(1 of 16)
February 28, 2006
ERRATA: MMWR PUBLISHES CORRECTIONS TO ACIP'S HEPATITIS B RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INFANTS, CHILDREN, AND ADOLESCENTS

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action Coalition's "IAC EXPRESS" electronic newsletter, 2/20/06.]

CDC published "Errata: Vol. 54, No. RR-16" in the February 17 issue of MMWR. It concerns errors in ACIP's hepatitis B recommendations for infants, children, and adolescents, which MMWR published December 23, 2005.

The February 17 errata article is reprinted below in its entirety. Please note that material printed in ALL CAPS indicates corrected text.

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In the MMWR Recommendations and Reports "A Comprehensive Immunization Strategy to Eliminate Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in the United States: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), Part 1: Immunization of Infants, Children, and Adolescents," the following errors occurred:

On page 8, the last two footnotes in Table 2 should read, "Dialysis formulation administered on a 3-dose schedule AT 0, 1, AND 6 MONTHS. ***Two 1.0-mL doses administered at one site, on a 4-dose schedule AT 0, 1, 2, AND 6 MONTHS."

On pages 27-28, in the section titled "Hepatitis B Immune Globulin (HBIG) Dose and Administration," the second sentence of the third bullet should read, "FOR NEONATES (AGED [YOUNGER THAN] 1 MONTH) AND INFANTS (AGED 1-12 MONTHS), HBIG should be administered intramuscularly in the anterolateral thigh using a 22-25-gauge needle. THE APPROPRIATE NEEDLE LENGTH IS USUALLY 5/8" FOR NEONATES AND 7/8"-1" FOR INFANTS."

On page 29, second column, the second sentence of the second bullet should read, "Administration of three doses on an appropriate schedule (TABLE 5), followed by anti-HBs testing 1-2 months after the third dose, is usually more practical than serologic testing after one or more doses of vaccine."

Also on page 29, second column, third bullet, the first sub-bullet should read, "--- If the HBsAg test result is positive, the persons should receive appropriate management, and any household, sexual, or needle-sharing contacts should be identified and vaccinated (see Appendix A)."

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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5506a6.htm

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5506.pdf

To receive a FREE electronic subscription to MMWR (which includes new ACIP statements), go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwrsubscribe.html
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(2 of 16)
February 28, 2006
CDC POSTS PRESENTATIONS FROM THE FEBRUARY 2 NETCONFERENCE ON ACIP'S NEW CHILDHOOD HEPATITIS B RECOMMENDATIONS

CDC's National Immunization Program and Division of Viral Hepatitis sponsored a one-hour net conference on February 2. Titled New ACIP Recommendations: Prevention of Perinatal and Childhood Hepatitis B Infections, the conference was intended for hospital obstetrical and neonatal staff, prenatal care providers, professional organizations involved in perinatal care, and public health staff.

Interested individuals can now view the conference presentations online at http://www.cdc.gov/nip/ed/ciinc/hepatitisb.htm

The page includes links to the webcast in Windows Media format, and the two presentations in PowerPoint and Word formats.
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(3 of 16)
February 28, 2006
IAC'S HEPATITIS WEBSITE CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS OF SHARING GOOD IDEAS!

IAC's hepatitis prevention programs website, http://www.hepprograms.org, was launched in March 2001 as part of a cooperative agreement with CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis. The site features programs successfully preventing hepatitis A, B, and/or C in adolescents and adults at risk of infection. The content is targeted toward public health and social service managers who might be able to use the information to start or improve hepatitis prevention programs.

Originally, the website included 32 programs; currently, the site highlights 107 programs in 10 risk categories.

The following twelve projects have been added since the last article about the website in Hep Express.

