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Summit Call Recap – November 17, 2016
- Influenza Surveillance Update – Noreen Alabi (CDC)
- Plans for 2016 National Influenza Vaccination Week – Kathleen LaPorte (CDC)
- Other Items – L.J Tan (IAC)
Summit Call Recap – December 1, 2016
- Influenza Surveillance Update – Noreen Alabi (CDC)
- Families Fighting Flu “Play It Safe” PSAs – Serese Marotta (FFF)
- Other Items – L.J Tan (IAC)
Summit Call Recap – December 8, 2016
- Influenza Surveillance Update – Noreen Alabi (CDC)
- VaxView Summary for Vaccination Coverage Data – Stacie Greby (CDC)
- Other Items – L.J Tan (IAC)
Summit Call Recap – December 15, 2016
- Influenza Surveillance Update – Noreen Alabi (CDC)
- NAIIS Monthly Events/Communications Update – Aparna Ramakrishnan (CDC)
- 2016 NIVW Results Summary – Caitlin Shockey (CDC)
- Other Items – Carolyn Bridges (CDC)
Information from CDC
SUMMIT CALL RECAP – November 17, 2016
Influenza Surveillance Update – Noreen Alabi (CDC)
Noreen provided highlights of the influenza surveillance report from week 44, ending on November 5. Influenza activity in the U.S. continues to remain low. Clinical lab percent positives have increased slightly in the past week, with 2.2% of specimens submitted found to be positive. Influenza A viruses were most common during week 44, with H3 viruses predominating.
Based on reports from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) surveillance system available on November 9 (from week 42), 5.6% of deaths were due to pneumonia and influenza (P&I). This is below the epidemic threshold of 6.6% for the week.
No pediatric deaths have been reported for the current (2016–2017) season. At 1.4%, influenza-like illness (ILI) activity remained below the national baseline of 2.2% for the week.
CDC continues to collect hospitalization rates for influenza, but these are not yet available.
Plans for 2016 National Influenza Vaccination Week – Kathleen LaPorte (CDC)
Kathleen provided a presentation on plans for the 2016 National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW), scheduled for December 4–10. The goals of NIVW are to highlight the importance of continuing influenza vaccination throughout the holiday season and beyond, as well as to communicate the importance of vaccination for people who are at high risk of developing serious influenza-related complications. Kathleen noted that in the 2015–2016 influenza season, only 40% of persons had been vaccinated. After the holiday season, the influenza message will shift to the “Take 3 Actions” message of get vaccinated, take everyday preventive actions such as handwashing, and take antiviral medications if prescribed by a healthcare provider.
CDC’s NIVW webpage currently is being updated to contain multiple communications resources for this season’s campaign, including social media messages and graphics, poster, web badges and animated graphics. Kathleen encouraged Summit partners to check back frequently for new items being posted.
Multiple activities are being planned during NIVW. These include a Blog-a-Thon that kicks off on December 4. Throughout the week, CDC will feature blogs that push the importance of continuing flu vaccination. Partners are encouraged to participate and contribute blogs of their own. A Twitter Hashtag challenge on @CDCFlu will consist of a challenge game called #FluInAMovie on December 7. You can participate by tweeting a popular movie title and replacing one of the words in the title with the word “flu” (e.g., “The Hunger Games: Catching Flu”: Don’t catch the flu this season), and then sharing that message. Finally, partners are encouraged to continue using CDC’s #FightFlu social media campaign to share photos and videos of people getting a flu shot. CDC will post weekly updates to the campaign timeline.
CDC would love to hear about your successful NIVW activities and events and encourages you to share your success stories. In addition, past success stories are available for your review.
Carolyn Bridges asked whether this year’s NIVW will highlight particular subpopulations at risk, and Kathleen noted that the campaign’s push is really to reach people at higher risk, including those who are >50. People in this age group need vaccination, and they also may be serving as caregivers of persons at higher risk for complications. L.J also brought up the importance of continuing to stress school-based vaccination clinics, which face problems this year due to the lack of availability of LAIV.
