August 16, 2018

UPCOMING EVENTS

2018 World Influenza Conference Co-Sponsored by the Summit with International Partners Will Be Held in Beijing, China, September 7–10, 2018

We are pleased to announce the upcoming 2018 World Influenza Conference taking place in Beijing on September 7–10, 2018.

The meeting has been developed through a global partnership comprising ESWI, isirv, NAIIS, and with our Chinese partners the CPMA, China CDC, and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS).

While we are expecting at least 1200 Chinese nationals to attend the meeting, the number of seats available for international attendees will be limited to around 350. As Summit partners, we want to be sure that you are given the opportunity to attend this very important meeting.

While we have waived the registration fee, it will be the responsibility of all attendees to meet their own travel and accommodation costs – financial assistance will not be available.

You can find more information about it at the APACI website.

Please also note that the process for obtaining a visa for China can be complicated and protracted, so if you are genuinely interested in attending, you should start making arrangements now.

e-Poster Exhibition

All subscribers are invited to submit a poster abstract. They must be in the format described on the APACI website. A template is available. Successful abstracts will enable automatic registration for the authors. A separate Poster alert will be issued.

Webinar from NFID: Increasing Adolescent Vaccination Rates – August 21, 2018

National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is an annual observance held each August to highlight the importance of vaccination across the lifespan. During NIAM 2018, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) will host a weekly webinar at 12:00 PM ET on each Tuesday in August. Join NFID for our third webinar of the series.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began measuring immunization rates among US teens age 13-17 years in 2006 using the National Immunization Survey-Teen. Since that time, immunization rates among US teens have increased steadily. While these improvements are encouraging, gaps in coverage still remain, particularly for HPV vaccination.

Join NFID Medical Director William Schaffner, MD and Amy B. Middleman, MD, MSEd, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics & Chief, Section of Adolescent Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center for an update on current adolescent vaccination recommendations and strategies for increasing coverage among this population.

At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to:

Describe the rationale for US adolescent vaccination recommendations
Identify gaps in current US adolescent vaccine coverage rates
Describe the risks associated with missing recommended adolescent vaccines
Discuss ways to integrate the 16-year-old platform into practice in order to increase adolescent vaccine uptake

There is no fee to participate in this activity, but pre-registration is required.

Webinar from NFID: Preventing Hepatitis B Infections in US Adults – August 28, 2018

Only 25 percent of US adults at high-risk for hepatitis B (HBV) infection, as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), get vaccinated as recommended. HBV vaccination helps prevent new infection and interrupts further transmission of the virus.

Join the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) for a discussion about the burden of HBV infections in US adults and the importance of preventing infection through vaccination. NFID Medical Director William Schaffner, MD, will moderate the webinar discussion that will include presentations by Aaron M. Harris, MD, MPH, Acting Clinical Interventions Team Lead, Division of Viral Hepatitis, CDC; Kristin L. Nichol, MD, MPH, MBA, Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota; and Amra A. Resic, MD, Family Medicine Physician, BayCare Medical Group, representing the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to:

Discuss the epidemiology of acute and chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the US
Describe the long-term outcomes of chronic HBV infection
Summarize CDC immunization recommendations for adult populations at risk for HBV infection
Assess interventions to increase adult HBV vaccination rates for implementation in practice

There is no fee to participate in this activity, but pre-registration is required.

NILE Webinar: Immunization for Cancer Survivors – Thursday, August 30 from 12–1 pm (PST)

Immunize Nevada is pleased to host this training via a toll-free web-conference. This program offers one free nursing or pharmacy CEU credit (CEU credit requires completion of the post-webinar survey).

Program:

Immunization of the cancer survivor can be a complex topic. We will discuss the effect on the immune system of different treatment modalities such as radiation, chemotherapy, and biotherapy and how it may affect the patient’s suitability for routine or travel vaccines. We will also provide an overview of “cancer vaccines”, which are actually a form of immunotherapy and which may have a unique side effect profile. Finally, we will address the following practical takeaways: specific immunization concerns for certain high risk groups including post stem cell transplant, survivors with respiratory compromise, pediatric considerations and the role of titers after immunosuppressive therapy.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this program, attendees will be able to:

Enrich their understanding of the use and timing of immunizations related to cancer treatment modalities.
Enhance their critical thinking skills for clinicians regarding absolute and relative contraindications for vaccines in cancer survivors.
Increase clinician confidence in identification of patients in the community with immunization gaps after cancer treatment.

