Free Webinars in October Offer What You Need to Know About Influenza and GBS

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Published on October 19, 2009

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) request that neurologists nationwide report any possible new cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) following 2009 H1N1 flu vaccination using the CDC and US Food and Drug Administration Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). It is not anticipated that the 2009 H1N1 vaccine will have an increased risk of GBS. However, the CDC and AAN are asking neurologists to report any potential new cases of GBS after-vaccination as part of the CDC's national vaccine safety monitoring campaign.

The CDC and the AAN have asked neurologists, hospitalists, emergency medical physicians, and other health care professionals in 10 states (CA, CT, MD, MN, NM, NY, CO, OR, GA, TN) to practice increased vigilance with their patients and to report any new cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), regardless of vaccination to their state’s surveillance officers.

In October, the AAN will host two free webinars, "Influenza and Guillain-Barré Syndrome: What You Need to Know." The first took place on Thursday, October 15, 2009, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET; the second webinar will be held on Wednesday, October 21, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time.

Webinar 1 is intended primarily for neurologists and their staff nationwide, and will provide an in-depth look at H1N1 vaccination and how it may pose a risk for GBS.
View the October 15 slide show presentation.

Webinar 2 is intended primarily for neurologists, hospitalists, emergency physicians, and other health care professionals in the 10 CDC Emerging Infections Program (EIP) states—California, Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Colorado, Oregon, Georgia, and Tennessee. The presentation will feature important information about what all health care professionals need to do to report GBS cases to the CDC. This webinar is also open to neurologists and others who might have missed Webinar 1.
Register for the October 21 webinar.

To learn more about the vaccine safety monitoring campaign—visit the GBS toolkit page.

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