Immunization and Infectious Disease Update
National Association of County & City Health Officials
Information and Resources for Local Health Departments

Recent News


AAPC (April 16, 2013)

Fox4KC (MO) (April 24, 2013)
 
Science2.0 (April 25, 2013)  

Associated Press (April 25, 2013) 
 
WHSV (VA) (April 26, 2013) 
 
DigTriad (April 29, 2013)

  

Bangor Daily News (ME) (April 29, 2013)  
 
Minnesota Public Radio (April 29, 2013)  

Costs of Probe into HIV, Hepatitis Infection Risk from Tulsa Dentist Top $700,000
Tulsa World (April 30, 2013) 

  

Medscape Today News (April 30, 2013)

Fighting the Impact of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
FDA Consumer Updates (April 30, 2013)

Merck's HPV Vaccine May Protect Girls with Fewer Doses
Bloomberg (April 30, 2013)

Vaccine Refusal and the Politics of School Vaccination Exemptions
Shot of Prevention (April 30, 2013)

How Do We Balance Being Credible with Rapidly Sharing Important Health Information During an Outbreak?
CDC Public Health Matters Blog (May 1, 2013)

Programs to Reduce Antibiotic Use Often Work
Reuters Health (May 2, 2013)

North Carolina and Chatham County Investigate Potential Measles Exposure at Shakori Hills Music Festival
Chatham Journal (NC) (May 2, 2013)

Whooping Cough Death Reinforces Need for Vaccines, Officials Say
Orlando Sentinel (May 3, 2013)

Governor Signs Foster Home Non-Vaccination Bill
KJZZ (AZ) (May 3, 2013)

The Role of the Healthcare Environment: Challenges and Opportunities in Reducing Healthcare-Associated Infections
CDC Safe Healthcare Blog (May 3, 2013)

Flu Vaccine Safe for Kids with Crohn's
HealthDay News (May 6, 2013) 

  

A Forgotten Pioneer of Vaccines

New York Times (May 6, 2013) 

 

 

Examiner (May 7, 2013) 

The Inquisitr (May 7, 2013) 

 

Associated Press (May 7, 2013)  

 

Medical News Today (May 8, 2013)  
 

Study Sees Link Between Mom's Flu, Bipolar Risk for Children

 HealthDay News (May 8, 2013)


Philadelphia Inquirer (May 9, 2013)

Resources


H7N9 Resources
NACCHO is compiling resources for local health departments (LHDs) on H7N9. Please visit NACCHO's Public Health Preparedness webpage or download the CDC's 10 Influenza Pandemic Response Planning Tips
 
Communicable Disease Preparedness on Domestic Flights: A Summary Report of Local Health Department and Airport Coordination

NACCHO, in collaboration with the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine at CDC, authored a report summarizing stakeholder discussions on local planning for responding to a communicable disease suspected on a domestic flight. The report identifies issues and recommendations recorded during these discussions.


CDC Vaccine Facts Sheets
Provider Resources for Vaccine Conversations with Parents are updated annually to reflect the most current information available about vaccines, vaccine safety, and vaccine-preventable diseases. CDC recently reviewed and updated (when necessary) the Understanding Vaccines and Vaccine Safety series of fact sheets. Most 2013 updates were minor.

Childhood Immunization as a Tool to Address Health Disparities
The video and presentation slides from the April 2013 session of CDC's Public Health Grand Rounds, Childhood Immunization as a Tool to Address Health Disparities, are now available.

 

Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week, May 20-26, 2013

Public health professionals can use resources to help inform the public, media, community leaders, and others about Recreational Water Illness and Injury (RWII) Prevention Week. These resources are meant to assist public health professionals engage their target audiences and increase awareness of this yearly observance. 

 

Action Guide for Building Successful and Sustainable Local Cancer Control Coalitions Now Available 

NACCHO's Chronic Disease Team released its new action guide to help LHDs build capacity for local implementation of Comprehensive Cancer Control coalitions. The action guide contains lessons learned from local health officials who have successfully implemented local coalitions to reduce the cancer burden in their communities. The Action Guide can be downloaded here.

 

Adolescent Immunization Brochure from Public Health - Seattle & King County 

The Immunization Program at Public Health - Seattle & King County recently posted a brochure titled Is Your 11 to 18 Year-Old Protected from Serious Diseases? Intended for parents, the double-sided brochure presents clear and convincing reasons for vaccinating preteens and teens against meningococcal disease, pertussis, and human papillomavirus.  

 

NACCHO Webcast Series: Three Ways the Community Guide Makes the LHD Worker's Job Easier

The series teaches LHDs how to: 1) Use Task Force recommendations from the Community Guide to quickly identify prevention approaches that work; 2) access systematic review findings from the Community Guide to enhance your grants; and 3) use resources from the Community Guide to promote dialogue with multi-sector stakeholders. The screencast can be downloaded here.

