September 5, 2017

ANNOUNCEMENTS

NFID Flu Awareness Night at the Washington Nationals – September 15, 2017

Join the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) and the Washington Nationals for the 6^th Annual Flu Awareness Night in Washington, DC on Friday, September 15, 2017.

Watch the Washington Nationals take on the Los Angeles Dodgers at 7:05 pm at Nationals Park, 1500 S Capitol St SE, Washington, DC 20003, to support flu awareness and prevention this season. More information, including a link to purchase tickets, is available online. Ticket sales close on September 11, so get them while you can! Five dollars ($5) from each ticket sold will be donated to NFID to help support the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, including influenza. Tickets are going fast. Join NFID to show your support and help #FightFlu!

REMINDER: Upcoming VEC Webinar

The Current Issues in Vaccines – Fall 2017 webinar will be presented on September 13 at noon ET.

During the webinar, Paul Offit, MD, will discuss:

Hepatitis A vaccines: Updated recommendations
Influenza vaccine: How did we do this year?
Varicella vaccine: Impact on the incidence of shingles
Mumps vaccine: Is it time for a third dose?
Meningococcal vaccine: A remarkable case

The free webinar is co-sponsored by the Vaccine Education Center (VEC) and the Pennsylvania Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics and is supported by the Thomas F. McNair Scott Endowed Research and Lectureship Fund. Free continuing education credits (CME, CEU and CPE) will be available for participants of the live and archived event.

NFID Clinical Vaccinology Course Call for Posters – Deadline is September 25, 2017

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) invites abstract submissions* for original research and clinical practices for poster presentation. Abstracts will be peer-reviewed for quality, originality, and overall impact. Accepted abstracts will be scheduled as poster presentations at the Fall 2017 Clinical Vaccinology Course on November 3–4, 2017 in Bethesda, MD. Submission categories include: Addressing Immunization Disparities; Implementation and Use of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) or Immunization Information Systems (IIS); and Addressing Vaccine Safety Concerns. (A complete list of abstract categories and the online submission site are available online.)

The 2-day course focuses on new developments and issues related to the use of vaccines. Expert faculty provide the latest information on vaccines, including updated recommendations for vaccinations across the lifespan, and innovative and practical strategies for ensuring timely and appropriate immunization.

The deadline for poster submittal is September 25, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

* Abstract submissions are encouraged in all areas of interest. Abstracts of previously published or presented work are acceptable.

Raise Your Rates! Free 1 Credit CME to Master Your HPV Vaccine Recommendation

What are the nation’s experts saying to their patients about HPV vaccination? Three providers—a pediatrician, an OB-GYN, and a head and neck surgeon—outline the importance of vaccinating 11- and 12-year-olds against HPV cancers in a newly released e-learning module.

“Increasing Adolescent Immunization Coverage” is a 40-minute e-learning module for pediatric and primary care provider teams, created by members of the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable. This module provides information, guidance, and tools for quality improvement efforts to increase HPV vaccination by improving providers’ ability to:

Describe the importance of the HPV vaccine
Implement the “same way, same day” approach to HPV vaccination for 11- and 12-year-olds
Answer parents’ questions accurately and succinctly
Introduce new practice tools to support HPV vaccination in the pediatric healthcare setting

RNs/NPs, physicians, physician’s assistants, and pharmacists can earn a free hour/credit by viewing the CME module here. Non-credit seeking audiences can view the video online. You can also access the Partner Promotion Package, which includes social media messages, a flyer, a PowerPoint slide, and an infocard. Thanks for helping disseminate this broadly within your networks!

INFORMATION FROM CDC

Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report: Flu View – August 26, 2017

CDC’s has released the FluView report for August 26, 2017. FluView is a weekly influenza surveillance report prepared by CDC’s Influenza Division. All data are preliminary and may change as CDC receives more reports.

NEW CDC Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Campaign Materials Now Available

CDC’s seasonal flu vaccination campaign materials are available to assist partners in communicating about the importance of vaccination. This digital toolkit includes details on events/activities, sample social media and newsletter content, graphics, web assets, and media prep material. This material is downloadable, shareable, and some of the material is customizable.

