Immunization and Infectious Disease Update
National Association of County & City Health Officials
Information and Resources for Local Health Departments |
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Recent News
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American Academy of Family Physicians News Now (January 31, 2013)
Healthworks Collective (February 1, 2013)
Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy News (February 1, 2013)
The Southern Illinoisan (February 2, 2013)
USA Today (February 3, 2013)
Online Exchange Helps Docs Find Flu Vaccines
Fierce Health IT (February 4, 2013)
Feeding a Disease with Fake Drugs: Shoddy Medicines Could Lead to an Epidemic of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
NY Times (February 5, 2013)
NIH Launches Trio of Trials Seeking Better Flu Treatments
Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy News (February 5, 2013)
FDA Warns Consumers About Fraudulent Flu Products
Physician's Briefing (February 5, 2013)
In Hospitals, Daily Antiseptic Bath May Prevent Dangerous Infections
HealthDay News (February 6, 2013)
Antimicrobial Resistance: A Global Public Health Challenge Requiring a Global One Health Strategy
Institute of Medicine Commentary (February 7, 2013)
Researchers Find First U.S. Evidence of Vaccine-Resistant Pertussis
Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy News (February 7, 2013) |
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Resources
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CDC Recommendations for Isoniazid Shortages
The CDC Health Alert Network issued a health advisory on January 28, 2013, for drug allocation, tuberculosis (TB) prevention, and patient care during Isoniazid shortages. The notice gives general guidance to public health officials and clinicians about how to adjust practices in response to these shortages.
Pneumococcal Prevention in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease/Stroke
The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) needs help spreading the word about pneumococcal prevention for adult patients with cardiovascular disease/stroke. NFID has fact sheets on this available for healthcare professionals and patients.
Latent TB Fact Sheets
The Division of TB Elimination at CDC developed three fact sheets on Isoniazid, Rifampin, and Isoniazid and Rifapentine treatments for latent TB infections. The documents are written for patients and include warning signs that warrant attention from a TB doctor or nurse.
Local Health Departments and the Flu
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently spoke with Paul Etkind, DrPH, MPH, Senior Director of Infectious Diseases at NACCHO on how local health departments educate communities about flu prevention and help facilitate treatment.
Vaccine Information You Need Offers A Searchable Collection of Videos
The website www.vaccineinformation.org, "Vaccine Information You Need," features an extensive video library. The collection of almost 100 videos is searchable by keyword and by a preset "Popular Searches" drop-down menu, which offers more than 10 choices.
Influenza Vaccine Availability Tracking System (IVATS) Report
Sanofi Pasteur recently made available additional influenza vaccine for pediatric patients: Fluzone in 0.25 mL prefilled syringes for use in children ages 6 through 35 months and Fluzone in 0.5 mL vials for people ages 3 and older. The IVATS report includes more information about influenza vaccine distributors.
NACCHO and Partners Support CMS Medicaid Bump
NACCHO, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), and the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) urging the government to consider public health department clinics that meet certain CMS criteria eligible for increased reimbursement for primary care services provided to Medicaid beneficiaries.
Protect Babies from Whooping Cough
The CDC has developed a simple infographic on whooping cough that can be shared with parents. This infographic shows three steps that expectant parents can take to give their babies the best protection from whooping cough, including the recent recommendation that women get a Tdap shot during every pregnancy.
CDC Launches New Vaccine Resources
The CDC recently launched new English-language materials to educate parents of children younger than two about vaccine-preventable diseases and childhood vaccines. These include videos and PSAs. Health departments, coalitions, healthcare providers and other organizations are encouraged to link to these materials from their websites and promote them to constituents and parents. The animated PSAs can also be offered to local media outlets.
2013 Immunization Schedules are Available
The 2013 recommended immunization schedules for children and adolescents (birth through 18 years) and adults (19 years old and older) are now available online in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Supplement (February 1, 2013).
IOM Report on the Childhood Immunization Schedule and Safety
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) released the report The Childhood Immunization Schedule and Safety: Stakeholder Concerns, Scientific Evidence, and Future Studies on January 16, 2013. The report can be found online here.
Lifetime of Vaccines Website
The vaccines a child receives have a long journey before they arrive at a pediatrician's office. All along the way, scientists, public health experts, and government officials work to ensure their safety and effectiveness. Learn more about vaccine development, testing, and safety monitoring in pictures and words through CDC's new infographic.
NACCHO's Billing Toolkit for Immunization Programs
NACCHO recently released a toolkit with resources, templates, and tools for LHDs to use and develop capacity to bill third-party payers for immunization services. More than 150 resources are available from state billing guides, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, state health departments, LHDs, insurance companies, and vendors of products such as electronic medical records and billing clearinghouses. Specifically, the toolkit provides the following information:
- Details on how to get started, such as credentialing steps and contracting processes;
- How to submit claims; and
- Steps for establishing billing procedures for other clinical services.
To view and download these tools, please log in or create a NACCHO account here. You do not have to be associated with an LHD to access these, or any other tools, within NACCHO's website. If you would like to share your tools, resources, or best practices, please email Rebecca Gehring at rgehring@naccho.org. All tools and resources will be credited to their original author and organization. For general reference, please see the provided fact sheet.
