Oregon Immunization Bulletin

Transcription

1 Oregon Immunization Bulletin Health Services Spring 2002 Vaccine Supply and Modified Recommendations Are you frustrated by vaccine supply problems? Are you feeling confused about modified schedules and the deferral of vaccine doses? Stay current on the latest vaccine information by utilizing one of the following three resources: E Log on! Check out the new and improved Immunization website. Go to and click on Vaccine Supply Updates and Modified Schedules for the most current information. This site is updated every Monday to keep our providers in the loop! E ! Get your name added to the list by sending a request to Mimi Luther, VFC Program Manager, at Lydia.M.Luther@state.or.us E Phone! Call your VFC Health Educator at (503) In This Issue: Vaccine Supply and Modified Recommendations New Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Statements Safe Vaccine Storage. How Do You Rate? Online Submission to VAERS Twinrix - Now Available Through VFC! Do Children Get Too Many Shots? Immunization Histories Available on the Web! Tips from ALERT OPIC Awards If you need this material in an alternate format, please call (503) AFIX is now on the web! Learn more about free clinic assessments at

2 New Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Statements No clinic should be without a set of the ACIP public health recommendations on vaccines! They are published periodially in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Continuing education credits (CMEs, CEUs, CNEs) are available for reading the statement and completing the brief test at the end. To get a complete set of the newly revised ACIP statements or just selected ones: E Download individual statements from CDC s website: E your request to nipinfo@cdc.gov E Call CDC s Immunization Hotline at (800) Recently published ACIP statements: E Prevention and Control of Influenza (April 12, 2002) E General Recommendations on Immunizations (February 8, 2002) Safe Vaccine Storage. How Do You Rate? Safe storage and handling of vaccines is key to providing the best protection for your patients. Review the list below to determine how well your clinic safeguards its vaccine supply. 1. Do you record refrigerator and freezer temperatures daily, making sure that they are always within the recommended range for vaccine storage? Refrigerator: between 2 and 8EC (35-46EF) Freezer: -15EC (5EF) or colder 2. Do you rotate vaccine stock, placing short-dated vaccine in front? 3. Do you have a written and accessible plan for vaccine relocation in case of a power outage? 4. Do you conduct regular vaccine inventory, paying close attention to expiration dates? 5. Do you have a Do Not Unplug sign next to the refrigerator/freezer electrical outlet? If you can answer yes to all of these questions, great job! If not, be sure to assign someone to implement the necessary changes. Remember, your clinic can be billed for wasted or expired VFC vaccine. Be sure to store and handle it properly so that this does not happen!

3 Online Submission to VAERS The Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) is a cooperative program between CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to cover vaccine safety. VAERS recently announced the availability of a website for securely submitting vaccine adverse events reports via the internet. VAERS collects information about possible side effects that occur after the administration of US-licensed vaccines. Information identifying the individuals receiving vaccines is not made available to the public. The new online reporting form may be accessed at Submissions can also be mailed to: Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System PO Box 1100 Rockville MD Copies of the VAERS reporting form and instructions on submission can be obtained by calling (800) or by toll-free fax at (877) Local Health Departments and State Delegate Agencies should continue to send VAERS reports to the State Immunization Program. We will then forward them to VAERS. Twinrix - Now Available Through VFC! Twinrix (combined adult hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccine) is now available through the Oregon VFC program. Because Twinrix is only licensed for adults, eligible clients are limited to 18 year-olds who qualify for VFC vaccines. VFC-eligibles include: patients who are on Medicaid/OHP, have no health insurance, or are of Native American or Alaskan Native heritage. To order: use the blank field on your vaccine order form. Twinrix is available in packages of 10 single-dose vials, and in packages of 5 tip-lock syringes. Please contact your VFC Health Educator at (503) if you have any questions about Twinrix, or if you would like a copy of our model standing orders. Stay Connected! Keep current on immunization issues. Send us your address! The VFC program would like to keep you posted on the latest and greatest immunization information. Please send your address to Mimi Luther, VFC Program Manager at: Lydia.M.Luther@state.or.us

