Save the date for the 2018 California Immunization Coalition Summit The California Immunization Coalition (CIC) will be hosting its annual Summit April 16-17, 2018, at the Sawyer Hotel in Sacramento. The summit theme will be Onward and Upward and will focus on utilizing public health successes to engage with new partners, grow the coalition network, and educate and support local communities. The CIC is a non-profit, public-private partnership dedicated to achieving and maintaining full immunization protection for all Californians to promote health and prevent serious illness. For updates and registration, visit www.immunizeca.org/about/cic-summit. January 30, 2018 General Immunization, Public Health, Vaccination 0 0 Comment Read More »
It's not too late to get a flu shot With widespread influenza activity in California, physicians are encouraged to remind patients that it’s not too late to get their flu shot. Although influenza season usually peaks between December and February, flu activity can occur as late as May. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for the body to respond fully. Vaccine effectiveness does vary for the different strains and year by year. Vaccination will still prevent infection in a large number of cases. If disease does occur after vaccination, the vaccine can reduce the severity of flu symptoms. An annual flu vaccine is the most effective way to reduce one's risk of getting sick with seasonal flu and spreading it to others. Physicians can help to protect our most vulnerable populations by encouraging all patients to get the flu shot as soon as possible. For those at high risk of serious flu complications that can lead to hospitalization and even death, getting vaccinated is especially important. It is also important for caregivers of anyone at high risk, including children younger than 6 months, who are too young to get a flu vaccine. Those at high risk for serious flu-related complications include: Pregnant women Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old People 65 years of age and older People who have certain medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services developed free educational materials that physicians and other health care providers can download and use to promote flu vaccinations. These materials include brochures, flyers, posters and postcards that are translated into several languages including Arabic, Armenian, Cambodian, Chinese, Farsi, Hmong, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese. Additional influenza information and resources are available at www.cdc.gov/fightflu. January 30, 2018 General Flu, Immunization, Influenza, Public Health, Vaccination 0 0 Comment Read More »
Your vaccine recommendation is a critical factor in protecting patient health Patients trust you to give them the best counsel on how to protect their health. You know that immunization is an important preventive measure – but it’s unlikely that getting vaccinated is on the radar for your adult patients. Your strong recommendation is critical in ensuring that they get the vaccines they need to help them stay healthy. Adults are not getting the vaccines they need. The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that vaccination rates for adults are extremely low. For example, rates for Tdap and zoster vaccination are 28 percent or less for adults who are recommended to get them. Even high-risk groups are not getting the vaccines they need – only 20 percent of adults 64 years or younger who are at increased risk for complications from pneumococcal disease are vaccinated. This means that each year tens of thousands of adults needlessly suffer, are hospitalized, and even die as a result of diseases that could be prevented by vaccines. Your patients are likely to get the vaccines you recommend to them. Physicians are a valued and trusted source of health information for adults. Your patients rely on you to let them know which vaccines are necessary and right for them. Since many adults are not up-to-date on their vaccines, all health care professionals should use every patient encounter as an opportunity to assess whether any vaccines are needed. If the patient is due for a vaccine, make a strong recommendation that you advise getting the vaccine because it can help protect them against a disease that could be serious. For some patients, this may be sufficient information to accept the vaccine. Others may want to learn more about the vaccine and why it is right for them. For these patients, sharing the following can help them make an informed decision. Share the tailored reasons why the recommended vaccine is right for the patient, given his or her age, health status, lifestyle, job, or other risk factors. Highlight positive experiences with vaccines (personal or in your practice) to reinforce the benefits and strengthen confidence in vaccination. Address patient questions and any concerns about the vaccine, including side effects, safety, and vaccine effectiveness in plain and understandable language. Remind patients that vaccines protect them and their loved ones from many common and serious diseases. Explain the