(1 of 11)
October 5, 2005
NEW: OCTOBER 2005 ISSUE OF NEEDLE TIPS OFFERS MANY RESOURCES FOR CHILDHOOD, ADOLESCENT, AND ADULT IMMUNIZATION

IAC recently mailed the latest issue of Needle Tips (October 2005) to 130,000 health professionals and others who work in the field of immunization. Packed with immunization resources for health professionals, patients, and parents, the 24-page issue is well worth downloading. All articles and education pieces, except editorials, have been thoroughly reviewed by immunization and hepatitis experts at CDC.

HOW TO READ NEEDLE TIPS ON THE WEB
You can view selected articles from the table of contents below or download the entire issue from the Web.

To view the table of contents with links to individual articles, go to: http://www.immunize.org/nt

The PDF file of the entire issue, linked below, is 1 megabyte. For tips on downloading and printing PDF files, go to: http://www.immunize.org/nslt.d/tips.htm

To download a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the October issue, go to: http://www.immunize.org/nslt.d/n33/n33.pdf
----------------------------------------------------------------  

Return to top

(2 of 11)
October 5, 2005
NOVEMBER 1 IS DEADLINE FOR SPONSOR AND EXHIBITOR REGISTRATION FOR NATIONAL VIRAL HEPATITIS PREVENTION CONFERENCE

November 1 is the deadline for sponsors and exhibitors to register for the National Viral Hepatitis Prevention Conference. The conference is sponsored by CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis, and will take place December 5–9, 2005, in Washington, DC.

Sponsor and exhibitor prospectus and registration information can be accessed at http://www.nmac.org/nmac2/conferences/CDC2005Sponsor/CDC2005Sponsor.htm

For more information, visit the conference website at http://www.nvhpc.com
---------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(3 of 11)
October 5, 2005
IAC ADDS SPANISH-LANGUAGE RESOURCE SECTION TO ITS HEPATITIS PREVENTION PROGRAMS WEBSITE

IAC recently added a section of Spanish-language resources to its hepatitis prevention programs website.

The new web section includes Vaccine Information Statements, educational pieces for parents and patients, vaccine schedules, a video, and more. Developers of the resources include CDC, IAC, National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, PKIDS (Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases), WHO, American Liver Foundation, and Hillsborough County Department of Health. The section also features links to related websites and hotline information.

The Spanish-language section can be accessed by going to http://www.hepprograms.org and clicking on "Información en Español" or by going directly to http://www.hepprograms.org/spanish.asp
----------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(4 of 11)
October 5, 2005
CDC ADDS SPANISH-LANGUAGE VIRAL HEPATITIS FAQs

CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis has added a Spanish-language frequently asked questions (FAQ) section to its website. The Q&As all relate to the transmission, prevention, and treatment of hepatitis A, B, and C.

To view "Las 11 preguntas más frecuentes sobre la hepatitis viral," go to: http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/enfermedades/hepatitis/preguntas-frecuentes.htm

The same questions are available in English at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/common_faqs.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(5 of 11)
October 5, 2005
CLINICAL CARE OPTIONS OFFERS CONTINUING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES RELATED TO VIRAL HEPATITIS

Clinical Care Options (CCO) creates and publishes interactive medical education programs for healthcare professionals, supported by grants from industry. Viral hepatitis is one of the topics covered, and the CCO website includes daily news updates, conference coverage, commentaries on journal articles, webcasts, PowerPoint presentations, and opportunities for online continuing education credits related to the diagnosis and treatment of HBV and HCV infection.

To view the Clinical Care Options hepatitis index page, go to: http://clinicaloptions.com/hep
--------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(6 of 11)
October 5, 2005
NEW: PROFESSIONAL-EDUCATION PIECE ON HEALTHCARE WORKER VACCINATION RECOMMENDATIONS AVAILABLE ON IAC'S WEBSITE

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action Coalition's "IAC EXPRESS" electronic newsletter, 09/12/05.]

IAC recently adapted a professional-education piece, Healthcare Worker Vaccination Recommendations, and posted it on the IAC website. We are grateful to the Michigan Department of Community Health, which originated the piece, for giving us permission to adapt and publish it.

As adapted, the one-page piece condenses numerous ACIP recommendations on vaccinating healthcare workers with the following vaccines: hepatitis B, influenza, MMR, varicella, tetanus/diphtheria, and meningococcal. Immunization and viral hepatitis experts at CDC reviewed the piece for technical accuracy.

To access it in ready-to-print (PDF) format, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2017.pdf

To access it in web-text (HTML) format, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2017.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(7 of 11)
October 5, 2005
VIS TRANSLATION: THAI-LANGUAGE VIS NOW AVAILABLE FOR HEPATITIS A VACCINE

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action Coalition's "IAC EXPRESS" electronic newsletter, 09/26/05.]

Dated 8/4/04, the current version of the VIS for hepatitis A vaccine is now available on the IAC website in Thai. IAC gratefully acknowledges Asian Pacific Healthcare Venture, Los Angeles, for the translation.

