Media Advisory

National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) to Reveal New Research on Influenza Vaccination Behaviors

CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden to join leading medical/public health groups at NFID News Conference to share developments about the influenza season

Leading medical experts are set to gather in Washington, D.C., to discuss a new chapter in influenza prevention and education, the rationale for a new universal influenza vaccine recommendation and new research results highlighting physician and consumer influenza vaccination behaviors.

Influenza can cause more than 200,000 hospitalizations and between 3,300 to 49,000 deaths a year, depending on the severity of circulating viruses. While the toll influenza takes may be unpredictable, one constant is the need for vaccination to decrease the spread of this highly contagious disease. For the first time, the CDC is calling for universal influenza vaccination for all Americans. Now more than ever, there is a need to recognize the importance of immunization and to understand and overcome barriers to immunization. NFID will present new survey results highlighting physicians' attitudes and personal practices regarding annual influenza vaccination, as well as results from two new consumer surveys. Key findings will include:

• Do doctors practice what they preach? Rates of physicians who vaccinate themselves, their families and recommend it to their patients.
• Who says so? How do physician recommendations affect decisions to get the flu vaccine?
• Top vaccination motivator spans all income, education level and age ranges.
• Persistent myths about influenza prevention put an alarming number of Americans at risk.

A panel including experts from academia, government, health professional societies and the public health field will address these issues, as well as outline the outlook of the 2010/2011 influenza season.

• Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Daniel Jernigan, MD, MPH, Deputy Director, CDC Influenza Division
• Judith S. Palfrey, MD, President, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
• Stephan L. Foster, Pharm.D., American Pharmacists Association (APhA)
• William Schaffner, MD, President, NFID, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

A question and answer session will immediately follow the news conference. In addition to the panelists, representatives from leading medical, public health and advocacy groups, including American Medical Association, National Medical Association and AARP will also be available for the Q&A.

Date / Time

Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 10:00am ET

Where

The National Press Club, 14th and F Streets, NW, 13th Floor, First Amendment Lounge, Washington, D.C. 20045; also via live webcast and telephone. Contact Jenn Corrigan or Jen Bender for log-in and dial-in details.

Pre-registration for attendance is preferred. Journalists must present media identification or a business card issued by a recognized news organization. Freelance journalists must present a letter of assignment on letterhead from a recognized news organization and a business card.

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This news conference is sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) in partnership with the National Influenza Vaccine Summit and is supported, in part, by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and through unrestricted educational grants to NFID from Flu Vaccine Business Practices Initiative (c/o HIDA), Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, MedImmune, Merck, Novartis Vaccines, Pfizer, sanofi pasteur and Walgreens.

Historical Document: September 28, 2010

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES