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 January 2020
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Protect Yourself and Protect Your Patients from Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Andrea Becker, BSN, RN-Immunization Nurse Educator - MDHHS Division of Immunization
Healthcare personnel (HCP) face a wide range of potential hazards on the job, including the risk of being exposed to serious and sometimes deadly vaccine-preventable diseases. Vaccination programs are an essential part of infection prevention and control for HCP.
Unfortunately, despite the risk of disease, and the overwhelming safety profile of vaccines, vaccine hesitancy has become a growing concern amongst many people, including HCP. Due to the success of vaccines, vaccine-preventable diseases have become less visible today and many HCP have not seen these diseases firsthand. Therefore, there is less focus on disease itself and more focus on the usefulness and safety of the vaccine.
To illustrate, some HCP are reluctant to receive the flu vaccine despite strong recommendations to do so. Among unvaccinated HCP surveyed early in the 2017-18 flu season, the most common reason reported for not getting vaccinated was fear of experiencing side effects or getting sick from the vaccine (22.1%).1 This is concerning for many reasons, especially since influenza causes more deaths per year than any other vaccine-preventable disease. In addition, if healthcare workers are not confident about the safety, effectiveness, and importance of vaccination, they are unlikely to address the fears of their vaccine hesitant patients.
Protect from Vaccine Preventable Diseases >>
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Increasing Resilience through Victims Services
Jeremy Hagerman, BA, FF/EMTP, CA – MDHHS Mass Casualty Resource Coordinator, Victim Resource Task Force
In the aftermath of a mass violence incident (MVI), the Victim Resource Task Force (VRTF) stands ready to assist local police, fire, EMS agencies, public health officials and emergency managers. Family Assistance Centers (FAC) often provide services such as food, clothing, and shelter assistance; by including victim services as part of an FAC after a mass violence incident, we provide victims the opportunity to be connect with services tailored to unique individual and community needs. Victims of mass violence will need a support team in place for weeks, and potentially months after the crime; this support starts with the foundation of providing safety and security with an opportunity to process their experience.
Victims Services >>
Michigan Volunteer Registry Outstanding Volunteer of the Year
Each year, the Michigan Volunteer Registry selects an individual who shows dedication to emergency preparedness. Marie Anderson, Medical Reserve Coordinator (MRC) of Ottawa County, has been selected as the 2019 award recipient. In addition to leading the Ottawa County Medical Reserve Corps, Marie serves as a member of the Michigan Mortuary Response Team (MI-MORT) and Michigan Transportable Emergency Surge Assistance (MI-TESA) team when she is not working as a nurse. In her role as the MRC, Marie led a small and mighty team of 35 volunteers to complete 118 important preparedness activities last year. Marie describes her role in the community as “…a labor of love, but much more love than labor”. Thank you to Marie and all the volunteers building resilience in their communities.
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Estimating the Incidence of Influenza at the State Level - Utah, 2016-17 and 2017-18 Influenza Seasons
Influenza activity can vary widely based on geographic location, and national data on the numbers of persons affected by influenza do not reflect this potential variation. Application of national methods to estimate the burden of influenza at the state level found that influenza affected 9% and 11% of Utah residents during the 2016–17 and 2017–18 influenza seasons, respectively.
Local estimation of influenza disease burden can help public health officials, policymakers, and clinicians tailor influenza messaging, planning, and responses for their jurisdictions. State and county health departments might consider adapting these methods to their jurisdictions in future influenza seasons.
Estimating Incidence of Influenza >>
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2019 National Preparedness Report
The National Preparedness Report
summarizes the progress made and challenges that remain in building and sustaining the capabilities needed to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the threats, hazards and incidents that pose the greatest risk to the Nation.
As a requirement of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 and a key element of the National Preparedness System, this annual report offers all levels of government, the private and nonprofit sectors, and the public practical insights into preparedness that support decisions about program priorities, resource allocation, and community actions.
2019 National Preparedness Report
2019 National Preparedness Report Executive Summary
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Pediatric Disaster Response & Emergency Preparedness
In-Person Training
3 Sessions Available
Pediatric emergency planning and medical response considerations through a combination of lectures, small group exercises, and a table-top exercise.
Register: MI-TRAIN Course ID #1055362
Private Water Network Launch
Webinar
January 13, 2020
2:00 p.m.
The National Environmental Health Association is launching a Private Water Network (PWN) as a resource for individuals working to protect the public's health from contaminants in private drinking sources. Join the webinar to learn more about the PWN community.
Register
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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 readers with relevant content on topics that affect the public health of Michigan's citizens and communities. |
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This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement number 1NU90TP922062-01-00, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.
Bureau of EMS, Trauma & Preparedness | 1001 Terminal Rd, Lansing, MI 48906 | 517-335-8150
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