Addiction Recovery Hepatitis Intervention (South Florida)
Category: harm reduction
http://www.hepprograms.org/drug/drug13.asp

Addictions Treatment Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System (Washington state)
Category: harm reduction
http://www.hepprograms.org/drug/drug14.asp

B-Empowered (Bucks County, PA)
Category: other
http://www.hepprograms.org/other/other9.asp

Community Health Care Van (New Haven, CT)
Categories: STD/HIV, harm reduction, homeless
http://www.hepprograms.org/drug/drug15.asp

Crossroads Rhode Island Viral Hepatitis Prevention Program
Category: homeless
http://www.hepprograms.org/homeless/home5.asp

Genesis House (Chicago, IL)
Category: other
http://www.hepprograms.org/other/other10.asp

HIV and Hepatitis Program, Panhandle Community Services (Nebraska)
Categories: STD/HIV, MSM, harm reduction
http://www.hepprograms.org/std/std17.asp

Korean American Hepatitis B Church Project (Colorado Springs, CO)
Category: Asian Pacific Islander American
http://www.hepprograms.org/apia/apia11.asp

North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Category: adult corrections
http://www.hepprograms.org/adult/adult14.asp

Next Stop Care Program (Boston, MA)
Categories: harm reduction, homeless
http://www.hepprograms.org/homeless/home6.asp

Twinrix Project (North Carolina)
Categories: STD/HIV, MSM, harm reduction, adult corrections
http://www.hepprograms.org/std/std15.asp

Vaccine for Adults at High Risk Program (Kansas)
Category: STD/HIV
http://www.hepprograms.org/std/std16.asp

Several other programs have updated their information as well. "Posted" or "Updated" dates are listed on each category index page.

In addition to the program descriptions, the website also offers support group information, hepatitis A and hepatitis B FAQs, case histories, photos, and video clips. This information was added over the years to help the approximately 600 visitors who access this website every day, many of whom are members of the public, not health professionals.

As always, we need your input! If you have a model program to share, go to: http://www.hepprograms.org/tellus.htm If you know of additional HBV or HCV support groups, have viral hepatitis resources to share (including brochures, manuals, slide sets, photos, or videos), write admin@hepprograms.org
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(4 of 16)
February 28, 2006
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED: SUPPORT THE NATIONAL HEPATITIS B ACT, H.R. 4550

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action Coalition's "IAC EXPRESS" electronic newsletter, 2/13/06.]

The Hepatitis B Foundation (HBF) has asked IAC to pass along the following message.

Please support H.R. 4550, the National Hepatitis B Act, which was introduced by U.S. Representatives Mike Honda (D-CA) and Charles Dent (R-PA) to Congress on December 15, 2005. Honda and Dent invite everyone who is concerned about hepatitis B to contact their U.S. representatives today.

You can read the text of the bill and contact your legislator today to support H.R. 4550. HBF has provided a sample letter you can send to your U.S. representative--simply copy and paste the text of the letter in an email, add your personal information, and send. Or print the letter and send it by postal mail.

H.R. 4550 specifically calls for the development of a national plan for hepatitis B, support for screening and immunization of high-risk populations in particular, and an increase in federal research to improve hepatitis B prevention and treatment options. Contact your representative and show your support today!

To read the bill, go to: http://www.hepb.org/pdf/Hepatitis_B_Bill_HR_%204550.pdf

To read the sample letter, go to: http://www.hepb.org/pdf/sample_letter.doc

For online information about contacting your representative, go to: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt?action=myreps_form
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(5 of 16)
FEBRUARY 28, 2006
CDC POSTS 2004 BIRTH DOSE DATA ONLINE

CDC's National Immunization Program recently posted 2004 National Immunization Survey hepatitis B birth dose data online. The information is available as an Excel table at http://www.cdc.gov/nip/coverage/NIS/04/tab36_hepb_birth02.xls

For more immunization coverage data from various national surveys, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/nip/coverage/default.htm
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(6 of 16)
February 28, 2006
NEW: 9TH EDITION OF THE PINK BOOK NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOADING AND ORDERING

[The following is cross posted, with thanks, from CDC's Immunization Works electronic newsletter (February 2006).]

