April 1, 2015

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Summit Call Recap – March 19, 2015

Information from CDC

Announcements

SUMMIT CALL RECAP – MARCH 19, 2015

Honoring the Memory of Laura Scott – Richard Kanowitz & Maril Olson (FFF)

Summit partners paused to remember and acknowledge the outstanding work of Laura Scott, founder of Families Fighting Flu (FFF). Laura passed away on March 3. Richard Kanowitz (FFF President) and Maril Olsen (FFF Executive Director) provided comments extolling Laura’s drive and passion in support of influenza vaccine for children. As noted by Richard, “She made the world a better place for our children and all of us.” Summit partners paused for a moment of silence in Laura’s honor.

Influenza Surveillance Update – Sophie Smith (CDC)

Sophie provided a summary of the published reports for week 9, ending March 7, 2015. Influenza activity in the U.S. has decreased, but remains elevated.

The ILI-Net national data indicated 2.4% of total outpatient visits were for influenza-like illness (ILI), which is above the national baseline of 2.0%. Approximately 11.4% of specimens submitted for testing were positive. Of the deaths reported through the 122 Cities Mortality Reporting System during week 9, 7.6% were attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I), above the 7.2% epidemic threshold for the week. Reports indicated there were 55.7 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations per 100,000 population.

Seven influenza-associated pediatric deaths were reported to CDC during the week 9, though some of these reports were for deaths which had occurred in earlier weeks. One death was associated with an influenza A (H3) virus, two deaths were associated with an influenza A virus for which subtyping was not performed, and 4 deaths were associated with an influenza B virus. A total of 104 pediatric deaths have been reported during the 2014–2015 season. Of the 85 for whom vaccination status was known, 10 were ineligible for vaccination, and only eight were fully vaccinated.

As shown in CDC’s weekly influenza summary map, the geographic spread for influenza for week 9 is:

Widespread – 9 states
Regional – 29 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands
Local – 11 states
Sporadic – 1 state and the District of Columbia
No activity – no states
No report – no states

Since October 1, CDC has antigenically characterized 1,150 influenza viruses; 27 2009 A (H1N1) viruses, 902 influenza A (H3N2) viruses, and 221 influenza B viruses. All 27 of the 2009 H1N1 viruses tested were characterized as A/California/7/2009-like, the influenza A (H1N1) component of the 2014–2015 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccine. Of the 902 influenza A (H3N2) viruses tested, 238 (26.4%) were characterized asA/Texas/50/2012-like, which also is included in this season’s Northern Hemisphere vaccine. Six hundred sixty-four (73.6%) of viruses tested were different from A/Texas/50/2012. The majority of these were antigenically similar to A/Switzerland/9715293/2013, the influenza A (H3N2) component of the 2015 Southern Hemisphere influenza vaccine. Both B/Victoria and B/Yamagata-lineage viruses are circulating in the U.S. One hundred fifty-seven (71.0%) of the influenza B viruses tested belonged to the B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage, and the remaining 64 (30.5%) influenza B viruses tested belonged to the B/Victoria/91/87 lineage. One hundred fifty (95.5%) of the 157 B/Yamagata-lineage viruses were characterized as B/Massachusetts/2/2012-like, a component of both the trivalent and quadrivalent vaccines for the Northern Hemisphere, while seven (4.5%) of the 157 B/Yamagata-lineage viruses showed reduced titers to B/Massachusetts/2/2012. Sixty (93.8%) of the 64 B/Victoria viruses were characterized as B/Brisbane/60/2008-like, a component of the 2014–2015 Northern Hemisphere quadrivalent influenza vaccine. Four (6.2%) of the B/Victoria lineage viruses tested showed reduced titers to B/Brisbane/60/2008.

One of the 2,356 specimens tested this season showed resistance to oseltamivir, none of 2,352 tested showed resistance to zanamivir, and one of 1,597 specimens tested showed resistance to peramivir.

The March 6 MMWR includes an article summarizing influenza activity in the United States from September 28, 2014–February 21, 2015.

Influenza Vaccine Strain Selection – Jackie Katz (CDC)

Dr. Katz provided a high level summary of the influenza vaccine strain selection for the 2015–2016 season. Surveillance information from the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System was considered at a WHO meeting in late February, and the data was presented at the FDA VRBPAC meeting in early March.

