| This newsletter is meant to keep you up to date on issues related to vaccines quickly and easily. We welcome your comments and questions at vacinfo@email.chop.edu. |
|
|
Announcements: Dr. Offit, Hilleman documentary, CHOP experts and free books — visit us next month at the AAP meeting!
Are you heading to the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in October in San Francisco, CA? The Vaccine Education Center (VEC) and several of our colleagues will be there! Read more to find out what we will have happening.
Presentations
Dr. Offit will be speaking about “Talking to Parents: Strategies for Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy” in repeat sessions:
Book signing
Dr. Offit will be signing free copies of Vaccines and Your Child: Separating Fact from Fiction in the VEC booth in the exhibit hall (booth 524) while supplies last:
- Saturday, Oct. 22, from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 23, from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- Monday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Exhibits
Vaccine Education Center — booth 524:
- Pick up free copies of print materials (including Q&A sheets, booklets and posters).
- Be among the first to get the 2017 webinar dates for the Current Updates in Vaccines series, co-sponsored with the PA Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics.
- Find out about our new project for elementary-aged children and how to use the free “Everyday Hero” cards from Vax Pack Hero in your practice.
- Find out about our expanded tools for providers to use Just the Vax trivia game.
- Get extra DVDs.
- Sign up for Vaccine Update, our free provider e-newsletter.
- Visit with our staff and more!
Medical History Pictures — booth 528 —– The VEC is proud to sponsor The Vaccine Makers project of Medical History Pictures. The project aims to engage audiences in stories of vaccine science and development, and includes the following components:
- Hilleman: A Perilous Quest to Save the World’s Children — this award-winning, biographical documentary tells the inspiring story of Dr. Maurice R. Hilleman, a scientist whose work is credited with saving 8 million lives a year even though many people have never heard of him.
- The Vaccine Makers Educational Units — these new, free units educate about the immune system, how infections attempt to overcome our natural defenses, and how vaccines induce a specific immune system to protect us against these infections.
At the AAP exhibit booth, take advantage of the opportunity to meet the film director, watch clips of the film, see where the film is currently scheduled for screenings, and find out more about the contents of the educational units.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia — booth 525 — Located right across the aisle from the VEC booth, our colleagues will have information about:
- CME programs
- Fellowship and training programs
- Clinical pathways
- Resources by clinical specialty, including referral guidelines and diagnostic algorithms
Stop by to say hello, meet some of the CHOP doctors, and get information about CHOP’s programs and opportunities. |
|
News and Views: Teen immunizations — An update from the recent NIS-Teen survey
Charlotte A. Moser, Assistant Director, and Paul A. Offit, Director, Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Each year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) completes the National Immunization Survey-Teen (NIS-Teen) to evaluate the country’s progress in protecting teens according to the recommended immunization schedule. The randomized telephone survey interviews parents or guardians of teens 13 to 17 years of age and then mails surveys to the providers of those teens to confirm vaccination history.
The 2015 NIS-Teen results were recently reported in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly (MMWR). Data from 21,000 teens were surveyed for the 2015 survey. Here are some highlights from the findings:
See a summary of findings and find resources related to teen vaccines » |
|
In the Journals: Global Vaccine Confidence Project
Paul A. Offit, MD, Director, Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Heidi Larson runs the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Most recently, Larson and her colleagues published their report for 2016, which involved examining the perceptions of vaccine importance, safety, effectiveness and religious compatibility among 65,819 people across 67 countries. Some of the results were expected, others counterintuitive. (Larson HJ, de Figueiredo A, Xiahong Z, et al. The State of Vaccine Confidence 2016: Global Insights through a 67-Country Survey. EBioMedicine. 2016 764. Doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2016.08.042 ).
Read about the authors' findings » |
|
Technically Speaking: What’s new in the influenza vaccination recommendations for the 2016-17 season?
Deborah L. Wexler, MD, Executive Director, Immunization Action Coalition
On Aug. 26, CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations for influenza vaccination for the 2016-17 season were published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Recommendations and Reports, Vol 65, No.5.
ACIP continues to recommend routine annual influenza vaccination for all persons 6 months of age and older who do not have a contraindication for vaccination.
Two important new recommendations were made for the 2016-17 season:
- Live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV, FluMist®, AstraZeneca) is not recommended to be used in any setting during the 2016-17 influenza season.
- A history of egg allergy is no longer considered to be a contraindication or precaution to influenza vaccination
Read more about the new recommendations and find useful resources » |
|
From the Media: AAP policy statement on immunization exemptions
At the end of August 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a policy statement about medical and nonmedical exemptions. The statement was accompanied by a clinical report titled “Countering Vaccine Hesitancy”.
The statement received a significant amount of press coverage because of the firm stance related to vaccine exemptions. The abstract read, “The AAP views nonmedical exemptions to school-related immunizations as inappropriate for individual, public health, and ethical reasons and advocates for their elimination.” The statement includes:
- A discussion of community immunity, school immunization laws, and medical and nonmedical exemptions
- Public health effects of exemptions including disease outcomes and legal requirements
- Legal and ethical justifications for immunization requirements
- Five recommendations:
- Laws and regulatory measures requiring certification of immunization to attend child care and school
- Allowance of medical exemptions
- Elimination of nonmedical exemptions by public health authorities
- Compliance by child care centers and schools
- Provision of immunization rates at the community and school level and determination of risks to community immunity
The 16-page clinical report related to countering vaccine hesitancy synthesizes various studies related to the spectrum of parents who could be described as vaccine hesitant, vaccine testing, and historical perspective of vaccine resistance. The paper then addresses a variety of specific vaccine concerns, provides information about and suggestions for addressing them, and lists resources for supporting information. It will be a useful resource for anyone talking with parents or patients about immunizations. |
|
|
|
Resources: New CDC labels make vaccine storage easier
To reduce the potential for vaccine administration errors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a series of printable labels based on ACIP recommendations. Labels include brand names, ages, uses (which dose in series), and route of immunization. Some also include special notes about possible latex, dosing and reconstitution time ranges for use. The labels can be attached to storage bins or shelves. Accompanying information also suggests employing color coding and offers suggestions for storage of vaccines that include two components (a lyophilized vaccine and a diluent).
View or print the labels from the CDC website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
