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August 12, 2005
CDC'S NATIONAL VIRAL HEPATITIS INFORMATION CENTER NOW OFFERS ONLINE ORDERING

The National Viral Hepatitis Information Center, a service of CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis, now offers an improved online ordering option. Interested parties can order educational materials for patients and health professionals, including brochures, posters, ACIP recommendations, and pocket cards. There is no charge for this service.

To access the online order form, go to: http://webapp.cdc.gov/ixpress/pubsprod/hepa+book/hepa.dml

To download hepatitis materials directly, go to the information center's main page at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/resource
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(2 of 7)
August 12, 2005
GUIDELINES FOR HEPATITIS C MANAGEMENT AVAILABLE ONLINE

The Hepatitis C Support Project and the National Partnership for Wellness have jointly released a new publication for health professionals who work with individuals infected with hepatitis C virus. "Management of Hepatitis C by the Primary Care Provider: Monitoring Guidelines" was written by David H. Winston, MD, FACP, and Donna C. Winston, PhD, NP.

To download this document in PDF format, click here.

To access the website of the Hepatitis C Support Project, go to: http://www.hcvadvocate.org

To access the website of the National Partnership for Wellness, go to: http://www.npfw.org
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August 12, 2005
CDC REPORTS ON A SURVEY OF U.S. SYRINGE EXCHANGE PROGRAMS OPERATING DURING 2002

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action Coalition's "IAC EXPRESS" electronic newsletter, 07/18/05.]

CDC published "Update: Syringe Exchange Programs--United States, 2002" in the July 15 issue of MMWR. Syringe exchange programs can help prevent transmission of bloodborne pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis B virus. A summary made available to the press is reprinted below in its entirety.

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A national survey conducted by New York's Beth Israel Medical Center finds that the total number of syringe exchange programs (SEPs) known by the North American Syringe Exchange Network to be operating in the United States decreased nearly 4 percent between 2000 and 2002. The total number of syringes exchanged by the programs participating in the survey, however, increased more than 10 percent, from 22.6 million to 24.9 million. The survey summarizes activities of 126 SEPs operating in 102 cities. In addition to providing new sterile syringes in exchange for used, often potentially infectious ones, nearly all of the SEPs offer other important public health services, including HIV prevention education (90%), education on safer injection practices (88%), substance-abuse treatment referrals  (77%), and voluntary HIV counseling and testing (72%). As a result of such efforts, SEPs can provide a pathway to prevention, treatment, and care for individuals at risk for HIV. In addition, SEPs provide for the safe disposal of millions of potentially infectious syringes that might otherwise end up in the community.

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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5427a1.htm

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5427.pdf
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August 12, 2005
UPDATED: IAC REVISES A PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PIECE ON PREVENTING HEPATITIS B VIRUS TRANSMISSION

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action Coalition's "IAC EXPRESS" electronic newsletter, 07/25/05.]

IAC recently updated its one-page professional-education piece "Labor & Delivery and Nursery Unit Guidelines to Prevent Hepatitis B Virus Transmission." The primary revision was to add emphasis to the information about the hepatitis B vaccine birth dose. When MMWR publishes the new ACIP hepatitis B recommendations for children, IAC will update this piece again.

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the revised piece, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2130per.pdf

To access a web-text (HTML) version, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2130.htm
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August 12, 2005
WHO INTRODUCES A WEBSITE ON THE SAFE MANAGEMENT OF HEALTHCARE WASTE

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently released a completely updated website on the safe management of healthcare waste. Healthcare waste (HCW) is a by-product of healthcare that includes sharps, non-sharps, blood, body parts, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and radioactive materials. Poor management of HCW exposes healthcare workers, waste handlers, and the community to infections, toxic effects, and injuries.

To access this resource, go to: http://www.healthcarewaste.org
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(6 of 7)
August 12, 2005
NATIONAL GAY MEN'S HEALTH SUMMIT TO BE HELD OCTOBER 19-23 IN SALT LAKE CITY

The 2005 National Gay Men's Health Summit will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 19-23. The 2005 Summit will provide an opportunity for gay, bisexual, and transgender men to work together in understanding gay men's health issues.

For more information or to register, visit the Summit's website at http://www.gmhs2005.com/index.htm
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(7 of 7)
August 12, 2005
AASLD MEETING TO TAKE PLACE NOVEMBER 11-15 IN SAN FRANCISCO

The 56th annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) will take place in San Francisco, California, on November 11-15. For more information about this conference, go to: http://www.aasld.org