Considerations for vaccine virus recommendations include whether: new viruses have been identified; they are causing disease; current vaccines are able to cover the new variants; and candidate vaccine viruses representing the new variants are available.

Data from September 2014–January 2015 indicate influenza A was the predominant virus type. Although influenza A(H1N2) did not cause much activity in the northern hemisphere, outbreaks did occur late in the winter season in the southern hemisphere. All of the circulating A(H1N1) viruses belonged to genetic clade 6B and were antigenically similar to the recommended vaccine virus A/California/7/2009.

Influenza A(H3N2) resulted in widespread activity in the Americas, Asia, and Europe, and it fell into many different genetic groups. About 70% of the viruses characterized this season have properties indicating they are no longer similar to the A/Texas/50/2012 northern hemisphere vaccine virus for 2014–2015.

Influenza B activity generally was low worldwide, with both B/Victoria and B/Yamagata lineage viruses co-circulating, with B/Yamagata predominating. In September, another B virus genetic group (B/Phuket) was identified.

Based on the accumulated data, the following viruses are recommended to be included in the northern hemisphere influenza vaccine for the 2015–2016 season:

A/California/7/2009(H1N1)pdm09-like virus;
A/Switzerland/9715293/2013(H3N2)-like virus;
B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus.

In addition, quadrivalent vaccines will contain the above plus a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus.

One Summit partner noted that the A/California virus has been a vaccine component for several years and questioned whether we might be setting the stage for a vaccine mismatch in the coming season. However, Jackie stated there currently is no evidence that we are seeing any antigenic drift from this virus indicating the need to change the vaccine component.

CMS QIO Adult Immunization Task – Shiree Southerland (CMS)

Shiree explained that the CMS Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program was established to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, economy, and quality of services delivered to Medicare beneficiaries. Over time, strategies to accomplish this mission have shifted from peer review of cases to include quality measurement and improvement.

In 2011, CMS implemented an Immunization Information System (IIS) Special Innovation Project (SIP) in two states (Wisconsin and Oregon). The IIS Project goals were to improve routine reporting of all adult immunizations to state IIS via electronic health records (EHRs), particularly among physician offices that were not currently submitting data, and to improve all adult immunization rates, particularly among Medicare beneficiaries. Providers are faced with many challenges to direct reporting of immunization data to the state IIS. Competing priorities, such as ICD-10 implementation and EHR establishment, exist, and there is no national mandate for providers to report. Small practices often lack needed resources in staff time availability or IIS knowledge, and EHR vendors may not have developed adequate interfaces. To help combat these challenges, CMS expects QIOs to work with state grantees and Regional Extension Centers, as well as to develop and implement effective strategies to help practices submit data.

The experiences of the Wisconsin and Oregon pilot projects were quite different and will help inform the activities of future QIO activities. Based on the lessons learned from the 2 programs, CMS recommends:

Outreach and education to providers/practitioners, especially small practices, regarding IIS capabilities;
Outreach, education, and technical assistance to providers/practitioners, especially small practices, regarding adult immunization and reporting standards;
Strengthen partnerships between IIS, EHR vendors, and providers/practitioners; and
More alignment between EHR Incentive Program and other quality initiatives.

Based in part on these lessons learned, CMS is now preparing a national Scope of Work (SoW) to improve adult immunizations. Shiree noted that QIOs are not new to immunization work, but this project represents the first time an immunization program will be rolled out nationwide. Only the 14 Quality Innovation Network Quality Improvement Organizations (QIN-QIOs) are eligible to submit proposals under the contracts, which CMS anticipates will be awarded in mid/late April. The goals of the Adult Immunization Task within the SoW are to:

Improve assessment and documentation of adult immunizations;
Improve immunization rates in Medicare beneficiaries, especially in minority and underserved populations;
Increase reporting of Medicare beneficiary immunizations to IISs, where available for adult patients; and
Increase reporting to IISs from certified EHR technology (CEHRT)

The targets for this five-year project are to align with the Healthy People 2020 adult immunization coverage rate goals for influenza (70%), pneumococcal (90%), and zoster (30%) while particularly improving rates in minorities and underserved populations. Key evaluation measures have been established, though these specifications may change as National Quality Forum (NQF) measures are updated.