Seasonal Influenza Information for Health Professionals

CDC offers public health and healthcare professionals a wealth of key information about vaccination, infection control, prevention, treatment, and diagnosis of seasonal influenza.

CDC/Influenza Division Key Points – H1N2v

The CDC/Influenza Division’s has released key points on “Human Infections with Influenza A (H1N2) variant virus (H1N2v) in Ohio.”

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

NACDS, Avalere Research Has Encouraging Immunization Findings

An article published in Clinical Therapeutics describes a study – by Avalere and National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) researchers – that found “overall, as states moved to allow pharmacists to administer influenza immunizations, the odds that an adult resident received an influenza immunization rose, with the effect increasing over time.”

The study was conducted by NACDS Senior Economist Laura Miller, PhD, and by Avalere Health’s Edward M. Drozd, PhD, and Michael Johnsrud, PhD.

“Overall, as states moved to allow pharmacists to administer influenza immunizations, the odds that an adult resident received an influenza immunization rose, with the effect increasing over time,” the researchers found. “These findings suggest that pharmacies and other nontraditional settings may offer accessible venues for patients when implementing other public health initiatives.”

The study found that state-level policy changes that allow for pharmacists to administer influenza immunizations were associated with a nearly 8% increase in seasonal influenza immunization rates within six years after these policy changes over the years 2003 to 2013. Over this period, overall seasonal influenza immunization rates rose 25% among those surveyed (from 32% to 40% immunized).

Research has shown that lack of convenient access has been identified as a major barrier affecting whether an individual will receive the immunization.

“Today, many people find it surprising that it was not until 2009 that pharmacists were allowed to administer the flu shot in all 50 states,” said NACDS President & CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE. “Now, since 2015, pharmacists have been allowed to administer at least three adult vaccines in all 50 states. That is tremendous progress, and research and anecdotal evidence supports the public-health merits of improving patients’ access to these highly educated health professionals.”

Avalere posted an online article to raise awareness of the study. More information about NACDS’ engagement on related issues can be found on the organization’s website.

Sanofi Completes the Acquisition of Protein Sciences

Final approval has been granted for this acquisition. Please see Sanofi’s media release for full details.

American Academy of Pediatrics Issues Recommendations for Flu Season

In its policy statement, “Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2017-2018,” the AAP recommends that pediatricians offer influenza vaccine to all children 6 months of age and older, as soon as the vaccine becomes available, in order to complete vaccination and provide protection before the flu season starts. The statement will appear in the October 2017 issue of Pediatrics (published online Sept. 4, 2017). An additional story on these recommendations is available online.

Health Experts Expecting High Number of Flu Cases This Year in the United States

Health experts are now warning the United States could expect a bad flu season this year. They’re basing this prediction off of the current strains affecting Australia and the southern hemisphere. An additional story is available online.

Pharmacy Times features Summit Award Winners

The July issue of Pharmacy Times features a story (“Pharmacy Shines at National Adult and Influenza Summit Awards”) on our excellent Summit award winners.

In the United Kingdom, Flu Vaccine Very Effective in Children, but Not Elderly

Last winter’s vaccine reduced the risk of flu by 66% in children, according to Public Health England, up 8% on last year. It’s the best result since 2013, when children first received flu vaccinations. In adults aged 18-64 years, the vaccine reduced the risk of flu by about 40%.

The UK plans to offer the flu vaccine to all children aged two-11 years. This can have widespread benefits, as children “spread flu more than others”. The vaccine, however, did not work in those aged over 65.

Vaccines in Poor Countries Have Saved 20 Million Lives and 350 Billion Dollars Since 2001

According to an article by Sachiko Ozawa et al, from 2001 to 2020, vaccinations in the world’s poorest countries will have prevented 20 million deaths and saved $350 billion in healthcare costs, researchers project. The broader economic value from lives saved by vaccinations is estimated to be $820 billion. A full news article on this study is available online.

Reminder

Summit calls are scheduled every Thursday at 3 p.m. Eastern time, unless cancelled. The next call is scheduled for September 7. Please email L.J Tan or LaDora Woods if you have any updates on activities to provide to the Summit.

Announcements

Information from CDC

Other News Of Interest