A Bi-Monthly Publication of Every Child By Two
November 2005

Our Mission
To protect all children from vaccine preventable diseases by raising parental awareness of
the critical need for timely infant immunizations, fostering the establishment of a systematic
method to locate and immunize children, and providing convenient access to immunization
services into the future.

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Betty Bumpers Inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame

by Amy Pisani (amyp@ecbt.org)

Last month the National Women’s Hall of Fame celebrated the induction of ten women for their outstanding contributions to the arts, athletics, business, education, government, humanities, philanthropy and science. The 2005 Inductees were:

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton – the first First Lady ever to be elected to the United States Senate and NY State’s first woman senator

Dr. Rita Rossi Colwell – the first woman and first biologist to head the National Science Foundation

Maya Y. Lin - architectural designer Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial and other commemorative installations

Betty Flanagan Bumpers - cofounder of Every Child By Two and founder of the National Peace Foundation

Six historically distinguished women were also honored posthumously. They are Florence Ellinwood Allen, Ruth Fulton Benedict, Mother Marianne Cope, Patricia Locke, Blanche Stuart Scott, and Mary Burnett Talbert.

Mrs. Bumpers was installed into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and now joins the list of prestigious inductees such as Abigail Adams, Maya Angelou, Rosalynn Carter, Emily Dickinson, Georgia O’Keefe, Rosa Parks and more. Mrs. Bumpers became an inductee for her steadfast dedication to the promotion of a healthy and peaceful world. Although her name does not frequent the front pages of our nation’s news, she has been working for more than three decades to establish programs that have real effects on the every day lives of every individual in our nation.

Because Mrs. Bumpers (along with our cofounder Rosalynn Carter) has traveled time and again to every state in the nation to promote timely childhood vaccines, many of our 3,000-plus news readers have had the pleasure to meet “Betty”. Those of you who have met her, even if briefly, or have heard her speak at countless public health venues, recollect her outspokenness, candor and friendliness. Undoubtedly, those of you who know her well both adore and admire her.

Our cofounders have received numerous awards from within the public health sector for their work in immunizations, and we proudly display each and every one in the offices of Every Child By Two. On this occasion, however it is truly gratifying to see Betty receive a much deserved acknowledgment from the “outside world” as she is inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Congratulations to you Betty Bumpers.

Betty Flanagan Bumpers, Maya Y. Lin, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Dr. Rita Rossi Colwell

The Bumpers Clan with Bill and Hillary Clinton

Click here for additional thoughts from Executive Director Amy Pisani.

CDC Announces Restructuring Details Two years ago CDC began the process of overhauling its current structure in an attempt to streamline the way it conducts business in today’s evolving world of public health.  Responding to pressures brought on by sharp budget cuts and ongoing challenges related to disaster response, both man-made and natural, CDC has decided to make changes that will effect the organization’s configuration, functionality and leadership.  Click here for the full story. Resources Available There are a host of new resources available, from the new Visual Guide To Administration Of Childhood Immunizations to a Revised Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine VIS and the new edition of "The Pink Book."  For details on these and other new resources click here. California’s Statewide Immunization Information System Receives $3.6 Million To Integrate On October 20, 2005 the First 5 California Commissioners voted unanimously to fund $3.6 million to integrate California’s nine regionally-based immunization registries and other large immunization databases.  To support California in this endeavor, ECBT’s Betty Bumpers and Amy Pisani traveled to California several years ago to encourage the First 5 California Commissioners to support immunization registries.  Click here to read more. Immunization Meetings - Calendar of Events

Action Needed Now The Mercury-Free Vaccines Act of 2005 (H.R. 881) was introduced in the House by Representative Dave Weldon (R-FL) and now has 72 co-sponsors.  This bill amends language within the Public Health Service Act to essentially ban all vaccines that contain one or more microgram of mercury in any form beginning July 2006.  Vaccine advocates nationwide fear the repercussions of passage of this bill and strongly urge you to contact your legislator to urge him/her not to support either the House (H.R. 881) or the Senate version (S.1422) of these bills.  Click here for the more information. Revised Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine VIS In light of reports of several cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) following vaccination with meningococcal conjugate vaccine (Menactra), its Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) was recently revised to include information about the potential association between the vaccine and the disease. This revised VIS is available now and should be used. For more information about this issue, to download a fact sheet for health care professionals, and to view the revised VIS click here. For more news about VISs, please visit the CDC’s website by clicking here. Receive Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) FREE via Email. Sign up here.

Influenza Season Updates Influenza (flu) season is in full swing, however many individuals, including those at high-risk for complications from the flu, have been unable to receive a flu vaccine. This has frustrated not only the public, but also many health care providers who have not yet received their influenza vaccine shipments.  Click here for an up-to-date review of supply issues, the Influenza Vaccine Summit, Avian Flu and more. Highlights from October ACIP Meeting The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) had their most recent meeting on October 26-27, 2005 in Atlanta, GA. The meeting was attended by Andrea Gelzer, a board member of Every Child by Two and America's Health Insurance Plans’ (AHIP) liaison to the ACIP, and she was generous enough to share her notes from the meeting with ECBT.  Click here to read highlights from Dr. Gelzer’s meeting notes, in addition to a link to a CDC press release announcing ACIP’s new Tdap recommendations. Nevada Looks to The Future What are the factors resulting in low immunization rates in the state of Nevada and what is Nevada doing to improve those rates?  ECBT’s cofounders Rosalynn Carter and Betty Bumpers were the guests of the Northern Nevada Immunization Coalition in September, 2005.  Click hear to read our review of their visit and the many things that we saw that are happening in Nevada. Deadlines for the National Immunization Conference Are Fast Approaching Click hear for more information.

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