Shiree urged Summit partners to collaborate with the QIN-QIOs as they reach out to set up community networks related to this task. Mitch Rothholz noted that the Pharmacy Quality Alliance already is working with QIN-QIOs on developing data on the percentage of pharmacies reporting to state IIS.

Other Items – Carolyn Bridges (CDC)

Carolyn reminded Summit partners that registration for the 2015 NAIIS meeting, to be held in Atlanta, Georgia on May 12–14, is available on the Summit website.

Carolyn also announced that the results of the CAPiTA trial on the effectiveness of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against pneumococcal community acquired pneumonia in adults >65 years were published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine.

CDC/Influenza Division Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report and CDC Key Points

The CDC weekly influenza surveillance report for week 11, 2015 (ending March 21, 2015) and region specific data are now available. During week 11, 7.4% of all deaths reported through the 122 Cities Mortality Reporting System were due to pneumonia and influenza (P&I). This percentage was above the epidemic threshold of 7.2% for week 11.

For the 2014–2015 influenza season, CDC/Influenza Division and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) are collaborating on a pilot project to use NCHS mortality surveillance data for the rapid assessment of P&I mortality.

One thousand three hundred forty-six influenza viruses [27 A(H1N1)pdm09, 1,026 A(H3N2), and 293 influenza B viruses] have been collected by U.S. laboratories since October 1, 2014.

Two hundred forty-two (23.6%) of the 1,026 H3N2 viruses tested have been characterized as A/Texas/50/2012-like, the influenza A (H3N2) component of the 2014–2015 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccine. Seven hundred eighty-four (76.4%) of the 1,026 viruses tested showed either reduced titers with antiserum produced against A/Texas/50/2012 or belonged to a genetic group that typically shows reduced titers to A/Texas/50/2012. Among viruses that showed reduced titers with antiserum raised against A/Texas/50/2012, most were antigenically similar to A/Switzerland/9715293/2013, the H3N2 virus selected for the 2015 Southern Hemisphere influenza vaccine. A/Switzerland/9715293/2013 is related to, but antigenically and genetically distinguishable from, the A/Texas/50/2012 vaccine virus. A/Switzerland-like H3N2 viruses were first detected in the United States in small numbers in March of 2014 and began to increase through the spring and summer.

For week 11, 207 (70.6%) of the influenza B viruses tested belong to B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage and the remaining 86 (29.4%) influenza B viruses tested belong to B/Victoria/02/87 lineage. One hundred ninety-eight (95.7%) of the 207 B/Yamagata-lineage viruses were characterized as B/Massachusetts/2/2012-like, which is included as an influenza B component of the 2014–2015 Northern Hemisphere trivalent and quadrivalent influenza vaccines. Nine (4.3%) of the B/Yamagata-lineage viruses tested showed reduced titers to B/Massachusetts/2/2012. Eighty-two (95.3%) of the 86 B/Victoria-lineage viruses were characterized as B/Brisbane/60/2008-like, the virus that is included as an influenza B component of the 2014–2015 Northern Hemisphere quadrivalent influenza vaccine. Four (4.7%) of the B/Victoria-lineage viruses tested showed reduced titers to B/Brisbane/60/2008.

Nine influenza-associated pediatric deaths were reported to CDC during week 11. Three deaths were associated with an influenza A (H3) virus and occurred during weeks 3, 4, and 9 (the weeks ending January 24, January 31, and March 7, 2015, respectively). Two deaths were associated with an influenza A virus for which no subtyping was performed and occurred during weeks 6 and 10 (the weeks ending February 14 and March 14, 2015, respectively). Four deaths were associated with an influenza B virus and occurred during weeks 9, 10, and 11 (the weeks ending March 7, March 14, and March 21, 2015, respectively).

A total of 116 influenza-associated pediatric deaths have been reported during the 2014–2015 season from New York City [3] and 34 states (Arizona [3], Arkansas [4], California [2], Colorado [5], Florida [3], Georgia [1], Indiana [1], Iowa [3], Kansas [2], Kentucky [3], Louisiana [2], Maryland [1], Massachusetts [1], Michigan [1], Minnesota [8], Mississippi [1], Missouri [1], Nebraska [1], New Jersey [1], North Carolina [2], Nevada [8], New York [3], Ohio [6], Oklahoma [6], Pennsylvania [3], South Carolina [3], South Dakota [1], Tennessee [9], Texas [13], Utah [2], Virginia [5], Washington [1], Wisconsin [6], and West Virginia [1]). More detail is available on the FluView website.