To obtain a ready-to-copy (PDF) version of the VIS in Thai, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/th_hpa04.pdf

To obtain the VIS in English, go to: http://www.immunize.org/vis/v-hepa.pdf

For information about the use of VISs, and for VISs in a total of 33 languages, visit IAC's VIS web section at http://www.immunize.org/vis
----------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(8 of 11)
October 5, 2005
UPDATED: FIVE IAC PIECES RELATED TO VIRAL HEPATITIS HAVE BEEN REVISED

IAC recently updated the following five print pieces.

(1) "Brief Introduction to Hepatitis B for Parents of Adopted Children" by S.J. Schwarzenberg, MD, University of Minnesota, was revised slightly to take into account new treatment options for chronic HBV infection.

To obtain the document in ready-to-print (PDF) format, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/4150intr.pdf

To obtain it in web-text (HTML) format, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/4150intr.htm

(2) "You are not alone! Information for young adults who are chronically infected with HBV" by S.J. Schwarzenberg, MD, University of Minnesota; and K. Wainwright, RN, Alaska Area Native Health Service, Anchorage, was revised slightly to take into account new treatment options for chronic HBV infection.

To obtain the document in ready-to-print (PDF) format, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/4118.pdf

To obtain it in web-text (HTML) format, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/4118.htm

(3) "If you, your parents, or your children were born in any of these places. . ." was revised slightly to take into account new treatment options for chronic HBV infection.

To obtain the document in ready-to-print (PDF) format, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4170ref.pdf

To obtain it in web-text (HTML) format, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4170.htm

(4) "Should you be tested for hepatitis C? A screening questionnaire for adults" was updated to reflect current information and encourage testing and treatment when indicated.

To obtain the document in ready-to-print (PDF) format, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2192hepc.pdf

To obtain it in web-text (HTML) format, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2192hepc.htm

(5) "If you have HIV infection, which vaccinations do you need?" is a substantially revised version of the 1997 print piece, "Shots for Adults with HIV."

To obtain the document in ready-to-print (PDF) format, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4041hiv.pdf

To obtain it in web-text (HTML) format, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4041hiv.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(9 of 11)
October 5, 2005
UPDATED: IAC'S SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENT IMMUNIZATION HAS BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY REVISED

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action Coalition's "IAC EXPRESS" electronic newsletter, 09/12/05.]

If you see children and adolescents in your practice or another immunization setting, it's imperative that you download and print IAC's newly revised "Summary of Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Recommendations." The summary distills hundreds of pages of ACIP recommendations for childhood and adolescent immunization into a handy document that can be printed on card stock and placed in every exam room for easy reference.

The summary was updated in August 2005 to reflect new ACIP recommendations on many vaccines. To accommodate the new information, and to make this resource easier to read, the document has been expanded to three pages. Immunization and hepatitis experts at CDC have reviewed the information in the  document for technical accuracy.

To obtain the summary in ready-to-print (PDF) format, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/rules1.pdf

To obtain it in web-text (HTML) format, go to: http://www.immunize.org/nslt.d/n17/rules1.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(10 of 11)
October 5, 2005
MICHIGAN OFFERS HEPATITIS C CONFERENCE ON OCTOBER 27; EARLY REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 7

The Michigan Department of Community Health and the American Liver Foundation, Michigan Chapter, are sponsoring a hepatitis C conference on October 27. "Hepatitis C: Collaboratively Confronting the Challenge" will be held at the Ypsilanti Marriott at Eagle Crest in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

The conference program includes Mark Sulkowski, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Laurie Schowalter, National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors; and John Ward, MD, Director of CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis. Six workshop tracts will offer information on prevention, diagnosis/management/treatment, substance abuse, HIV and HCV co-infections, special populations, and advocacy.

Early registration ends Friday, October 7. For more information, got to: http://www.liverfoundation.org/michigan or download the conference brochure at http://www.liverfoundation.org/images/events/1725/Michigan_Registration_Brochure.pdf
----------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(11 of 11)
October 5, 2005
FEDERAL AND MILITARY EMPLOYEES: HELP IAC BY USING AGENCY CODE 0233 WHEN YOU CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action Coalition's "IAC EXPRESS" electronic newsletter, 09/26/05.]

Federal and military employees have an easy, hassle-free option for contributing to IAC--the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Each fall, federal and military employees are allowed to make contributions to charities of their choice through CFC.

By filling out a CFC pledge card (available through your local campaign volunteers), you can contribute to IAC by cash, check, or payroll deduction. If you would like to contribute to us, please enter our four-digit agency code, 0233, and a dollar amount on your 2005 CFC pledge card. To our knowledge, IAC is the only immunization-specific organization approved to receive contributions through CFC.

If you choose, we would like to thank each of you personally for your contribution. To do that, we need you to check off the boxes on the pledge card that permit CFC to send us your name and contact information.

For more information about CFC, go to: http://www.opm.gov/cfc