The 9th Edition of NIP's textbook, "Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases" (the Pink Book) has been completed and is now available online at http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/pink/default.htm The Pink Book provides immunization providers with comprehensive information about routinely recommended vaccines, vaccine-preventable diseases, and much more. Updates and corrections to the book will be made in the online edition as they occur. PowerPoint slide sets for each chapter will also be available online. A hard copy of the Pink Book can be purchased for $29 from the Public Health Foundation. To obtain order information,  please visit http://bookstore.phf.org/product_info.php?cPath=45&products_id=463
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(7 of 16)
February 28, 2006
NEW: SPANISH-LANGUAGE VERSION OF THE CURRENT RECOMMENDED ADULT IMMUNIZATION SCHEDULE NOW ONLINE

[The following is cross posted, with thanks, from CDC's Immunization Works electronic newsletter (February 2006).]

The October 2005-September 2006, [Recommended] Adult Immunization Schedule is now available in Spanish and can be printed from the CDC website. The [Recommended] Adult Immunization Schedule--which was released in English in October 2005--has been approved by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). To view, download, or print the schedule in English or Spanish, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/nip/recs/adult-schedule.htm#print
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(8 of 16)
February 28, 2006
NEW: IAC AND NEW YORK STATE COLLABORATE ON A PROFESSIONAL-EDUCATION PIECE ABOUT THE HEPATITIS B BIRTH DOSE

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action Coalition's "IAC EXPRESS" electronic newsletter, 2/13/06.]

IAC recently collaborated with the New York State Department of Health to develop a professional-education piece, "Medical errors put infants at risk for chronic hepatitis B virus infection--six case reports." The one-page piece succinctly relates six instances in New York state in which infants born to mothers infected with hepatitis B virus did not receive proper perinatal prophylaxis because of medical errors.

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of it, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2128.pdf

To access a web-text (HTML) version, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2128.htm
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(9 of 16)
February 28, 2006
IAC UPDATES PATIENT-INFORMATION PIECES ON IMMUNIZATIONS FOR PEOPLE INFECTED WITH HIV AND/OR HEPATITIS C VIRUS

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action Coalition's "IAC EXPRESS" electronic newsletter, 2/20/06.]

IAC recently revised two patient-education pieces: "If you have HIV infection, which vaccinations do you need?" and "If you have hepatitis C, which vaccinations do you need?" Both pieces now give updated information about vaccinating people infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C virus with the following vaccines: influenza; pneumococcal; tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Td, Tdap); hepatitis A; hepatitis B; measles, mumps, rubella (MMR); and varicella. In addition, the piece for people with HIV infection also includes information on meningococcal vaccine.

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of "If you have HIV infection, which vaccinations do you need?" go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4041hiv.pdf

To access a web-text (HTML) version, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4041hiv.htm

To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of "If you have hepatitis C infection, which vaccinations do you need?" go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/4042hepc.pdf

To access a web-text (HTML) version, go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/4042hepc.htm
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(10 of 16)
February 28, 2006
REMINDER: REMINDER: MARCH 6 IS REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR MEETING ON MANAGEMENT OF HEPATITIS B VIRUS

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action Coalition's "IAC EXPRESS" electronic newsletter, 2/27/06.]

The registration deadline for the Management of Hepatitis B Virus meeting is March 6. The meeting is scheduled for April 6-8 in Bethesda, MD. It is sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the Hepatitis B Foundation, and Hepatitis Foundation International.

The goals of the meeting are to assess current understanding of hepatitis B virus, the disease that it causes, and its optimal management; and to make recommendations for directions for future research, both basic and clinical.

For comprehensive meeting information, go to: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/fund/other/hbv2006
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(11 of 16)
February 28, 2006
ICEID TO BE HELD IN ATLANTA ON MARCH 19-22; TWO RELATED CONFERENCES ALSO PLANNED

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action Coalition's "IAC EXPRESS" electronic newsletter, 2/13/06.]

The International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases (ICEID) is scheduled for March 19-22 in Atlanta. Two related conferences will be held in Atlanta in the days preceding and following ICEID. They are the International Conference on Women & Infectious Diseases (ICWID; to be held March 16-18) and the International Symposium on Emerging Zoonoses (ISEZ; to be held March 22-24). Information on the three conferences follows.