potential costs of getting vaccine-preventable diseases, including serious health effects, time lost (missing work or family obligations), and financial costs. Some patients may need additional time to consider information about vaccines or want more details than can be provided during a single office visit. There are a number of things you can do to help these patients stay on track with recommended vaccinations: Provide educational materials or trusted websites for them to review. Send reminders about needed vaccines. Document the conversation and continue the discussion at the next visit. To download free patient education materials or find resources on addressing patient questions and concerns about adult vaccines, visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/adults. August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) – a reminder of the importance of immunization in keeping our communities healthy. Your strong recommendation can make a difference. August 21, 2017 General Immunization, Public Health, Vaccination 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Doc: Richard Pan, M.D. Senator Pan presenting Senate Bill 277 in Senate Health Committee "Vaccines are so effective that parents, and even many younger physicians, have never seen many vaccine preventable diseases. This lack of personal experience with these diseases has created opportunities for anti-vax charlatans to spread misinformation and create anxiety and doubt about vaccines for their own personal gain." --Sen. Richard Pan, M.D. As a physician, I have witnessed first-hand how vaccines protect our children and communities from dangerous diseases. I attended medical school at the University of Pittsburgh, where I learned microbiology from Julius Younger, Sc.D., who worked with Jonas Salk, M.D., to develop the first successful polio vaccine. I never expected to see measles, but in 1991, in a Philadelphia clinic, I witnessed an outbreak that infected over 900 people and killed nine children. In the meantime, widespread use of the Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) vaccine began while I attended medical school, and during my residency, I only saw one case of invasive Hib, a disease that previously filled pediatric ICUs. Vaccines are so effective that parents, and even many younger physicians, have never seen many vaccine preventable diseases. This lack of personal experience with these diseases has created opportunities for anti-vax charlatans to spread misinformation and create anxiety and doubt about vaccines for their own personal gain. Years of vaccine hesitancy, fueled by a fraudulent study linking vaccines with autism, have taken a toll on the community immunity needed to keep diseases at bay. In 2000, only 0.77 percent of California kindergartners had personal belief exemptions on file. By 2013, that percentage more than quadrupled to 3.15 percent statewide. In some places in the state, vaccination rates dipped below 70 or 80 percent. As community immunity eroded, preventable diseases returned—with dangerous consequences. In 2010, there were 9,120 cases of pertussis reported in California—more than any year since 1947, and 10 babies died in that outbreak. Measles infections nationally rose from 37 infections in 2004 to 644 in 2014. Then, in 2015, a measles outbreak began at Disneyland, infecting 147 people and hospitalizing at least 20 people. Parents demanded action to keep their children safe, and thanks to the advocacy of Vaccinate California, Senator Ben Allen and I authored and passed SB 277, which eliminated non-medical exemptions to school vaccination requirements. In the first year of implementation, vaccination rates among kindergarteners rose to levels not seen in a decade and a half. Kindergarten students receiving required vaccines rose from 93 percent in the 2015-16 school year to 96 percent in 2016-17. However, many older children who previously received exemptions remain unvaccinated, and an entire generation of young people—referred to as the “Wakefield generation,” after the discredited anti-vax researcher—remain vulnerable and can accelerate the spread of future outbreaks. While laws like SB 277 have a tremendous impact on vaccination rates, continued success requires physicians to educate our patients about the benefits of vaccines and the dangers of the diseases they prevent. Vaccine misinformation continues to be spread by social media, videos and books. Even the President has given credibility to vaccine myths and welcomed anti-vax quacks. Fake news sites such as Natural News, InfoWars and Mercola.com spread anti-science conspiracy theories and attack science advocates like Paul Offit, M.D. But this misinformation can be overcome by physicians who build trust with their patients and families, listen carefully to their concerns, and speak with confidence about the efficacy and safety of vaccination. As a pediatrician, I learned the science of vaccines; but while passing vaccine legislation, I also learned the myths of anti-vaxxers. Anti-vax charlatans promote parental anxiety about vaccines so parents are more susceptible to the marketing of alternative products