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 Decades of increased vaccinations led to the declaration of measles
being eliminated in the U.S. in 2000; however, 25 years after the
first NIIW, the country is once again seeing measles outbreaks.
During NIIW April 27-May 4, 2019, Illinois Department of Public
Health (IDPH) Director, Dr. Ngozi Ezike is asking parents to talk
with a health care provider to ensure their children are fully
immunized.
“Because of the success of vaccines in preventing disease, parents
may not have heard of some of the serious diseases they prevent.
Children can suffer serious illness and even death when exposed to
diseases like measles, mumps, and pertussis,” said Dr. Ezike.
“Although vaccines are among the most successful, safe, and
cost-effective public health tools available for preventing disease
and death, some people still chose not to be vaccinated. It is
essential that you protect your child against serious illness by
having them vaccinated before they are exposed to potentially
life-threatening diseases.”
As of April 26, 2019, there have been more than 700 cases of measles
in the U.S. this year, including 78 new cases identified last week.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
this is the greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1994
and since measles was eliminated in 2000.
Although Illinois data does not reflect the same trend, the U.S. is
seeing an increase in the number of children younger than two years
old who are receiving no vaccines. CDC’s data suggest that many of
these parents do want to vaccinate their children, but they may not
be able to get vaccines for them. They may face hurdles, like not
having a health care professional nearby, not having time to get
their children to a doctor, and/or thinking they cannot afford
vaccines.
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.
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• Public Education: IDPH will work to combat misinformation
about vaccines and increase education efforts through health events,
marketing, and social media.
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.
Additionally, IDPH continues to recruit and retain Vaccine for
Children (VFC) health care providers. The Vaccines For Children (VFC)
program is a federally funded program that provides vaccines at no
cost for children who might not otherwise be vaccinated because of
inability to pay. The VFC program helps children get their vaccines
according to the recommended immunization schedule.
Through on-time immunization, parents can protect infants and
children from 14 vaccine- preventable diseases before age two. While
overall childhood immunization rates remain high, unvaccinated
children in the U.S. are at risk for contracting diseases that some
parents might consider diseases of the past.
In the 1950's, nearly every child developed measles, and
unfortunately, some developed serious complications including death
from this serious disease. Today, many practicing physicians have
never seen a case of measles due to the effectiveness of the
vaccine. However, although rare in the U.S., they are still commonly
transmitted in many parts of the world and brought into the country
by unvaccinated individuals, putting other unvaccinated people at
risk.
More information about the VFC program and immunizations can be
found on the IDPH website.
[Illinois Department of Public
Health] |
