Keeping You Connected

The SBCMS keeps you up to date on the latest news,
policy developments, and events

SBCMS News/Media

rss

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.

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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.

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 ...

AAP urges states to take firmer stand on nonmedical vaccine exemptions

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) this week called nonmedical vaccine exemption laws a failure and urged state governments to follow California's lead by eliminating nonmedical exemptions and enacting policies to improve immunization rates. “It’s clear that states with more lenient exemptions policies have lower immunization rates, and it’s these states where we have seen disease outbreaks occur as the rates slip below the threshold needed to maintain community immunity,” said Geoffrey R. Simon, M.D., lead author of AAP's new policy statement, “Medical Versus Nonmedical Immunization Exemptions for Child Care ...