Other Items – L.J Tan (IAC)
• The 2017 National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit is scheduled for May 9–11, 2017 in Atlanta, GA. Updates and registration information will be added to the website as they become available.
• The Mid-Course Review of the 2010 National Vaccine Plan is now available online. This review reflects the priorities and progress toward goals laid out in the 2010 National Vaccine Plan, which provides strategic guidance through 2020.
SUMMIT CALL RECAP – December 1, 2016
Influenza Surveillance Update – Noreen Alabi (CDC)
Noreen provided highlights of the influenza surveillance report from week 46, ending on November 19. Influenza activity in the U.S. has increased slightly, but continues to remain low. Influenza A viruses were most common during week 46, with H3 viruses predominating. One human infection with novel influenza A virus has been reported from Iowa. The individual was infected with influenza A H1N2v. No human-to-human transmission was reported. The patient had close contact with swine and was not hospitalized.
Clinical lab percent positives have increased slightly in the past week, with 2.7% of specimens submitted found to be positive. At 1.6%, influenza-like illness (ILI) activity remained below the national baseline of 2.2% for the week.
Based on reports from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) surveillance system available on November 22 (from week 44), 5.6% of deaths were due to pneumonia and influenza (P&I). This is below the epidemic threshold of 6.8% for the week.
No pediatric deaths have been reported for the current (2016–2017) season. CDC continues to collect hospitalization rates for influenza, but these are not yet available.
Families Fighting Flu “Play It Safe” PSAs – Serese Marotta (FFF)
Serese began her presentation by noting that she is relatively new to Families Fighting Flu (FFF) and serves as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer. Her work in this area began after she lost her son to influenza in 2009.
In honor of NIVW, FFF is preparing to launch 3 new “Play It Safe” PSAs, available in 60 second, 30 second, and 15 second versions. Originally, the group hoped to secure funding to support distribution of the videos on TV and radio. However, since funding support was not obtained, the group decided to release the videos in honor of NIVW.
One of FFF’s largest campaigns in the past was called “Stay in the Game.” The goal was to ensure people were vaccinated to prevent missing work, school, etc. The new PSAs build on the idea of adding influenza vaccine to all the other things we do to help keep our children safe.
Serese encouraged partners to help spread the videos during NIVW and beyond. Persons with questions may email Serese Marotta.
Other Items – L.J Tan (IAC)
• L.J reminded partners that National Influenza Vaccine Week (NIVW) is coming up on December 4–10. The week is meant to publicize the idea that it is not too late to be immunized against influenza. On November 29, LaDora distributed a reminder about NIVW which contains links to many useful tools that have been developed by CDC in support of this effort. Please look for this email to obtain additional information. If you do not find this email in your inbox, please send a request to L.J Tan or LaDora Woods to obtain a copy.
The 2017 National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit is scheduled for May 9–11, 2017 in Atlanta, GA. Updates and registration information will be added to the website as they become available
SUMMIT CALL RECAP – December 8, 2016
Influenza Surveillance Update – Noreen Alabi (CDC)
Noreen provided highlights of the influenza surveillance report from week 47, ending on November 26. Influenza activity in the U.S. has increased slightly, but continues to remain low. Influenza A H3 viruses were the most commonly detected types during the week
Clinical lab percent positives were at 3.7%. At 1.8%, influenza-like illness (ILI) activity remained below the national baseline of 2.2% for the week.
Based on reports from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) surveillance system available on November 12 (week 45), 5.2% of deaths were due to pneumonia and influenza (P&I). This is below the epidemic threshold of 6.9% for the week.
No pediatric deaths have been reported for the current (2016–2017) season. CDC continues to collect hospitalization rates for influenza, but these are not yet available.
VaxView Summary for Vaccination Coverage Data – Stacie Greby (CDC)
Stacie provided an overview of CDC’s new VaxView website. CDC developed this site to provide access to one online location for vaccine coverage information. It includes vaccination coverage estimates, related datasets, publications and resources, and other relevant information.