Between October 1, 2014 and March 21, 2015, 15,964 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations were reported. The overall hospitalization rate was 58.4 per 100,000 population. The highest rate of hospitalization was among adults aged ≥65 years (289.7 per 100,000 population), followed by children aged 0-4 years (52.0 per 100,000 population). Among all hospitalizations, 14,589 (91.4%) were associated with influenza A, 1,243 (7.8%) with influenza B, 69 (0.4%) with influenza A and B co-infection, and 63 (0.4%) had no virus type information. Among those with influenza A subtype information, 4,754 (99.7%) were A(H3N2) and 12 (0.3%) were A(H1N1)pdm09. Additional virus characterization is available on FluView.

Clinical findings are preliminary and based on 4,866 (30.5%) cases with complete medical chart abstraction. The majority (93.6%) of hospitalized adults had at least one reported underlying medical condition; the most commonly reported were cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and obesity. There were 664 hospitalized children with complete medical chart abstraction, 267 (40.2%) had no identified underlying medical conditions. The most commonly reported underlying medical conditions among pediatric patients were asthma, neurologic disorders, and obesity. Among the 371 hospitalized women of childbearing age (15-44 years), 113 (30.5%) were pregnant.

Nationwide during week 11, 2.2% of patient visits reported through the U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet) were due to influenza-like illness (ILI). This percentage is above the national baseline of 2.0%. ILI is defined as fever (temperature of 100°F [37.8°C] or greater) and cough and/or sore throat. An Influenza Summary Update of the influenza activity reported by state and territorial epidemiologists, which indicates geographic spread of influenza viruses but does not measure the intensity of influenza activity, is available. This currently reflects data from March 21, 2015. At this time, 13 states and territories are still reporting widespread influenza activity.

The FluView report for week 11 (ending March 21, 2015) and archives of previous FluViews are available from CDC. CDC also has released seasonal influenza key points for March 27, 2015.

INFORMATION FROM CDC

CDC Provides Measles Information to Its Partners

CDC has new measles information and resources available which it invites you to share with your membership.

Current information about measles cases and outbreaks is available from CDC. The agency also has developed corresponding information (available to Summit partners) to assist you as you receive questions about measles, develop new materials for your members, post to social media, etc. Let CDC know if you have any additional questions or would like to request resources from them.

CDC has posted an updated map which indicates the U.S. is currently experiencing a large, multi-state outbreak of measles linked to an amusement park in California. Check out CDC’s Measles Webpage to find resources for each of your audiences.

Please let CDC know if you have any questions or additional requests for information. Also, CDC would like to know what you are doing to promote MMR vaccination and education your membership about measles. Please send CDC an e-mail and let them know. CDC thanks you for your continued support and assistance.

CDC Provides Key Points on Avian Influenza

CDC key points related to reports of highly pathogennic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 in domestic and wild birds in the United States are available.

CDC Emergency Response – CDC Response to 2014 Ebola in the United States and West Africa

NEW: Sierra Leone Trial to Introduce a Vaccine against Ebola (STRIVE)

NEW: CDC Podcast: March 19, 2015 CDC Ebola Response Update

Updated: Case Counts

Upcoming and Recent CDC COCA Calls

Experiences of CDC and Emory Healthcare in Managing Persons Under Investigation for Ebola
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Emergency Preparedness for Clinicians – From Guidelines to the Front Line
Date: Thursday, March 26, 2015

Archived COCA conference calls are available, and free continuing education credits (CME, CNE, ACPE, CEU, CECH, and AAVSB/RACE) are available for most calls.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Influenza Vaccination Saves Lives – CDC Data Published in Vaccine

In this study, CDC estimated the numbers of deaths averted by vaccination in four age groups (0.5 to 4, 5 to 19, 20 to 64 and ≥65 yrs.) for the nine influenza seasons from 2005/6 through 2013/14

From August, 2005 through June, 2014, CDC estimated that 40,127 (95% confidence interval [CI] 25,694 to 59,210) deaths were averted by influenza vaccination. The authors found that of all studied seasons the most deaths were averted by influenza vaccination during the 2012/13 season (9398; 95% CI 2,386 to 19,897) and the fewest during the 2009/10 pandemic (222; 95% CI 79 to 347). Of all influenza-associated deaths averted, 88.9% (95% CI 83 to 92.5%) were in people ≥65 yrs. old.

