About the Guardian
The Guardian of Public Health is a monthly newsletter from the Bureau of EMS, Trauma, and Preparedness (BETP) within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The Guardian aims to provide its readers with relevant content on topics that affect the public health of citizens and communities in Michigan. For questions or comments please contact Kerry Chamberlain at chamberlaink2@michigan.gov.
Reasons to Vaccinate
Jacklyn Chandler,
M.S., Outreach Coordinator, MDHHS Division of Immunization
Vaccines have greatly decreased or eradicated many
infectious diseases that commonly harmed many infants, children, and adults.
However, the viruses and bacteria that cause vaccine-preventable diseases
(VPDs) still exist and can be easily passed on to people who are not fully
protected by vaccines. The success of a vaccine in protecting communities
depends entirely on the extent of vaccine coverage. With enough people
immunized against a disease, it is difficult for the disease to get a foothold in
the community.
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Birth Year Predicts Bird Flu Risk
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institute of Health, in his blog outlines a study on birth year and influenza immunity. In a study that looked at cases of bird flu in six countries in Asia and the Middle East between 1997 and 2015, an NIH-supported research team found that people born before 1968 were at lower risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus than were those born afterwards. Just the opposite was true of another emerging strain of bird flu. People born before 1968 were at greater risk of becoming seriously ill or dying of H7N9, while those born after that date were more often protected.
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