VaxView is coordinated by two part-time staff in the Assessment Branch using off-the-shelf software. The purpose of the site is to provide a location to compile complex immunization data and present it in an understandable fashion. VaxView is not intended to be a data query system. Rather, it was built to answer the needs of immunization program managers who understand how to navigate the data.
Stacie provided a real-time presentation to demonstrate the operation of the website. The homepage for VaxView contains tabs (as well as left column navigational links) linking the user to several different subsets of information, including ChildVaxView, SchoolVaxView, TeenVaxView, AdultVaxView, and FluVaxView. The image for each site contains a graphic over the letter “i” in “view” indicating the appropriate age group for the section. This “brand” helps identify the topic being discussed, making it easier to navigate the pages.
Each page begins with an interactive box, and most pages contain information on the data sources used, publications and resources, and objective targets and indicators. Each VaxView page also has a link entitled “For Specific Groups” which allows the user to obtain more specific information about the target group (child, school, etc.) for healthcare professionals, parents, NIS survey participants, and the media.
FluVaxView has a slightly different orientation than the other sites because of the wealth of trend data available on this topic. FluVaxView Interactive contains boxes for national, regional, and state-level influenza vaccination coverage estimates for the general population, healthcare personnel, and pregnant women.
Each VaxView “interactive” page also contains a box to connect the user to additional data. This area contains information that can be especially helpful for cities and territories looking for smaller datasets in Excel spreadsheets.
Information also can be obtained to allow selections from maps and tables. Hovering over local areas on the maps allows you to toggle to individual areas and charts. Multiple options are available to customize reports and views. Users can save images with snipping tools to cut and paste. Dashboards provide comparison data for all areas, as well as Healthy People 2020 data.
Stacie noted that the sites are still being modified to improve navigation. Additional data will be available in the future. Summit partners are encouraged to spend time reviewing the wealth of data options available to users through these wonderful tools. Stacie also encouraged partners to send an email providing feedback on ways suggestions and ways the site could be improved. She also acknowledged the small but dedicated group of people at CDC who have developed the site with only a minimal budget.
Carolyn Bridges mentioned that there will be other opportunities to see demonstrations of the VaxView site in the future, including at the Summit meeting in May.
Judy Klein with Unity Consortium thanked CDC for developing this fantastic resource. Troy Knighton with the VA asked whether the site covers healthcare personnel influenza vaccination, and Stacie noted that this is available. Jim Sherner with Pfizer asked whether the NIS will be able to pick up Category B recommendations in future analyses. Stacie stated that the NIS team currently is focusing on full Category A recommendations.
Other Items – L.J Tan (IAC)
• The 2017 National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit is scheduled for May 9–11, 2017 in Atlanta, GA. Updates and registration information will be added to the website as they become available.
• Lorraine announced that, as part of National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW), free influenza immunizations are being offered at Chicago City Hall on December 9.
• Carolyn announced that on December 9, CDC will be releasing mid-season flu vaccination coverage data, as well as an update on the burden of influenza for hospitalizations and deaths. Data authors will be available on next week’s Summit call.
SUMMIT CALL RECAP – December 15, 2016
Influenza Surveillance Update – Noreen Alabi (CDC)
Noreen provided highlights of the influenza surveillance report from week 48, ending on December 3. Influenza activity in the U.S. continues to remain low. . Influenza A viruses were most common during week 44, with H3 viruses predominating. Clinical lab percent positives have increased slightly in the past week, with 3.5% of specimens submitted found to be positive.
Due to a technical issue, deaths due to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) were not reported last week. Based on reports from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) surveillance system available on November 12 (from week 45), 5.2% of deaths were due to P&I. This is below the epidemic threshold of 6.6% for the week.
No pediatric deaths have been reported for the current (2016–2017) season. At 1.8%, influenza-like illness (ILI) activity remained below the national baseline of 2.2% for the week.
CDC continues to collect hospitalization rates for influenza, but these are not yet available.