The full article is available in Vaccine.

Please join the next Summit call on April 9, when we will have the CDC author, Ivo Foppa, provide a presentation on this data.

CDC’s HPV Vaccination Webinar Rescheduled to April 3, 2015

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has rescheduled its previously postponed HPV Vaccine Recommendation Update Webinar for Friday, April 3, 2015 from 8:00 am to 9:00 am (PT)/11:00am to 12:00pm (ET).

CDC’s Dr. Lauri Markowitz will provide an update on HPV vaccine recommendations and a review of the HPV vaccine session at last month’s meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), when the ACIP voted on use of 9-valent HPV vaccine. Shannon Stokley will be available to answer questions regarding programmatic implications and Jill Roark will also be on to respond to communications-related questions.

NFID Presents Meningococcal Resources including Archived March 5, 2015 Webinar

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) offers a variety of online continuing education activities including accredited continuing medical education (CME) programs led by key opinion leaders in the field of infectious diseases. The archived version of the March 15, 2015 NFID webinar on The Role of New Serogroup B Vaccines in Preventing Meningitis Outbreaks is now available.

NFID experts, Carol J. Baker, MD, Lorry G. Rubin, MD, and William Schaffner, MD, discuss unique challenges of meningococcal disease, new ACIP recommendations for serogroup B vaccine use, and considerations for future recommendations. At the conclusion of the webinar, participants will be able to:

Describe meningococcal disease morbidity and mortality and current epidemiology
Discuss US immunization recommendations for use of the quadrivalent (A,C,W,Y) and monovalent (B) meningococcal vaccines
List environmental and behavioral risk factors that increase risk of meningococcal disease for adolescents

NFID is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. NFID designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

FDA: Supports WHO’s Recommended Composition of Influenza Virus Vaccines for Use in the 2015–2016 Northern Hemisphere Influenza Season

The FDA has followed the recommendations of the WHO with regards to the influenza strains that should be in the 2015-2016 seasonal influenza vaccines. WHO recommended that trivalent vaccines for use in the 2015-2016 influenza season (northern hemisphere winter) contain the following:

an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;
an A/Switzerland/9715293/2013 (H3N2)-like virus;
a B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus.

It is recommended that quadrivalent vaccines containing two influenza B viruses contain the above three viruses and a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus.

National HPV Vaccination Roundtable Holds Successful Inaugural Meeting, February 23–24, 2015

The National HPV Vaccination Roundtable held its inaugural meeting in Atlanta February 23–24, 2015. As a result of this successful gathering of partners, overviews of seven possible pilot projects to be funded have been developed. These are undergoing final review and will be forwarded to all Roundtable members shortly.

Roundtable participants are now being asked to identify which task force (that may handle the specific pilot projects) they would like to join. The 7 groups will focus on a national HPV vaccination campaign, survivor involvement, pharmacy-located vaccination, provider education and training, provider reimbursement, middle school toolkit for parent education, and electronic health records/reminder & recall.

ACS is also finalizing a revised Roundtable flyer as well as a Roundtable Update/Overview that can be shared within participant organizations and with other partners and colleagues.

Five National Pharmacy Organizations Submit Joint Comments on Draft National Adult Immunization Plan

The American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Association Executives (NASPA), the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), and the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) submitted a joint letter to the US Health and Human Service’s National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO) regarding the draft National Adult Immunization Plan. The organizations expressed their appreciation of NVPO’s continued work to promote vaccination, collaboration and communication among immunization stakeholders that will result in increased adult vaccination rates. In particular, they applauded the plan’s recognition of the value pharmacists contribute towards addressing the immunization needs of the adult population and identified areas within the plan where pharmacists and pharmacy organizations are and can contribute to progress towards improving our nation’s adult immunization rates.

Pfizer CAPiTA Study is Published in the New England Journal of Medicine

On March 18, 2015, Pfizer announced the publication of findings from its Community-Acquired Pneumonia Immunization Trial in Adults (CAPiTA) in the March 19 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

Norovirus Vaccine Elicits Broad Antibody Response

Researchers from the University of North Carolina have found that an investigational multivalent norovirus vaccine elicited an antibody response in sera from 10 volunteers. According to the report in PLoS Medicine, the vaccine elicited responses to several norovirus strains, including strains not included in the vaccine or to which the participants had previously been exposed. A full news article on this research is available.