they’re selling. These frauds sow distrust of physicians and science and downplay the dangers of disease. Some misinformed parents even say they’d prefer their children get infected with polio, measles, pertussis and chicken pox than to be vaccinated. Fortunately, a large majority of parents listen to our advice and support vaccination. However, even if only a few percent of parents don't vaccinate their children, community immunity is compromised for the entire community. Thus, physicians and our public health and education partners must reach out to parents and counsel them about the truth of vaccine-preventable diseases. Physicians should not wait until a baby’s first visit to discuss vaccines, but should begin the discussion while parents are planning a pregnancy or during pregnancy. Too often, parents begin searching the internet for information on vaccines—where anti-vax misinformation is rampant and paid to be at the top of search engines. We need to reach parents early to answer their questions and allay their anxieties. Thanks to a strong partnership between parents and physicians, SB 277 passed in California and our children are safer for it. Many of our most vulnerable children, including very young infants and children who have cancer, transplants, or immune conditions, cannot be vaccinated, and they depend on community immunity from vaccinated people. As physicians, we need to maintain the political will to sustain California’s vaccination laws through our vigorous efforts to teach all parents about the efficacy and safety of vaccines and the dangers of the diseases they prevent. Richard Pan, M.D., MPH, FAAP, is a pediatrician and State Senator representing Senate District 6 (D-Sacramento). He has been a member of the California Medical Association and the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society since 1999. California's doctors aren't just health care and medical experts. They're also community leaders, philanthropists, entrepreneurs and policymakers dedicated to ensuring that patients receive quality health care at an affordable cost. #CMAdocs showcases California physicians leading the charge to help their communities thrive. August 9, 2017 CMA, General California Senate, CMAdocs, Pediatrics, Vaccination 0 0 Comment Read More »
August is National Immunization Month August marks National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM), a national effort to promote vaccinations and protect children and adults from serious, and sometimes deadly, preventable diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), immunizations are one of the top 10 public health accomplishments of the 20th century. Among children born between1994-2013, vaccination will prevent an estimated 322 million illnesses, 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths over the course of their lifetimes. As part of this important effort, the California Medical Association (CMA) and its county medical societies are encouraging physicians to talk to their patients about the importance of vaccinations – for people of all ages. "Immunizations represent one of the greatest public health accomplishments of the 20th century," said CMA President Ruth Haskins, M.D. "As an OB-GYN, I see the life-preserving benefits of vaccines every single day in my patients and their babies. The science is crystal clear on this issue – vaccines are safe and effective at preventing potentially deadly diseases." To help get the word out about the importance of vaccination at every age, the National Public Health Information Coalition, in collaboration with the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, has developed toolkits to help you communicate with your patients about vaccines. Each week of #NIAM17 focuses on a different stage of the lifespan: Babies and young children (July 31-Aug. 6) Pregnant women (Aug. 7-13) Adults (Aug. 14-20) Preteens and teens (Aug. 21-27) The NIAM toolkit contains key messages, vaccine information, sample articles, social media messages, FAQs, and web links and resources. You can also get eye-catching NIAM logos and banners to highlight your NIAM participation on your social media profiles. Download the toolkit at www.nphic.org/niam. NIAM also provides a back-to-school toolkit for to help you remind parents to get their children vaccinated before the school year starts. As you know, last year marked the implementation of California's landmark legislation (SB 277) that eliminated personal belief exemptions from school vaccinations. CMA sponsored this critical legislation, which will help protect the most vulnerable Californians – including babies too young to be immunized and people who are immunocompromised – from the risks associated with contracting these diseases. It will also protect the community at large from increased outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease. CMA has compiled a list of valuable resources on both vaccinations in general and on California's mandatory school vaccination requirements, visit www.cmanet.org/vaccinations. August 8, 2017 General I Heart Immunity, Immunization, Public Health, Vaccination 0 0 Comment Read More »