NAIIS Monthly Events/Communications Update – Aparna Ramakrishnan (CDC)
Aparna reminded Summit partners about the availability of the NAIIS Communication Editorial Calendar. Upcoming opportunities to share immunization information include January’s designation as Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and National Birth Defects Prevention Month. As the influenza season continues, this also is a good time to remind pregnant women about the importance of obtaining influenza and Tdap vaccinations.
Aparna also highlighted the new CDC Immunization Partners web portal. This new site allows partners to more easily locate materials to supplement their educational efforts and update both professionals and the general public.
2016 NIVW Results Summary – Caitlin Shockey (CDC)
Cate gave a presentation which offered a brief look at the many activities which took place during National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW), held December 4–10.
• Blog-a-thon: 32 blogs from 28 different partners were posted during the week. These included a blog in Public Health Matters written by Rebecca Hendricks, who lost her five-year-old daughter to influenza in 2014. Other blogs were targeted to a wide variety of audiences such as pregnant women.
• Reddit AMA: The Reddit Science “Ask Me Anything” program received 229 comments. Seventy-six (76) questions were received, approximately half of which received a response from Dr. John Barnes.
• Hashtag Challenge: On December 7 CDC sponsored the first hashtag challenge to spread influenza vaccine awareness. The challenge was a call to action to creatively “put flu in a film” title. The challenge was a Top10 trend for 6 hours; within 9 minutes #PutFluInAFilm was trending at #5 in the U.S., and this rose to #2 at the height of the activity. The challenge received more than 58.4 million impressions. This creative campaign was more successful than the Thunderclap effort during the previous influenza season.
• Listicle: This graphic highlights the “Take 3 Actions” messages for fighting flu, including getting vaccinated, taking every day hygiene precautions, and taking antivirals if prescribed. This effort will continue throughout the season.
• Media Outreach: This effort targeted 3 states (Alaska, Wyoming, and Idaho) with the lowest vaccination rates, with interview conducted on 5 local morning shows. CDC hopes to continue this type of targeted outreach in the future.
• Available Resources: CDC has developed a Digital Media Toolkit with sample social media messages, newsletter content, and digital events. Other resources include posters, badges, social media graphics. These materials remain available and were developed without the NIVW logo so that they remain pertinent throughout the influenza season.
In spite of a few challenges in these efforts, including the short timeframe available for obtaining clearance on some of these new activities, the NIVW efforts were quite successful. In particular, there were a large number of partner blogs available. Some media outlets reported wanting to wait to promote these messages until there is an increase in flu morbidity. Cate reported that next year CDC hopes to share resources earlier in the season and include more Spanish language resources.
Cate thanked partners for their efforts this year. In response to a question, she noted that anyone who developed a blog could share that information by sending an email to Cate Shockey.
INFORMATION FROM CDC
Other Items – Carolyn Bridges (CDC)
• The 2017 National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit is scheduled for May 9–11, 2017 in Atlanta, GA. Updates and registration information will be added to the website as they become available.
• Carolyn announced that, due to the upcoming holidays, the Summit call will not take place during the next 2 weeks. The next scheduled call will occur on January 5.
CDC Seasonal Influenza Reports Posted
CDC recently has released several new reports related to influenza during the 2016–2017 season, including the FluView report for week 48 (ending December 3), the Influenza Key Points for December 9 , and the 2016–2017 Flu Master Key Points document, also released on December 9.
CDC Releases Special Reports During NIVW
In recognition of the 11th annual National Influenza Week (NIVW), on December 9 CDC published the following reports and articles online:
• An online report, Estimated Influenza Illnesses, Medical Visits, Hospitalizations, and Deaths Averted by Vaccination in the United States, describing the 2015–2016 estimates of flu burden averted by vaccination
• Three online reports in FluVaxView providing preliminary 2016–2017 flu vaccine uptake estimates for the general population, healthcare personnel, and pregnant women.
• A web spotlight announcing the most accurate flu forecaster for 2015–2016 and the availability of new flu activity forecasts for the 2016–2017 season.
• Highlights of the above information summarized in a press release, Flu Vaccination Coverage Remains Low This Year.