ICEID brings together public health professional to encourage the exchange of scientific and public health information on global emerging infectious disease issues. For a comprehensive overview of the conference, go to: http://www.iceid.org or contact iceid@asmusa.org or (202) 942-9330.

ICWID brings together clinicians, scientists, public health professionals, academicians, government representatives, and representatives from nonprofit, philanthropic, and international organizations to enhance prevention and control of infectious diseases among women worldwide. For comprehensive information on the conference, go to: http://www.womenshealthconf.org or contact Marian McDonald at mmcdonald@cdc.gov or Sakina Jaffer at (404) 371-5308 or sjm1@cdc.gov

ISEZ brings together public health and animal health professionals to strengthen the development of effective and co-operative partnerships to face microbial threats from emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases. For comprehensive conference information, go to: http://www.isezconference.org/home.htm or contact iceid@asmusa.org or (202) 942-9330.
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(12 of 16)
February 28, 2006
CALIFORNIA HEPATITIS C TASK FORCE MEETING SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 7–8

The California Hepatitis C Task Force is sponsoring a meeting on April 7–8 in Riverside, CA. The conference is hosted by the Riverside County Department of Public Health, and is designed to provide a comprehensive update on hepatitis C. The target audience includes primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other healthcare providers with an interest in this field.

For registration information, go to: http://www.californiahcvtaskforce.org/pftc.htm
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(13 of 16)
February 28, 2006
B INFORMED PATIENT CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 10–11

The B Informed Patient Conference will take place at the Asian Liver Center on the campus of Stanford University in California on June 10–11. The conference is sponsored by the Hepatitis B Foundation in partnership with the Hepatitis B Information and Support List and the Asian Liver Center.

The B Informed Conference is an opportunity for hepatitis B patients and their loved ones to meet with experts and share their experiences with others. The conference will provide valuable information about treatment updates, disease management, and lifestyle issues to help individuals live successfully with chronic HBV infection.

For more information, go to: http://www.hepb.org/patients/patient_conference.htm
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(14 of 16)
February 28, 2006
HEPATITIS B FOUNDATION REDESIGNS ITS WEBSITE

The Hepatitis B Foundation (HBF) recently redesigned its website with the following purpose:

"Our new site illustrates our belief that today's advanced standards of care for complex disease management and future cure begins with integrated information access among expert medical providers, patients and their family, and the scientific community. . . Our redesigned website goes beyond color and art to include a new presentation format involving multi-media technologies, flash, animation, graphics, and sound. We hope that it will provide you with a richer more interactive and informed experience."

Visit HBF's redesigned website at http://www.hepb.org
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(15 of 16)
February 28, 2006
ASIAN AMERICAN HEPATITIS B PROGRAM LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE

The Live Long, Live Healthy, B Free campaign is part of the Asian American Hepatitis B Program of the New York City Council to raise awareness about hepatitis B infection among Asian Americans in New York City. The program is a community-based initiative that offers no cost/low cost screening, vaccination, follow-up care, and treatment for Asian Americans living in New York City.

The program recently launched a website that features educational videos in Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and English.The site also includes free screening dates in the New York City region. To access this new resource, go to: http://www.bfreenyc.org
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(16 of 16)
February 28, 2006
HEPATITIS B FOUNDATION POSTS FALL 2005 ISSUE OF THE "B INFORMED" NEWSLETTER ON ITS WEBSITE

The Fall 2005 issue of "B Informed," the newsletter of the Hepatitis B Foundation (HBF) is now available online. This issue includes articles titled "HBV, Immigration and You," and "Science that Works," as well as regular features on HBV compounds in development, clinical trials, personal stories, and a resource roundup.

The current issue of "B Informed" can be accessed at http://www.hepb.org/pdf/hepbnews44.pdf

To receive "B Informed" through the U.S. mail, please send your name and full address to info@hepb.org and HBF will add your name to their confidential mailing list.

The HBF website offers many other resources, including the continually updated "HBF Drug Watch." To access the home page go to: http://www.hepb.org