SAVE THE DATES
Kansas School Nurse Conference
July 20-23, 2009
Hyatt Regency, Wichita |
2009 KAAP Annual Fall CME Meeting
September 10-11, 2009
Marriott Hotel
Wichita, KS |
Kansas Immunization Conference
"Communicating The Facts"
October 14-16, 2009
Wichita, Hyatt |
October 28th, 2009
Welcome to the October 28th, 2009 edition of
"What's Happening Wednesday"
NOTE: Please forward each "What;s Happening Wednesday" to all immunization staff within your practice if they don't already receive it, thanks!
- FDA APPROVES SEASONAL FLU VACCINE FLUARIX FOR 3 TO 17 YEARS -
On October 19, FDA issued a press release, "FDA Approves Seasonal Influenza vaccine Fluarix for Pediatric Use." Fluarix is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, Dresden, Germany. Portions of the press release are reprinted below. Links to the approval letter and package insert are given at the end of this IAC Express article.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved use of the seasonal influenza vaccine Fluarix for children ages 3 years to 17 years. Previously, this vaccine, which contains inactivated (killed) influenza A and B viruses, had been approved for use in adults, ages 18 years and older.
The safety and effectiveness of Fluarix for use in children ages 3 years and older is documented by a U.S. study comparing 2,115 children who received Fluarix with 1,210 children who received Fluzone, a different influenza vaccine already licensed by the FDA for use in children ages 6 months and older. Study results showed that children 3 years and older vaccinated with Fluarix and Fluzone produced similar amounts of antibodies in the blood at levels considered likely to be protective against seasonal influenza.
Fluarix is a seasonal influenza vaccine not intended to protect against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus.
- ACIP NOTES ON HPV -
ACIP Meeting, October 21-22, 2009
Summary of Key Actions on HPV Vaccine
- The committee voted to recommend bivalent HPV vaccine without stating a preference for either bivalent vaccine or quadrivalent vaccine.
- “ACIP recommends routine vaccination of females aged 11 or 12 years with 3 doses of HPV vaccine. The vaccination series can be started as young as 9 years of age.”
- “Two different HPV vaccines are licensed for use in the United States: the quadrivalent HPV (types 6, 11, 16 18) vaccine and the bivalent HPV (types 16, 18) vaccine. Both vaccines are recombinant vaccines made from the L1 surface protein of the virus. The vaccines are 93-100% effective against cervical precancers caused by HPV 16 and 18. The quadrivalent vaccine is also >99% effective against genital warts caused by HPV 6 and 11.”
- The committee voted on language addressing age ranges, dosing intervals, minimal intervals, interchangeability, pregnancy, and hypersensitivity or allergy to vaccine components (including latex for bivalent HPV). A few highlights:
- Interchangeability: “ACIP recommends that the HPV vaccines series be completed with the same HPV vaccine product whenever possible. However, if vaccination providers do not know or have available the HPV vaccine product previously administered, either HPV vaccine product can be used to continue or complete the series to provide protection against HPV 16 and 18.”
- The dosing schedule is the same as it was for quadrivalent: 3-dose schedule, second dose 1 to 2 months after first dose and third dose 6 months after the first dose. The minimum dosing intervals are the same for either vaccine: Doses 1-2, 4 weeks; Doses 2-3, 12 weeks; Doses 1-3, 24 weeks
- To address syncope, the committee replaced “should consider observing” with “should observe” patients for 15 minutes after they are vaccinated and added: “Adolescents and adults should be seated during vaccination and the observation period to decrease the risk of injury should they have a syncopal episode.”
- The committee passed a VFC resolution covering bivalent HPV vaccine in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program.
- The committee passed a permissive recommendation for HPV vaccine in males.
- “Quadrivalent HPV vaccine may be given to males aged 9 through 26 years to reduce their likelihood of acquiring genital warts. Quadrivalent HPV vaccine would be most effective when given before exposure to HPV through sexual contact.”
- The committee passed a VFC resolution covering HPV vaccine in males.
- "CURRENT ISSUES IN IMMUNZATIONS" NET CONFERENCE TO COVER HPV RECOMMENDATIONS -
The next NCIRD live Net Conference will cover new recommendations for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. An additional topic will be discussed, but it has not yet been determined. The Net Conference is scheduled from noon to 1PM ET on November 12. Dr. Lauri Markowitz will speak on HPV; Dr. Andrew Kroger will moderate. Participation in the Q&A section of the program is available by phone and Internet.
For additional information, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/ciinc
This is a limited-entry event. Registration will close on November 10 or when the course is full. To register, go to: http://www2.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/ciinc
- PRESIDENT ISSUES NATION EMERGENCY DECLARATION FOR H1N1 -
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency and empowered his health secretary to suspend federal requirements and speed treatment for thousands of infected people.
The declaration that Obama signed late Friday authorized Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to bypass federal rules so health officials can respond more quickly to the outbreak, which has killed more than 1,000 people in the United States.
The goal is to remove bureaucratic roadblocks and make it easier for sick people to seek treatment and medical providers to provide it immediately.
That could mean fewer hurdles involving Medicare, Medicaid or health privacy regulations.
"As a nation, we have prepared at all levels of government, and as individuals and communities, taking unprecedented steps to counter the emerging pandemic," Obama wrote in the declaration, which the White House announced Saturday.
He said the pandemic keeps evolving, the rates of illness are rising rapidly in many areas and there's a potential "to overburden health care resources."
Because of vaccine production delays, the government has backed off initial, optimistic estimates that as many as 120 million doses would be available by mid-October. As of Wednesday, only 11 million doses had been shipped to health departments, doctor's offices and other providers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said.
The government now hopes to have about 50 million doses of swine flu vaccine out by mid-November and 150 million in December.
The flu virus has to be grown in chicken eggs, and the yield hasn't been as high as was initially hoped, officials explained.
Swine flu is more widespread now than it's ever been. Health authorities say almost 100 children have died from the flu, known as H1N1, and 46 states now have widespread flu activity.
Worldwide, more than 5,000 people have reportedly died from swine flu since it emerged this year and developed into a global epidemic, the World Health Organization said Friday. Since most countries have stopped counting individual swine flu cases, the figure is considered an underestimate.
- IAC's VIDEO OF THE WEEK - Features a 60 Minutes report on H1N1 influenza
IAC encourages IAC Express readers to watch a 9-minute video of CBS correspondent Scott Pelley's report on the H1N1 influenza. The report, which aired on October 18, looks at how H1N1 influenza is striking at young, healthy people and presents information about the federal government's plans to fight the H1N1 pandemic.
The video will be available on the home page of IAC's website through November 1. To access it, go to: http://www.immunize.org and click on the image under the words Video of the Week. It may take a few moments for the video to begin playing; please be patient!
Remember to bookmark IAC's home page to view a new video every Monday. To view an IAC Video of the Week from the past, go to the video archive at
http://www.immunize.org/votw
|
|