4 Do Children Get Too Many Shots? Infants and young children commonly encounter and manage many challenges to their immune system at the same time. Twenty years ago, seven vaccines were routinely recommended, and children received five shots by 2 years of age and as many as two shots at one time. Now that we have 11 routinely recommended vaccines, children could receive as many as 20 shots by 2 years of age and five shots at a single visit. Many parents are concerned about whether children can handle all these vaccines. But vaccines are just a small part of what babies encounter every day. Although the mother s womb is free from bacteria and viruses, newborns immediately face a host of different challenges to their immune system. For example, from the minute they are born, thousands of different bacteria start to live on the skin as well as the nose, throat and intestines. By quickly making an immune response to these bacteria, babies keep the bacteria from invading their bloodstream and causing serious disease. In fact, babies are capable of responding to millions of different viruses and bacteria because they have billions of immunologic cells circulating in their bodies. Therefore, the vaccines given in the first two years of life are a raindrop in the ocean of what infants immune systems successfully encounter in their environment every day. Although children receive more vaccines today than they did 100 years ago (when only the smallpox vaccine was routinely recommended in infancy), the number of separate immunologic challenges contained in vaccines has actually decreased! Vaccinia virus (the smallpox vaccine) contains about 200 viral proteins. If you add up today s 11 routinely recommended vaccines, the number of vaccine proteins and polysaccharides (complex sugars) is less than 130: diphtheria (one), tetanus (one), pertussis (two - five), polio (15), measles (10), mumps (nine), rubella (five), Hib (two), varicella (69), conjugate pneumococcus (eight), and hepatitis B (one). Source: The Children s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) - Vaccine Education Center. Visit their website for complete, up-to-date, and reliable information about vaccines:

5 Immunization Histories Available on the Web! Since January 2001, authorized users have conducted thousands of searches each month on Oregon Immunization ALERT s secure website (see graph). Currently, histories are available for children ages birth to 14, with files being updated weekly. Web access offers users the convenience of direct search capabilities from their clinic or hospital. Immunization data is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at Once assigned a password, millions of immunization histories will be available within seconds! To sign up or obtain more information about web access, please call ALERT s customer service line at (800) Users can also access ALERT records during business hours by calling (800) , or by faxing larger requests to (503) Quarterly Tally of Immunization Histories Provided from ALERT to Authorized Users Quarterly Tally of Immunization Histories provided from ALERT to authorized users Web Web searches searches by by authorized authorized users users # of histories per quarter Jan-Mar 99 Apr-Jun 99 Jul-Sep 99 Oct-Dec 99 Jan-Mar 00 Apr-Jun 00 Jul-Sep 00 Oct-Dec 00 Jan-Mar 01 Apr-Jun 01 Jul-Sep 01 Oct-Dec 01 Jan-Mar 02 Electronic Electronic Lists Lists Phone/Fax Requests Phone/Fax Requests Source: Oregon Immunization ALERT (April 2002) Source: Oregon Immunization ALERT (April 2002) E E E...Tips from ALERT...Tips from ALERT...Tips from ALERT...Tips from ALERT... Bar code stickers labeled other should have the brand name or vaccine type clearly printed on them. Dose date (not birth date) should be clearly marked on every pink slip. Pink slips are used for the current dose only. Any immunization histories or prior dates should be photocopied and attached to the blue form. Thanks for all your hard work!

6 OPIC Awards The Oregon Partnership to Immunize Children (OPIC) held its Annual Awards Luncheon on April 16 at the Oregon Medical Association. The purpose of the event was to honor individuals and organizations that have significantly contributed to increasing childhood immunization awareness and/or the rate of immunizations in Oregon. Recipients of OPIC 2002 Awards were Richard Barsotti, M.D., the Klamath Pediatric Clinic, Jackson County Health Department, the Douglas County Medical Alliance, KGW-Channel 8, the Ashland Daily Tidings, the Multnomah Education Service District and Oregon Immunization ALERT. Also recognized, for a minimum of five years leadership and service on the OPIC Executive Committee, were: Nancy Church (Providence Health System); Lorraine K. Duncan (DHS Immunization); Lou Ann Gustafson (Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oregon); Merrily Haas (Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children); PeggyLou Hillman (Multnomah County Health Department); Susan King (Oregon Nurses Association); Cathy Krieger (Metropolitan Medical Foundation); Brian Lauer (Oregon Pediatric Society); Sandy Marron (Oregon Nurses Association); Bill Packard (Kiwanis); Gregg Russell (Washington County Department of Health and Human Services); Ian Timm (Oregon Primary Care Association). Mark Your Calendars! Oregon Immunization Conference/2003 DoubleTree Hotel Portland, Oregon March 27-28, 2003 Questions about the Immunization Program? Please call (503) Immunization Program 800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 370 Portland, OR 97232