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July 30, 2003
CDC RELEASES UPDATED SLIDE SET ON HEPATITIS A

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released an updated hepatitis A slide set for health care professionals. This 55-slide resource is available in three formats; PowerPoint, camera-ready (PDF), and text (HTML).

The hepatitis A slide set is part of a series titled "Epidemiology and Prevention of Viral Hepatitis A to E: An Overview." Slide sets on hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E are all available at no charge from CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis. To view or download the new hepatitis A slide set, or any of the viral hepatitis slide sets, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/slideset/index.htm

Many more resources, including brochures, posters, and recommendations, are available from CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis. Visit the "Viral Hepatitis Resource Center" at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/resource/index.htm
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July 30, 2003
SEPTEMBER 29 IS DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS FOR THE 2004 NATIONAL STD PREVENTION CONFERENCE

The 2004 National STD Prevention Conference will be held March 8-11, 2004, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Planning Committee welcomes submission of abstracts for oral presentations, poster sessions, pre-organized symposia,  and skills-building workshops that focus on the broad spectrum of critical issues in the field of STD prevention and related fields. The abstract submission deadline is September 29, 2003.

The conference's title, "Sharing Successes and Strategies During an Era of Uncertainty," succinctly describes the goal of the meeting: to identify practical strategies for countering an STD epidemic in a time of shrinking resources and political challenge. The conference is co-sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American STD Association, the National Coalition of STD Directors, and the American Social Health Association.

For more information about the conference, please visit http://www.stdconference.org Persons interested in submitting an abstract can do so online by clicking on the "Call for Abstracts" button.
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July 30, 2003
IAC ADDS "DIALYSIS, VIRAL HEPATITIS, AND IMMUNIZATION" PAGE TO ITS WEBSITE

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action Coalition's "IAC EXPRESS" electronic newsletter, 7/21/03.]

The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) recently compiled journal articles, recommendations, and other resources regarding viral hepatitis infection among dialysis patients. Journal articles make up the majority of the new "Dialysis, Viral Hepatitis, and Immunization" web page. The recommendations section of the new page includes articles published  in the "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report," and the resources section directs providers and patients to pertinent  websites and publications.

The dialysis web page is located under Topics of Interest in the right column of the IAC home page. To access the new web page, go to: http://www.immunize.org/dialysis
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July 30, 2003
"SIGNPOST" SUMMARIZES TWO ARTICLES ON THE COST OF HEPATITIS C IN PRISONS

The July 9, 2003, issue of "SIGNpost," the electronic newsletter of the Safe Injection Global Network (SIGN), summarized an article, "State Prisons Chief Says Hepatitis Likely to Be an Increasing Problem," originally published by  the Associated Press on July 6. The article quotes Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Director Reginald Wilkerson, who said that hepatitis C testing and treatment of a selected group of prisoners will cost Ohio $3.9 million this year. Wilkerson stated his concern about future costs, estimating that about 6 percent of Ohio's prison population was infected with HCV, with treatment costing as much as $25,000 per patient per year.

The July 16, 2003, issue of "SIGNpost" included a summary of an article titled "Prison Health-Care Costs Still Going Up," originally published by the Associated Press on July 9. Randy Kohl, Nebraska Correctional Services Medical Director, reported that last year the state spent $280,000 treating eight inmates with hepatitis C. According to Kohl, the agency could spend $700,000 next year if 20 people need treatment, which includes a combination of drugs, specialized care, and lab tests.

"SIGNpost" is a free weekly electronic forum about safe and appropriate use of injections. To subscribe, go to:
http://www.who.int/injection_safety/newsletter/SIGNPost/en

To visit the SIGN Alliance website, go to:
http://www.who.int/injection_safety/sign/en
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July 30, 2003
IAC ADDS NEW RESOURCES TO ITS HEPATITIS PREVENTION PROGRAMS WEBSITE

The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) recently made several improvements to its Hepatitis Prevention Programs website.

First, two new projects were added to the Model Programs section:

Indiana State Department of Health
Hepatitis Education in a Juvenile Correctional Setting
http://www.hepprograms.org/juven/juven8.asp

Springfield Department of Public Health Confidential Clinic
http://www.hepprograms.org/std/std11.asp

Second, links were added to the home page to aid visitors searching online for basic information about viral hepatitis. These links direct visitors to the following topic pages on IAC's main website: Hepatitis B Information, Hepatitis A Information, Health Care Workers, Birth Dose of Hepatitis B Vaccine, Tattooing and Body Piercing, Needle Safety, International Adoption, Travel Vaccines, and Dialysis.

Third, the title of the "Drug treatment/needle exchange" category was changed to "Harm reduction" to better reflect the focus of these programs.

In addition, every week more relevant journal articles and abstracts are added to the site. Please visit http:///www.hepprograms.org often to read the latest news and check out all the great work your colleagues are doing!
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July 30, 2003
WISCONSIN HEPATITIS CONFERENCE SET FOR SEPTEMBER 5

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action
Coalition's "IAC EXPRESS" electronic newsletter, 7/7/03.]

The Wisconsin Hepatitis Conference will be held September 5 in Madison. The Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services and the Office of Continuing Medical Education, University of Wisconsin Medical School are joint sponsors.

The conference is intended for health care providers, local health departments, family practitioners, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, tribal health clinics, and community health clinics. Featured speakers are Joanna Buffington, MD,  MPH, Medical Epidemiologist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Michael R. Lucey, MD, Professor of Medicine, Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Wisconsin Medical School.

For additional information, including registration information, contact Cathy Means at (608) 263-6637.