Featured Presenter: Charmian Lykins, MPH, RN, OCN

Charmian Lykins is a Cancer Nurse Navigator at Renown Health Institute for Cancer where she provides coordination of care and educational support for breast cancer patients and cancer survivors. She lived and worked for over 10 years in Latin America and served as a clinic-based registered nurse in the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City. In this role, she managed the vaccination program for both scheduled and travel vaccines for Embassy staff and family members. She has also worked as an oncology certified and chemotherapy certified inpatient oncology nurse at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia. She earned her Master’s in Public Health with an emphasis in Occupational and Environmental Health from Johns Hopkins University, as well as a BSN in Nursing from George Mason University and a BSB in Business Finance from the University of Minnesota.

2018 NFID Flu Awareness Night at Washington Nationals Game – September 21, 2018

Mark your calendars and plan to join the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) and the Washington Nationals for a special evening of baseball and flu awareness at the 7th Annual Flu Season Awareness Night on Friday, September 21, 2018 at 7:05 PM against the New York Mets. Special discounted tickets in the Outfield Reserved section (field level) are available, and a portion of all ticket sales will be donated to NFID to help support the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, including influenza. Planned activities at the game include a scoreboard welcome message and a special guest appearance by the Flu Bugs!

POLITICO’s Annual Health Care Summit Will Focus on Vaccine Hesitancy, October 8–9

Vaccines are one of the greatest advances in medicine and an extremely important pillar of prevention. Paradoxically, vaccine hesitancy is on the rise and diseases we thought were soon to be a thing of the past – such as measles – are resurfacing.

Join POLITICO and Le Temps’ 3rd Annual Health Care Summit on October 8–9 in Geneva to tackle today’s important issues in health care:

What are the future breakthroughs in immunization?
How can we address vaccine hesitancy?
How can we further build immunity globally?

Participate in the discussion and hear from distinguished speakers such as:

Riina Sikkut, Minister of Health and Labour, Republic of Estonia
Rachel Dunscombe, CEO, National Health Service (NHS) Digital Academy
Jayasree K. Iyer, Executive Director, Access to Medicine Foundation
Carlo Pettinelli, Director for Consumer, Environmental and Health Technologies – DG GROW, European Commission
Professor Guido Rasi, Executive Director, European Medicines Agency (EMA)

When: October 8-9, 2018

Where: Campus Biotech, Geneva

Politico is looking for partnership opportunities. Get in touch with Simona Romeo.

Clinical Vaccinology Course (CVC) sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) and Emory University School of Medicine, November 9–10, 2018

The 2-day Clinical Vaccinology Course (CVC) sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) and Emory University School of Medicine focuses on new developments and issues related to the use of vaccines across the lifespan. Poster presentations and interactive sessions led by expert faculty provide the latest information on updated vaccine recommendations and innovative and practical strategies for ensuring timely and appropriate immunization. The 2018 course is scheduled for November 9–10, 2018 in Bethesda, MD.

NFID invites authors to submit abstract submissions for poster presentation to share best practices and program results, stimulate discussion, and exchange ideas with colleagues in an interactive and informal setting. Abstracts must be submitted online by September 10, 2018 at 11:59 PM ET.

Abstract categories for 2018 poster presentations include:

Addressing Immunization Disparities
Addressing Vaccine Safety Concerns and Vaccine Hesitancy
Best Practices to Increase Immunization Rates
Effective Communication Strategies
Implementation and Use of Electronic Health Records (EHR)/Immunization Information Systems (IIS)

Visit the NFID website to learn more, to submit an abstract, and to register for the course. Discounted early registration fees end on September 27, 2018.

SUMMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Summit Influenza WG Publishes Guidance for Leaders/Administrators in Long-Term Care Facilities Who Plan to Implement an Influenza Vaccination Requirement Policy for Health Care Personnel to Improve Influenza Vaccination Coverage

Vaccination of healthcare personnel in long-term care facilities against influenza has been associated with reductions in all-cause mortality among patients and hospitalizations of individuals with influenza-like illness. This guidance was developed to help leaders and administrators of long-term care facilities increase the influenza vaccination coverage rates of their staff.

AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, representing the community of over 50,000 medical directors, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other practitioners working in the various post-acute and long-term care (PA/LTC) settings, has also supported this guidance and posted it on their website.

Please also visit the Summit’s web page on vaccinating healthcare workers. And check out CDC’s Toolkit for Long-Term Care Employers.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

New Edition of The Vaccine Handbook (Purple Book) App Is Now Available from the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society

The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, the world’s largest organization dedicated to the treatment, control, and eradication of infectious diseases that affect children, is pleased to announce the availability of a new edition of The Vaccine Handbook App. This mobile App for iOS devices contains the 2018 (7^th) edition of The Vaccine Handbook: A Practical Guide for Clinicians (also known as “The Purple Book”), by Dr. Gary S. Marshall, professor of pediatrics at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. This authoritative, practical tool is available free of charge from the Apple iTunes App Store (purchase of the print edition is not required).