 

Faith-Based and Community Health Partnerships Webinar Is Now Online 

The Interfaith Health Program of the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University recently co-hosted a webinar with NACCHO titled Faith-based Partnerships: Reaching Vulnerable Populations. The purpose of this webinar was to disseminate knowledge and promote replication of model practices known to contribute to the reach of seasonal influenza prevention to vulnerable, at-risk, and minority populations. You can now view the webinar online and receive CEUs. 

 

National Prevention Strategy (NPS) Simplified: Local Health Departments' Roadmap to Health and Wellness Fact Sheet

A new fact sheet describes how NPS can support LHDs in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of integrated chronic disease prevention efforts with specific recommendations and actions for carrying out NPS Strategic Directions and Priorities. Copies of the factsheet can be downloaded here. 

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 hereYou 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.

Get Involved

Invitation to Participate in a Virtual Event
Do you have an innovative project using technology at your LHD? The CDC, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and NACCHO would like to invite you to participate in an upcoming Public Health Informatics virtual event "Strengthening Public Health - Health Care Collaboration" that will take place July 16-18, 2013. Some examples of projects may include:
  • Applying analytics to new and existing data sources;
  • Leveraging Big Data for population and public health;
  • Learning health systems to support integration of primary care and public health;
  • Novel technologies for population and public health education and communication (e.g., mobile, web, and social media). 
More information about the conference and abstract submission process can be found here.

Daycare Worker and Immunizations
NACCHO is seeking information related to immunizations and daycare workers. Do you have certification programs or local policies, legislation, or ordinances that address this topic? Please email Rebecca Gehring at rgehring@naccho.org

  

Stop TB USA Calls for Working Group Members
NACCHO is seeking local health department (LHD) representatives to serve on the Stop TB USA Working Group. Stop TB USA has organized new working groups related to communications and media, policy education and resources, patients' community forum, and membership and outreach. If you are interested in joining a working group on behalf of NACCHO, please contact infectiousdiseases@naccho.org.
 
International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases Postponed 
The next International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases (ICEID), originally planned for March 2014, is now postponed until the following year. Many cost-saving measures are being implemented across government agencies to address budget reductions. As a result of tighter fiscal restraints, OMB issued a directive to limit the number, frequency, and costs of federally supported conferences. CDC's decision to postpone ICEID was made to comply with this directive.  
 
May is Hepatitis Awareness Month  

May is designated Hepatitis Awareness Month in the United States, and May 19 is Hepatitis Testing Day. CDC and its public health partners will use this opportunity to raise awareness about viral hepatitis and encourage priority populations to get tested. For more information, visit the CDC's Viral Hepatitis webpage.   

  

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. 

Publications


Immunizations   

   

Immunogenicity of 2 Doses of HPV Vaccine in Younger Adolescents vs 3 Doses in Young Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial 

Dobson SRM, McNeil S, Dionne M, Dawar M, Ogilvie G, Krajden M, et al. JAMA. 2013 May 1; 309(17): 1793-1802.  

 

Progress in Introduction of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine - Worldwide, 2000-2012 

CDC. MMWR. 2013 April 26; 62(16): 308-11. 

  

Safety and Utilization of Influenza Immunization in Children With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Benchimol EI, Hawken S, Kwong JC, Wilson K. Peds. 2013 May 6. E-pub ahead of print. doi: 10.1542/peds.2012-3567)

   

Infectious Diseases 

Antigenic Characterization of H3N2 Influenza A Viruses from Ohio Agricultural Fairs
Feng Z, Gomez J, Bowman AS, Ye J, Long LP, Nelson SW, et al. J. Virology. 2013 May 1; E-pub ahead of print. doi: 10.1128/JVI.00804-13.

Emergence of Avian Influenza A(H7N9) Virus Causing Severe Human Illness - China, February-April 2013
CDC. MMWR. 2013 May 1; 62(Early Release): 1-6.

Epidemiology of Infant Salmonellosis in the United States, 1996-2008: A Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network Study
Cheng LH, Crim SM, Cole CR, Shane AL, Henao OL, Mahon BE. J Ped Infect Dis. 2013 April 11. E-pub ahead of print. doi: 10.1093/jpids/pit020

Interventions to Mitigate Emergency Department and Hospital Crowding During an Infectious Respiratory Disease Outbreak: Results from an Expert Panel.
Dugas AF, Morton M, Beard R, Pines JM, Bayram JD, Hsieh YH. PLOS Currents Disasters. 2013 April 17. doi: 10.1371/currents.dis.1f277e0d2bf80f4b2bb1dd5f63a13993.

National Shortage of Purified-Protein Derivative Tuberculin Products
CDC. MMWR. 2013 April 26; 62(16): 312.

Healthcare-Associated Infections Prevention Program 2012 Report
Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Public Health. 2013. 

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.