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.
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Get Involved
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| Training Course in Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology
The Maternal and Child Health Bureau and CDC are offering a training course in MCH epidemiology (May 28-June 1, 2013) in Nashville, TN, as part of their ongoing effort to enhance the analytic capacity of state and local health agencies. The training is aimed primarily at professionals in state and local health agencies who have significant responsibility for collecting, processing, analyzing, and reporting maternal and child health data. A limited number of scholarships for airfare are available. Completed applications must be submitted online by 5:00 PM EDT, March 1, 2013.
Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease Workshop
On March 18 and 19, 2013, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Forum on Microbial Threats will host a public workshop in Washington, D.C., to explore the scientific and therapeutic implications of microbial ecology in states of health and disease. Forum topics include host-microbe interactions in humans, animals, and plants; emerging insights into how microbes may influence the development and maintenance of states of health and diseases; the impacts of environmental change(s) on the formation, function, and stability of microbial communities; and research challenges and opportunities. The workshop is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Federally Qualified Health Centers & Public Health Emergencies Webinar
NACCHO, CDC, the National Association of Community Health Centers, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and ASTHO are hosting an hour-long webinar on Thursday, February 28, 2013 (1:00-2:00 PM EDT). The webinar will provide a brief overview of federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), highlight collaborative efforts between health departments and FQHCs, and explores opportunities for future partnerships between public health and FQHCs.
Promoting Adolescent Health Through School-Based HIV/STD Prevention FOA
CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) released a new funding opportunity announcement (FOA) on February 1, 2013. The FOA Supports efforts to 1) conduct school-based surveillance on youth risk behaviors and school health policies and practices; 2) implement school-based programs and practices designed to reduce HIV infection and other STDs among adolescents; and 3) reduce disparities in HIV infection and other STDs among specific adolescent populations.
Reducing HPV-Associated Cancer and Disease through Vaccination in the U.S.
A CDC Public Health Grand Rounds webinar titled Reducing the Burden of HPV-Associated Cancer and Disease through Vaccination in the U.S. will be held February 19, 2013 (1:00 PM EDT). An archived version of the session will be posted to the Grand Rounds Archive Page within 48-72 hours after the original session. Free continuing education credit is available. Registration is not required to watch the live webcast of Grand Rounds; however, you must register for continuing education.
Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program Call for Applications: Due April 15
The Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program is seeking individuals who are committed to addressing critical health and aging policy issues. This program is designed to build a cadre of leaders whose contributions to policy-making will enhance the lives of older Americans for decades to come. For more information on the Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program and how to apply, please visit www.healthandagingpolicy.org/.
Social Media for Public Health
The National Prevention Information Network's (NPIN's) In the Know: Social Media for Public Health is a series of six webcasts, each focusing on a different social media channel and providing basic information, tips, and hints for how to use them. The webcasts are live events and will be archived for viewing at a later date. The first webcast is scheduled for February 19, 2013. For the full schedule and registration information, click here.
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
For the 8th year, the Office on Women's Health will be leading National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on March 10, 2013 (though events can be held throughout March). National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day seeks to galvanize the full weight of community, national, public and private-sector resources to offer support and hope, reduce the stigma of HIV, and empower women and girls to take positive actions like getting tested, seeking treatment, educating their peers and preventing new infections. Please visit and bookmark this website http://www.womenshealth.gov/nwghaad/ for resources and more information in support of this special day.
Antiviral Dispensing Webinar
The CDC Influenza Coordination Unit (ICU) and the Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) will talk about alternative pandemic antiviral distribution models on Friday, March 8, 2013 (2:30-4:00 PM EDT). In the last few months, the SNS operations team has been exploring the feasibility of various operational plans for distributing antiviral medication during a pandemic. By June 2013, CDC intends to finalize its operational plan. This webinar is the first opportunity for state and local public health leaders to learn about the operational plan and its policy implications. More information will be available soon.
2013 Public Health Preparedness Summit: Infectious Disease SessionsJoin NACCHO at the 2013 Public Health Preparedness Summit March 12-15 in Atlanta! The goal of the summit is to strengthen and enhance the capabilities of public health professionals and other participants to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and other public health emergencies. A selection of sessions will examine infectious disease outbreaks and mass dispensing, including: - How St. Louis County DOH Partnered With a Community Group to Dramatically Expand Its Closed Point-of-Dispensing Network
- Operation Medicine Delivery: A Public Health Perspective of a Full Scale Exercise of the Quick Strike Antibiotic Distribution Plan in Partnership with the US Postal Service
- Scripted Surge: Pharmacy Dispensing Throughput Exercises
- Best Practices: Evolution of Maryland's SNS Program and State's TAR Scores - Strategies, Successes, and Challenges
- Effective Strategies for Building and Implementing Dynamic, Interactive Point-of-Dispensing Operations Trainings
For more details on the summit, including the full agenda and registration information, visit http://www.phprep.org/. Open Staff Positions at NACCHO NACCHO is currently hiring for multiple positions in emergency preparedness, chronic diseases, and infectious diseases. For more information, please visit the NACCHO Career Network. 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. |
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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.
For additional information about NACCHO, visit www.naccho.org. |
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