Please help PIDS spread the word to members of your organization, partner organizations, vaccine providers, trainees, and others.

The Purple Book is a readable, comprehensive source of up-to-date information for vaccine providers and educators. It draws together the latest vaccine science and guidance into a concise, user-friendly, practical resource for the private office, public health clinic, academic medical center, and hospital. The App is fully searchable, allows for bookmarking, highlighting and annotation, and contains hyperlinks to useful content on the Internet; it includes:

Scientific foundations of vaccinology
Information on every vaccine licensed in the United States
The rationale behind authoritative vaccine recommendations
Contingencies encountered in everyday practice
An entire chapter on addressing vaccine concerns
Background on vaccine infrastructure and policy-making
Standards and regulations
Office logistics, billing procedures, and much more

The App may be found by searching the App Store for “The Vaccine Handbook App” or clicking on this link. Additional information about The Purple Book is available through the publisher, Professional Communications, Inc. (West Islip, NY).

Available Online; Six Online Training Sessions to Help Implement Standing Orders Protocols (SOPs) for Adult Immunization

Looking for an evidence-based method to help increase adult immunization rates? Wondering about using SOPs but don’t know where to start? The content for this comprehensive six-part series available online 24/7 will help your healthcare setting implement SOPs for adult immunizations. Speakers include immunization experts Drs Deborah Wexler, William Atkinson, and Litjen Tan. Attending this series does not earn Continuing Education (CE) credit. The series is developed and provided by IAC, IDCareLive, and Pfizer.

Registration is free, but is required in order to view any session. The link will bring up a short registration form to create a free IDCareLive account, if you don’t already have one. After signing up, you will be transferred directly to the intended page.

New NFID HPV Awareness Campaign: The Talk – A National Campaign to Increase HPV Awareness

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) has launched a new HPV (human papillomavirus) awareness campaign (The Talk) in collaboration with DoSomething.org, the largest not-for-profit exclusively for young people and social change with a digital platform reaching more than 6 million adolescents.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. It can be deadly and is the primary cause of cervical cancer as well as other diseases affecting males and females, including cancers of the mouth and throat, as well as genital warts. In the US, there are an estimated 14 million new infections each year, and 79 million individuals, most in their late teens and early 20s, are infected with HPV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends HPV vaccination starting at age 11 to 12 years. Unfortunately, many teens and young adults remain unvaccinated and are at risk for catching and spreading the infection.

Through “The Talk” campaign, NFID and DoSomething.org hope to make conversations about HPV prevention easier. The campaign website encourages young people to create personalized cards with a keyword and give the cards to their parents/guardians to start a conversation about HPV. By texting the keyword, participants receive information about HPV and the importance of vaccination. Scheduled to run until September 17, 2018, the campaign includes an opportunity for participants to win a $3,000 scholarship.

The initiative is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Merck & Co., Inc. NFID policies restrict funders from controlling program content.

Four Ways to Get Involved

Please help NFID spread the word about the importance of HPV prevention by sharing the campaign with your stakeholders:

A. Share on Twitter/Facebook Using These Sample Posts:

Let’s talk about #HPV! New @NFIDVaccines & @dosomething campaign aims to help young people talk with their parents about cancer-preventing vaccine: https://bit.ly/2L6R8cn #GetVaccinated #PreventHPV
It’s time to sit your parents down for The Talk… about #HPV vaccination. @NFIDVaccines & @dosomething can help you start the conversation, without it being awkward https://bit.ly/2L6R8cn #PreventHPV

B. Share Campaign Blog Post: Let’s Talk About HPV

@NFIDVaccines & @dosomething campaign encourages young people to talk with their parents about #HPV vaccination and preventing #cancer https://nfid.wordpress.com/2018/07/20/time-to-talk-about-hpv/ #PreventHPV
HPV vaccines are safe and effective at helping to preventing certain types of cancers, but for many preteens and teens, having the talk with their parents or guardians about preventing a sexually transmitted infection can be awkward. Learn about The Talk campaign from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases & Do Something that encourages young people to talk with their parents about #HPV and preventing #cancer https://nfid.wordpress.com/2018/07/20/time-to-talk-about-hpv/.

C. Follow NFID on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to join the conversation and share HPV-related posts, using #PreventHPV

D. Encourage any teens/young adults in your life to participate by signing up at www.dosomething,.org/us/campaigns/the-talk

GSK Urges Proper Storage, Reconstitution, and Administration of RZV

GSK is seeking assistance from partners to reinforce important education and communication about the storage, reconstitution, and administration of RZV.

