confused by which vaccines they and their children should get and whether or not they had them. The campaign website is http://www.silencewhoopingcough.org.

ABOUT THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA®
Founded in 1855, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is the birthplace of pediatric medicine in America. Throughout its history, a passionate spirit of innovation has driven this renowned institution to pursue scientific discovery, establish the highest standards of patient care, train future leaders in pediatrics, and advocate for children’s health. A haven of hope for children and families worldwide, CHOP is a nonprofit charitable organization that relies on the generous support of its donors to continue to set the global standard for pediatric care. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.

NOTICE OF TERMS OF SERVICE AND MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
The content of this e-mail and www.chop.edu is not a substitute for medical advice; www.chop.edu IS NOT INTENDED TO, AND DOES NOT, PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information ("Content") are for general informational purposes only. NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE, OR DELAY IN SEEKING IT, BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ IN THIS E-MAIL OR ON OUR WEB SITE. NEVER RELY ON INFORMATION IN THIS E-MAIL OR ON OUR WEB SITE IN PLACE OF SEEKING PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE.

Copyrights and Trademarks: All of the content of www.chop.edu and For Your Child's Health, including text, art, graphics, logos, trademarks, button icons, images, and pictures, is the property of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws and none of the foregoing should be used or reproduced without the prior written consent of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

© 2012 by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. All Rights Reserved.