Recent News

Report: Vaccines for Children Program: Vulnerabilities in Vaccine Management   

On June 6, 2012, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the report Vaccines for Children Program: Vulnerabilities in Vaccine Management that summarized the CDC's findings for vaccine storage and management for the program.

Recommendations to Increase Pneumococcal Vaccination  

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) released a series of task force reports in April 2012 addressing the importance of pneumococcal vaccination for adults with certain medical conditions, current disparities in vaccination rates (African-Americans and Hispanics in particular have lower pneumococcal vaccination rates than other groups, for example), and recommendations for immunization providers such as local health departments (LHDs).

Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report - Ranking Vaccines: A Prioritization Framework - Phase I: Demonstration of Concept and a Software Blueprint 

The IOM released a report on the framework and proof of concept to account for factors influencing vaccine prioritization. Ranking Vaccines: A Prioritization Framework describes a decision-support model and the blueprint of software-called Strategic Multi-Attribute Ranking Tool for Vaccines or SMART Vaccines. SMART Vaccines should be of help to decision makers. SMART Vaccines Beta is not available for public use, but SMART Vaccines 1.0 is expected to be released at the end of the second phase of this study.  

One & Only Campaign: State/Local Health Department Toolkit

This toolkit is designed to provide health departments with background and information to implement the One & Only Campaign. The CDC and Safe Injection Practices Coalition (SIPC) worked with three partner states, Nevada, New Jersey and New York, to disseminate the One & Only Campaign message to the public and healthcare providers. This toolkit provides guidance for other health departments about lessons learned from their efforts. 

CDC's Lyme Disease Communication Tool Kit 

The CDC has developed a Lyme disease communication tool kit that is available for download. These tools can be used by state and local health departments and community groups to help increase awareness of Lyme disease.

Presentations from National Adult Immunization Summit and National Influenza Vaccine Summit Now Online 

The CDC announced that the presentations from the first National Adult Immunization Summit (NAIS) and twelfth National Influenza Vaccine Summit (NIVS) are now online. Both meetings were held in Atlanta, NAIS on May 15-16, and NIVS on May 16-17.      

NACCHO Immunization Videos Page
NACCHO has gathered videos addressing vaccination into one convenient place. Watch short videos covering immunization issues, including influenza, pertussis, adolescent immunization, and personal stories about vaccine preventable diseases. Videos range from humorous to serious and target a variety of ages.

CDC Announces Funding Opportunity for Community Transformation Grants  

CDC issued a  funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for the Community Transformation Grants - Small Communities Program, funded by the FY 2012 Prevention and Public Health Fund. Approximately $70 million will be awarded to up to 50 communities. Eligible applicants are governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations including federally recognized American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages and tribal organizations, including Intertribal Councils and American Indian Health Boards.  

Webinar: Toxic Exposures, Emergency Planning and E-Health Records: A Sneak Preview of the 2012 Public Health Law Conference 

This webinar from the Network for Public Health Law will discuss using law and policy to reduce toxic exposures, protect older adults in public health emergencies, and regulate electronic health records (EHR) for public health purposes. The webinar will occur on June 21, 2012 (1:00-2:00 PM EDT) and registration is requested by June 19, 2012.   

NACCHO Annual 2012: Viral Hepatitis Pre-Conference Workshop  

Join us for the NACCHO Annual 2012 pre-conference session, Viral Hepatitis and Your Local Health Department: Identifying Resources, Sharing Strategies, and Discussing Opportunities for your LHD and Community. Space is limited for this July 11 session and CEUs are available. Registration is available here.   

Submit Immunization Stories on Program Modifications Designed to Increase Physical Accessibility for People with Disabilities  

The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is looking for success stories from LHDs for inclusion in an educational tool for public health professionals. Once complete, this tool is intended to increase the capacity of public health providers to include people with disabilities in public health plans and programs. NACCHO's Health and Disability project is collaborating in the creation and dissemination of this tool. We are interested in stories from LHDs where strategic efforts to include people with disabilities in LHD programming have been successful. We are especially interested in stories about immunization and any program modifications designed to increase physical accessibility for people with disabilities. Contact Sarah Yates with questions or stories.

CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) Wants Your Input on 2013 FOA

DASH is interested in receiving input from agencies, organizations, and community partners to inform the development of the DASH grant, which funds state and local education departments to administer STD and HIV prevention programs. The funding opportunity is currently under development for the next funding cycle to being August 1, 2013. Comments can be e-mailed to dashfoa@cdc.gov through August 1, 2012. 

Submit Comments to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS') National Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)   

HHS is seeking comments on three draft chapters released in April 2012 for the HAI Action Plan. These chapters address ambulatory surgical centers, end-stage renal disease facilities, and influenza vaccination of healthcare personnel (HCP).  

These issues can affect communicable disease prevention and control efforts at LHDs. For example, LHDs have been involved in responding to healthcare-associated hepatitis B and C outbreaks in outpatient settings, such as ambulatory care centers. LHDs have also supported policies and implemented activities to improve influenza vaccination rates among HCP. For more information about HAIs, visit CDC's and NACCHO's websites.  

NACCHO is compiling comments on behalf of LHDs. Submit your comments to ckemmerer@naccho.org by June 15.   

Submit a Tool to NACCHO's Immunization and Infectious Disease Toolkits

NACCHO's Immunization and Infectious Disease Toolkits are intended to provide LHDs with resources related to immunization and infectious disease prevention and control practices. Examples of tools include templates, guides, community resources and much more. Log in to submit your own resources to the Toolkit to share with other LHDs.

Immunization 

H1N1 Influenza Vaccination During Pregnancy and Fetal and Neonatal Outcomes  

Fell DB, Sprague AE, Liu N, Yasseen AS, Wen SW, Smith G, Walker MC. Am J Public Health. 2012 Jun; 102(6):e33-40. Epub 2012 Apr 19.  

Licensure of 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine for Adults Aged 50 Years and Older.  MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012 Jun 1; 61(21):394-95.      

Infectious Disease   

Measles Outbreak Associated with an Arriving Refugee - Los Angeles County, California, August-September 2011 

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012 Jun 1; 61(21):386-89.  

Using the Internet to Trace Contacts of a Fatal Meningococcemia Case - New York City, 2010 

Gounder P, Del Rosso P, Adelson S, Rivera C, Middleton K, Weiss D. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2012 Jul/Aug; 18(4):379-81.

The mission of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is to be a leader, partner, catalyst, and voice for local public health departments.