August 25, 2014

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Announcements

ANNOUNCEMENTS

CDC Responds to Recent Social Media Discussion Regarding MMR Vaccine Safety

CDC has posted a statement regarding the 2004 Pediatrics article, “Age at First Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccination in Children With Autism and School-Matched Control Subjects: A Population-Based Study in Metropolitan Atlanta”.

Rebuttals to the negative social media comments on the use of data from that article also have been posted on EpidemioLogical, The Poxes Blog, and ScienceBlogs.

NIAM Urges that Vaccines are “Not Just For Kids!”

Every year, thousands of adults in the U.S. still suffer serious illness, are hospitalized, and even die due to disease for which vaccines are available. However, most adults are not even aware that they need vaccines throughout their lives to protect against diseases like pertussis, hepatitis, shingles, and pneumococcal disease.

Healthcare professionals are the most valued and trusted source of health information for adults. Research indicates that most adults believe that vaccines are important and are likely to get them if they receive a recommendation from their healthcare professional. Therefore, it is crucial to educate both consumers and healthcare professionals on the importance of immunizations for adults.

It’s the final week of National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM), and the theme of this week, August 24 – 30, is “Not Just for Kids”. This provides a great opportunity to educate adults on the importance of vaccines for protecting their health and encourage healthcare professionals to strongly recommend the vaccines their adult patients need.

CDC urges that your organization consider some of the following activities to help promote vaccination during NIAM—and beyond.

Update your materials with the latest information provided in the NIAM Communication Toolkit or use the key messages to develop your own materials.

Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #NIAM14. The NIAM Communication Toolkit has social media messages crafted in a way that you can use them as they are—or tailor as you see fit for your audience(s).

Download and print factsheets and distribute them to healthcare and community settings. CDC has developed a series of factsheets to educate healthcare professionals on the Standards for Adult Immunization as well as a series of factsheets to educate adult patients on the vaccines recommended for them.

Place ready to publish articles in your newsletter, on your website, or in local news outlets.
- Ready to publish articles targeted at consumers can be found on pages 18 – 23 of the NIAM Communication Toolkit or on CDC’s Adult Vaccination Resources website. Ready to publish articles targeted at healthcare professionals also are available.
- Include links to CDC’s Adult Vaccination website on your website, in your materials, or on your social media platforms.

Promote CDC’s Prevent Shingles feature on your social media platforms.

You can learn more about NIAM on the National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC) website or CDC’s Calendar and Events page. And don’t forget to check the Summit homepage.

Don’t forget to share your plans for NIAM by completing this online form, and see what other organizations have planned for NIAM.

Please visit the NPHIC website for more information and email Ian Branam with any questions or ideas.

CDC August 25, 2014 Influenza Update

The CDC Influenza Division has released key points regarding the first human infection with influenza A H3N2 variant (H3N2v) virus in the United States in 2014.

The Influenza Division Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report for Week 33 also is available.

Webinar recording and slides now available online:

“Are You Ready for Flu? CDC’s Recommendations and Communication Plans for the 2014-2015 Influenza Season” (originally aired August 13, 2014)

Reminder: Influenza Vaccine Information Statements (VIS) for 2014-2015 Season

The 2014-2015 LAIV VIS and IIV VIS are available and may be used immediately. (The accompanying Provider Information document is being updated for the 2014-15 season and will be available soon.)

Baseball! Invitation to Summit Partners from NFID

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) invites all NAIIS partners to join them for two special Flu Awareness Nights in September with the Washington Nationals and the Oakland Athletics. NFID has partnered with these Major League Baseball teams for special evenings of baseball and influenza awareness. Discounted tickets are available and a portion of all ticket sales will be donated to NFID to help support infectious disease prevention and treatment.

Oakland Athletics Flu Awareness Night (Oakland, CA)

Watch the Athletics take on the Houston Astros

Friday, September 5, 2014 at 7:05 PM PT

Washington Nationals 3rd Annual Flu Season Awareness Night (Washington, DC)

See the Nationals take on division rivals the Atlanta Braves

Tuesday, September 9, 2014 at 7:05 PM ET

Planned activities at the games include:

NFID public service announcement, “Freddie the Flu Detective”, featured on the Jumbotron prior to the start of the game
Scoreboard welcome message
Distribution of educational materials and flu vaccine vouchers to all fans

As a special opportunity, NFID is also organizing a bulk order of flu awareness baseball night t-shirts, as a fundraiser and easy way to show your support. No need to dump ice on your head, just enter the quantity and size(s) you’d like to order before the closing date on 8/28/14.

Additional Announcements from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID)

NFID is excited to share its new Family Vaccines animated video highlighting the importance of immunization for the entire family. As you know, the Family Vaccines Initiative focuses on raising awareness about the benefit of vaccines for expectant mothers/parents and their extended families. This was announced to NAIIS partners on the August 21, 2014 Summit conference call. Additional related resources are included in the Family Vaccines Resource Center.

As a NAIIS partner, NFID hopes that you will share this video with your stakeholders. NFID encourage all partners to link to the video from their websites, announce it in newsletters, and share it via social media channels. NFID thanks you all for your continued support and commitment to this important initiative.

NFID announces that there will be a screening of the documentary, Invisible Threat, which will be followed by a Panel Discussion, on September 18, 2014 at the Suburban Hospital, Bethesda, MD.

Finally, do not forget NFID’s Fall 2014 Clinical Vaccinology Course! It will be held November 7-9, 2014 at the Houston Marriott at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, TX.

The Call to Action: HPV Vaccination as a Public Health Priority, is based on the May 2014 roundtable sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) and Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE). This Call to Action is part of a broader initiative to educate healthcare professionals (HCPs) about the importance of HPV vaccination for cancer prevention and to offer resources to support HPV vaccination in practice.

The Call to Action is also available online at the new NFID HPV Resource Center. The Resource Center provides easy access to a wide range of HPV information and tools for HCPs. The materials included in the Resource Center have been compiled from a range of well-respected healthcare organizations. All materials reflect the most recent HPV vaccine recommendations, and their messages are consistent with best practices for increasing HPV vaccine uptake.

NFID encourages partners to share the Call to Action along with the link to the HPV Resource Center with your members and constituents. Below is draft language that can be used to share the resources. NFID will also be reaching out to select professional media outlets to encourage them share the new resources with their readers.

DRAFT NOTE FOR DISTRIBUTION TO STAKEHOLDERS (FEEL FREE TO EDIT OR CUSTOMIZE):

I am pleased to share a new Call to Action from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE): HPV Vaccination as a Public Health Priority. The report highlights the proceedings of a May 2014 roundtable that we supported as an organization, and provides an overview of the importance of preventing HPV infection and recommendations for improving the uptake of HPV vaccines in practice. The Call to Action is available on NFID’s new HPV Resource Center, which also contains information and tools to support HPV vaccination.

By working together to support timely HPV vaccination (beginning at 11-12 years of age for both boys and girls), the medical community can reduce the burden of HPV-related cancers.

Don’t Forget the Premiere of the New NOVA Film: Vaccines – Calling the Shots!

A press release for the NOVA documentary, Vaccines – Calling the Shots, is now available. If you have questions about the documentary or would like more information, please contact Kathy Bonk.

Summit News

Please visit the Summit website for adult immunization resources and information on the Summit. Summit calls are scheduled every Thursday at 3 PM ET, unless cancelled. Please email L.J Tan or LaDora Woods if you have any updates on activities to provide to the Summit.