RZV was approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 20, 2017. As this new vaccine begins to reach clinics and pharmacies, and ultimately patients, GSK has received a small number of reports from the field of maladministration of RZV. These reports of observed usage of RZV suggest that the root cause of maladministration has been the utilization of the storage requirements and route of administration established for ZVL. Since ZVL and RZV have different storage requirements and routes of administration, GSK is asking that Summit partners include in your communications regarding RZV the specific storage and administration requirements of RZV.

This will help ensure that the storage and administration of RZV is executed according to the instructions outlined in the FDA approved product labeling. Please include and emphasize the following information in your education and communications on RZV to reinforce its proper storage, reconstitution and administration:

Storage, Reconstitution and Administration of RZV

RZV is to be stored in the REFRIGERATOR ONLY. RZV must be discarded if frozen.
RZV MUST BE reconstituted with the ADJUVANT LIQUID SUSPENSION (AS01) provided.

RZV is to be administered INTRAMUSCULARLY ONLY. It is NOT to be administered subcutaneously.

INFORMATION FROM CDC

CDC Influenza Surveillance Updates

The FluView report published for Week 31 (ending August 4, 2018) is available on CDC’s website. Also available are CDC’s key points on variant virus infections.

CDC recently released a new FluView Interactive application that displays information collected on human infections with novel influenza A viruses in the United States and allows users to view characteristics of cases and counts by geographic location, virus subtype, influenza season, and calendar year. Additional information on human infections with novel influenza A viruses, including data for the current and previous seasons, is available from CDC.

Full FluView reporting for the 2018–2019 season will resume on October 12, 2018. Regular distribution of key points by email will resume in the fall as well.

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Data from Novel Influenza Surveillance Systems Can Complement Traditional Healthcare-Based Systems

Data from cloud-based electronic health records (EHRs) and crowd-sourced influenza surveillance systems have the potential to provide complementary, near real-time estimates of influenza activity. Baltrusaitis and co-authors sought to compare two novel influenza-tracking systems with three traditional healthcare-based influenza surveillance systems at four spatial resolutions: national, regional, state, and city, and to determine the minimum number of participants in these systems required to produce influenza activity estimates that resemble the historical trends recorded by traditional surveillance systems. Additional information is available in an article published in Infection Control Today.

Study Shows Flu Vaccine Reduces Risk of Severe Illness

A new CDC-supported study published in Vaccine conducted over multiple flu seasons shows that getting a flu shot lessened the risk of severe influenza (flu) among adults, including reducing the risk of hospitalization and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), and also lessened the severity of illness. CDC recommends an annual flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older. Annual flu vaccination varies in how well it works, but it is the best available way to prevent flu and its potentially serious consequences.

New Study Ties Obesity to Increased Risk of Flu Transmission

Although it’s well-known that obesity increases a person’s risk of severe complications from the flu, new research shows that obesity also may play a role in how influenza is spread by influencing how long patients with obesity who contract the flu remain contagious.

Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor found that patients who are obese and infected with certain flu strains may remain contagious for considerably longer periods of time than patients with flu who are not obese, thereby likely increasing the risk of spreading the virus to others.

Additional information on this subject is highlighted in a story on the AAFP website.

Mandatory Flu Vaccines Increase Provider Vaccination Rates

Flu season is on its way, and experts agree that the vaccine is a must-have for healthcare providers. An additional article is available from HealthLeaders media.

HPV Vaccine Legislation Appears Not to Impact Adolescent Sexual Activity, Study Indicates

State laws designed to increase teen vaccination against the cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV) don’t appear to influence adolescents’ choices about whether to become sexually active or use condoms, a U.S. study suggests. An additional story is available online.

Three Slide Decks Available to Support New Standards for Adult Immunization Practice

The Summit’s Access and Collaboration workgroup has developed three separate slide decks with talking notes to support partners and others who wish to present on the Standards to their peers and colleagues. The three audiences targeted by the decks are: healthcare providers; patients/public; and public health. These are now available, along with tips and tools on how to use them, at the Summit website.

Also, do not forget that Medscape has produced two modules to support the implementation of the Standards:

Providing a strong recommendation (with video vignettes)
Assessing the patient for adult vaccines

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.

Reminder

Weekly Summit calls will resume on October 11, 2018. Call summaries are available shortly after each call on the Summit website.

Please email L.J Tan or LaDora Woods if you have any updates on activities to provide to the Summit.

Upcoming Events

Summit Announcements

Announcements

Information from CDC

Other News of Interest