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 These steps include increasing accessibility to vaccines, expanding
outreach in communities with low vaccination rates, and educating
the public on the importance of vaccines.
“We are taking the threat posed by a rise in measles cases very
seriously and are committed to taking action to keep Illinoisans
safe,” said Governor Pritzker. “Working across agencies and at all
levels of government, we will be taking steps to increase
vaccination rates and ensure all of our families are educated about
the resources available to them. There is no more important
responsibility of our state government than keeping Illinoisans
healthy and safe, and addressing this threat is a top priority for
my administration as we move forward.”
“IDPH is committed to taking action to keep our communities safe
from measles and other preventable diseases,” said IDPH Director Dr.
Ngozi Ezike. “Vaccination is our best tool to protect our families
and while overall vaccination rates for the state are strong, some
specific communities have lower rates and remain vulnerable to
disease outbreaks. Through a multifaceted approach that will include
breaking down barriers to vaccination, targeted outreach, and
education, IDPH is committed to increasing vaccination rates in
every corner of Illinois and minimizing the threat of measles in our
state.”
Public health officials are working with schools, community
organizations, religious groups, parent organizations, and other
stakeholders to identify opportunities to provide vaccinations.
Steps will include, but are not limited to:
Mobile Units: IDPH will assist in providing mobile health
units to neighborhoods with low vaccination rates to hold clinics
and provide vaccinations.
Targeted Events: IDPH will identify events with high parent
and children attendance and support vaccination clinics at these
events. These can include county fairs and neighborhood
celebrations.
Faith Outreach: IDPH will work with religious organizations
to sponsor vaccination clinics after services, during vacation bible
school, and near other religious gatherings.
Community Coordination: IDPH will work with community health
workers and parent educators to help set up appointment times for
vaccinations, provide or arrange transportation, and assist parents
in filling out the paperwork.
Public Education: IDPH will work to combat misinformation
about vaccines and increase education efforts through health events,
marketing, and social media.
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IDPH is also working with the Illinois State Board of Education to
conduct a more in-depth data analysis that will inform additional
actions. This qualitative and quantitative study will focus on
schools at risk for outbreaks due to student vaccination rates of
less than 95%. The study aims to understand why the school is
experiencing a lower vaccination rate and identify who,
specifically, is not being vaccinated. IDPH is currently working
with local health departments across the state to meet and talk with
school officials and health care providers in the community to learn
about barriers that limit vaccination and identify additional
opportunities to increase rates.
Barriers already identified include:
Transportation: Some parents do not have a way to get their
children to clinics for vaccinations.
Time: Health clinic hours may not fit with working parents’
schedule.
Paperwork: Vaccination requires the consent forms to be
filled by the parent. Some parents may be overwhelmed by the
paperwork and not fully understand how to fill it out.
Wait Times: While local health departments and providers may
offer special vaccination clinics before the beginning of the school
year, the wait times can sometimes be more than an hour.
IDPH continues to recruit and retain Vaccine for Children (VFC)
health care providers. The federally funded VFC program provides
vaccines at no cost to children who might otherwise not be
vaccinated. IDPH is currently working across agencies and with the
governor’s office to identify ways to help reduce the burden of the
program on providers, and to help them be compliant.
Communities with low vaccination rates are at risk for disease
outbreaks. If one person in a community is infected, the disease can
spread to others who are not vaccinated. In communities where the
overwhelming majority of people are vaccinated, there are fewer
opportunities for the disease to spread, often called “herd
immunity.”
Education and awareness are critical to increasing vaccination
rates. There is extensive misinformation circulating about the
safety of vaccines. It is important for the public to understand
that we have the safest vaccine supply in U.S. history and that
vaccines offer the best protection against illness from
vaccine-preventable diseases. IDPH is working to increase knowledge
about vaccines through social media, its website, informational
brochures, health events around the state, and more.
Vaccination protects you from illness, and also protects the
community around you, especially those who are unable to be
vaccinated, such as babies and people with weakened immune systems.
Vaccination is a shared responsibility that we must uphold or risk
turning back the clock to a time when measles was widespread, and
thousands died each year.
[Illinois Department of Public
Health] |