News Story Emphasizing Need for Adult Vaccinations

In a news story titled “Which vaccines should you get as an adult,” the reporter states that as an adult there are some vaccines important enough to suck it up for next time you visit the doctor.

New Ebola Vaccines Shown to be Safe

Results from a Liberian trial suggest that two candidate Ebola vaccines are safe, clearing the way for the next step to test efficacy, but with hardly any new cases there, discussions are under way to move the study to Guinea or Sierra Leone, which may cause problems for other studies taking place in the region. A story also is available in CIDRAP.

Western Australia Approves Free Pertussis Vaccinations for Pregnant Women!

Pregnant women in Western Australia can now receive free vaccinations against whooping cough in the third trimester of their pregnancy. The state government has given a go-signal for the approval of the program.

The free vaccination program was announced on March 19 in response to the death of 4-week old baby Riley Hughes, who died on Tuesday, March 17, at Princess Margaret Hospital. Since Riley’s death, his parents, Cath and Greg, have started a campaign to fight against whooping cough, also known as pertussis.

Register for the 2015 Preparedness Summit

Don’t forget to register for the 2015 Preparedness Summit April 14-17, 2015 in Atlanta. The summit is the premier national conference for public health preparedness and provides one of the only cross-disciplinary learning opportunities in the field.

Measles Continues to Challenge: International Attendee at Orlando Conference had Measles

State health officials say an international attendee at a conference in central Florida last week was infected with measles.

The Florida Department of Heath said Thursday that the person stayed at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center on March 16 and 17, but also visited Miami-Dade, Orange and Sarasota counties between March 14 and 20 while infectious.

Grant Opportunity from the National Vaccine Program Office – Closes April 15, 2015

NVPO is sponsoring a pilot vaccine safety grant (cooperative agreement), “Research, Monitoring and Outcomes Definitions for Vaccine Safety.” Here is some information about the FOA:

Funding Opportunity for Vaccine Safety Research
NVPO announces a unique opportunity to partner with us on research that will strengthen the current U.S. vaccine safety enterprise. With the potential for two awardees to receive up to $250,000 in funds ($500,000 total available funds), we encourage your participation—and look forward to reviewing applications following the April 15, 2015 closing date.

Types of Vaccine Safety-Related Research
Our objective is to conduct research in vaccine safety that

determines the safety profile of new vaccines during the early development stage,
develops or modifies existing vaccines to improve their safety,
directly impacts the current vaccine safety monitoring system, and/or
produces consensus definitions of vaccine safety outcomes that could be utilized to collect consensus data in clinical research conducted globally.

Projects Related to Pregnant Women and Newborns
Of particular interest are projects related to researching, establishing or testing the vaccine safety profile of vaccines that are either currently recommended for, or are expected to be, routinely administered to pregnant women and/or newborns. Topics of research may cover establishing the safety of a vaccine in either the pregnant woman, her newborn or both, at any stage of the vaccine development, testing and/or pre-clinical or clinical research and monitoring of vaccine safety.

2nd Asia-Pacific Influenza Summit, June 11–12, 2015

The Asia-Pacific Alliance for the Control of Influenza (APACI) is pleased to announce the 2nd Asia-Pacific Influenza Summit, to take place June 11 & 12, in Hanoi, Vietnam. Please mark the dates on your calendar.

APACI continues to develop new initiatives to promote influenza awareness in the region, and will again be presenting a unique opportunity to meet with key influenza experts and stakeholders from within the region, and from around the world. The summit follows the success of the inaugural Asia-Pacific Influenza summit held in Bangkok in 2012.

The summit will take place immediately prior to the 2015 Asian Vaccine Conference.

Every Child By Two (ECBT) Compiles Media Information on Its Website

On a daily basis, ECBT assembles significant news media coverage on immunizations in their “Daily Clips.” Summit partners may find this effort useful.

Summit Website Offers Wonderful Resources on Influenza Vaccination

Remember to visit the Summit website for the latest on influenza immunization resources. You also can find archived copies of The Summit Buzz there.