 Summer Travel Abroad
Escaping to an overseas retreat this summer? It’s the time of year when people start planning their summer vacation. If you or your patient is venturing abroad for some summer fun, there are health and safety risks you should be aware of. No matter where you go—majestic mountains, secluded beaches, or bustling cities—it's important to make sure travelers are prepared and protected against vaccine preventable diseases. There are outbreaks of disease all over the world, and it only takes a plane ride for them to make their way back to the United States.
For information on a particular destination, please visit the CDC's Traveler's Health web page.
For travel medicine clinics, visit the Maine Immunization Program's web page.
VACCINES Act of 2019
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) invites organizations to join them in sending a letter of support to Representatives Kim Schrier, Michael Burgess, Eliot Engel, Gus Bilirakis, Kurt Schrader, Brett Guthrie for introducing the Vaccine Awareness Campaign to Champion Immunization Nationally and Enhance Safety (VACCINES) Act of 2019. National and state medical, public health, patient, and education organizations are welcome to sign this letter of support.
On May 21, U.S. Congresswoman and pediatrician Kim Schrier, MD, introduced the VACCINES Act of 2019 (H.R. 2862), a bipartisan bill intended to increase immunization rates across the nation. The official title as introduced reads: "To Amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a national system for surveillance of vaccine rates, to authorize research on vaccine hesitancy, to increase public understanding of the benefits of immunization, and for other purposes."
Looking for New Tools to Help Increase Your Clinic's HPV Vaccination Rates?
Recently published data from the 2017 National Immunization Survey – Teen showed that, although HPV vaccination coverage has increased annually since 2013, initiation of HPV vaccination remains lower than MenACWY. From 2016 to 2017, 85% of surveyed adolescents age 13-17 had received at least one dose of MenACWY vaccine, but only 66% had received at least one dose of HPV vaccine. And only 49% had completed an HPV vaccine series. For comparison, 89% of these adolescents had received Tdap.
Studies have shown that providers who effectively recommend the HPV vaccine the same way and on the same day that they recommend other adolescent vaccines have patients that are four to five times more likely to receive the HPV vaccine.
Resources:
|
Education Corner
CDC Vaccine Schedules App
This exciting new app can help you identify the correct vaccine, dosage, and timing with 2 or 3 clicks. Any changes in the schedules will be released through app updates.
This free tool also provides the most current version of the:
- Adult schedule, including recommended vaccines for adults by age group and by medical conditions
- Adult contraindications and precautions table
- Child and adolescent schedule with vaccine recommendations for patients birth – 18 years
- Catch-up schedule for patients 4 months - 18 years
For more information, visit the U.S. CDC website.
Need help responding to vaccine hesitant parents?
This list of organizations are reliable and have a wealth of information that can help you! Visit the Immunization Action Coalition website to learn more.
Vaccine Safety
We know vaccines are safe because they are well-monitored! The United States uses three separate systems to monitor the safety of the vaccines currently in use.
Before a new vaccine is ever given to people, extensive lab testing is done that can take several years. Once testing in people begins, it can take several more years before clinical studies are complete and the vaccine is licensed.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets rules for the three phases of clinical trials to ensure the safety of the volunteers. Researchers test vaccines with adults first.
For more information on the three phase process, visit: The Journey of Your Child's Vaccine.
 |