California's kindergarten vaccination rates hit new high Vaccination rates among California kindergartners are at their highest point since 2001, according to new data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Compared to 2015-16, the percentage of students attending kindergarten in 2016-17 who had received all required vaccines rose from 93 percent to 96 percent. California's new vaccine law (SB 277), which was sponsored by the California Medical Association and took effect last year, eliminated the personal belief exemption and requires all children to be up-to-date on their vaccinations prior to enrolling in a public or private elementary school or child care center, unless the child has a medical exemption. “This success is a first step toward reducing the number of unimmunized people putting our families at-risk for preventable diseases, thereby restoring community immunity throughout our state in the coming years, ” said pediatrician and Senator Richard Pan, M.D., who co-authored the bill with Senator Ben Allen. The CDPH data shows that while vaccination rates rose for this kindergarten class, there are still large numbers of unvaccinated children who were exempted from vaccination when they entered school in previous years. A study in JAMA Pediatrics determined it will take California six years for the benefits of its new school vaccination law to be fully realized. April 19, 2017 General I Heart Immunity, Immunization, Legislative Advocacy, Public Health, Vaccination 0 0 Comment Read More »
ACIP publishes new vaccination schedules for children, adolescents and adults On February 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) published updated immunization schedules for children, adolescents and adults. The 2017 child and adolescent immunization schedule includes several updates including influenza, human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), pneumococcal, meningococcal and diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccines (DTap). Changes to the 2017 adult immunization schedule include new or revised recommendations for influenza, human papillomavirus, hepatitis B, and meningococcal vaccines. The new schedule was published online, in the Annals of Internal Medicine and on the CDC website. March 2, 2017 General Public Health, Vaccination, Immunization 0 0 Comment Read More »
Talk to your patients about the flu shot With flu activity increasing and people planning gatherings for the holidays, now is the perfect time to talk to your patients about getting their flu shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get a flu vaccine every year. This season, however, CDC recommends only the flu shot (not the nasal spray vaccine). While seasonal flu activity varies, flu activity usually peaks between December and February, though activity can last as late as May. As long as flu activity is ongoing, it’s not too late for patients to get vaccinated, even in January or later. An annual flu vaccine is the best way to protect against this potentially serious disease. Even if your patients have already gotten sick with flu this season, it is still a good idea to get a flu vaccine. Flu vaccines protects against three or four different flu viruses (depending on which flu vaccine you get). If your practice doesn’t offer a flu shot, patients can find a place nearby to get a flu vaccine with the HealthMap Vaccine Finder at http://vaccine.healthmap.org. December 13, 2016 General Immunization, Influenza, Public Health, Vaccination, Flu 0 0 Comment Read More »
Save the date for 2017 California Immunization Summit in Riverside The California Immunization Coalition (CIC) annual California Immunization Summit will be returning to Riverside on April 3-4, 2017. The summit is an opportunity for physicians to learn about community-based programs that have increased vaccination rates, and how to adapt and apply key lessons from successful programs. The summit is presented by CIC, a public-private partnership dedicated to achieving and maintaining full immunization protection for all Californians to promote health and prevent serious illness. Check www.immunizeca.org/about/cic-summit for speaker and registration updates in 2017. November 21, 2016 General Immunization, Public Health, Vaccination 0 0 Comment Read More »
Register now for November 16 webinar on prenatal vaccinations The California Immunization Coalition (CIC) invites health care providers to attend its November 16, 2016, educational webinar: Providing Strong and Reassuring Recommendations for Prenatal Vaccinations. Taking place from 12 to 1 p.m. PT, this free webinar will focus on immunization recommendations for pregnant women and best practices for improving immunization rates in this population. Attendees will learn tips and techniques for communicating with their patients about the benefits of prenatal vaccination against pertussis and influenza, as well as ways to improve vaccination rates in their own practices. To register, click here. November 8, 2016 General Maternal and Child Health, Public Health, Vaccination, Webinars, Women's Health, Immunization 0 0 Comment Read More »
