 It's time to take the annual IIS Help Desk & Training survey!
This survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and will ask about your experiences with the IIS Help Desk as well as training preferences. We have been conducting these surveys since 2016 and use your feedback to help identify gaps and make improvements to better meet the needs of users.
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 On January 1, 2019, the Washington State Immunization Information System, in cooperation with our internet service provider, Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech), will discontinue support for Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.0.
What does this mean for IIS users?
You will not be able to access the IIS after January 1st if you are using an internet browser that does not support the newer TLS protocol settings (TLS 1.1 and/or TLS 1.2).
What does this mean for your electronic immunization interface (HL7 connections)?
Your electronic health record (EHR) will no longer connect or be able to send vaccination records to the IIS if your interface is using TLS 1.0 after January 1st.
Please download this document and share with your Technical Support Team & EHR Vendor to prepare for this change.
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The Department of Health now has a new way to view immunization coverage rates for Washington residents aged 19 months through 17 years. The Tableau immunization data dashboards allow you to explore tables, graphs, and maps by selecting county, age group, vaccine type, and year. Currently, the dashboard contains data from the IIS for 2015-2017 and will be updated yearly.
This new format helps to easily compare and track progress toward state and national public health goals. We hope this new tool will be useful to you in your immunization work.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released the 2017 National Immunization Survey (NIS) Child data, including Washington's immunization rates. Most vaccination rates for toddlers 19 to 35 months did not change signficantly from 2016. However, there were two significant decreases: Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and hepatitis b (HepB) birth dose vaccinations. Nationally, there was a signficant increase in Hib vaccination rates.
In the past ten years, we have seen year-to-year fluctuation in coverage rates. Hib, hepatitis A, and rotavirus coverage has increased over the past decade. These gains reflect the hard work that healthcare providers and others have put in to improving coverage. However, vaccination coverage for other common childhood diseases like measles, whooping cough, and chickenpox has been flat for ten years, leaving our state vulnerable to serious outbreaks. For example, Washington's MMR vaccination rate (88.5%) in 2017 was below the 95% coverage that's needed to prevent the spread of measles. Checking a patient's immunization record at every visit will help catch them up on any missed vaccines, like MMR.
You can view both national and statewide NIS-Child results at the CDC's ChildVaxView website and in the October 12 MMWR. If you have questions about Washington's data, contact Julia Velonjara.
Washington Vaccination Coverage among Children 19-35 months, 2008-2017, National Immunization Survey
 
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 Immunization providers now have the ability to increase their immunization knowledge by participating in an interactive "Vax Qs" each month. Vax Qs (vaccine questions) will be sent in this newsletter and providers have the chance to respond by selecting an answer in the link provided below. After responding, you will get an automatic response letting you know if you answered the question correctly.
Please answer the Vax Qs for November 2018. Previous Vax Qs answers are available on our web page.
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 Getting Help with Immunization Clinical Questions
For clinical immunization questions, contact your Local Health Department or send an email to immunenurses@doh.wa.gov. You can also call 360-236-3595 and ask for an immunization nurse. Trang Kuss (right) and Katherine Graff (left) are DOH Public Health Nursing Consultants in our office who can assist you with vaccine recommendations, the immunization schedule, the IIS forecast, vaccine administration errors, and other clinical questions.
Vaccine Forecast Updates
The IIS Forecast was recently updated to address several issues. Refer to the forecast summary for more information. Send an email to immunenurses@doh.wa.gov for any questions related to the forecast.
Webinar Opportunities
- Register for the Partners in Prevention: Pharmacists and Immunizations webinar on November 15th. Jenny Arnold, Director of Practice Development with the Washington State Pharmacy Association, is collaborating with the Department of Health (DOH) to offer a webinar for healthcare providers, pharmacists, local health departments, and others to discuss the importance of pharmacists as vaccinators. Jenny will describe the immunization training pharmacists receive, pharmacist immunization practice in Washington State, and how to partner with pharmacists around adult immunizations. DOH staff are working to offer continuing education for pharmacists and medical assistants.
- The Pink Book (Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases) webinar series that occurred from June through October are now available as recordings. The webinars cover Principles of Vaccination, General Recommendations, Vaccine Storage and Handling, and specific diseases and vaccine recommendations. Slides are also available for download. This is a great training tool for staff new to immunizations.
- Check out the Immunization Training web page for more resources and training opportunities.
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