Shot of Prevention

Recently a friend and nurse, who I adore, shared a video with me.  Now I know my friend to be a very diligent nurse and she’s often discussed how frustrating it is to come across Facebook pages and YouTube videos where nurses dangerously suggest that people should not vaccinate their children.  After reviewing this video, I knew it must have been a major dissapointment to my friend, both personally, and professionally.  While I wasn’t completely surprised by the comments this particular “Patriot Nurse” made, I am a bit concerned about the information she presents.  http://youtu.be/riM4xfrzjAY

At the beginning, the “Patriot Nurse” states that the comments are turned off, but explains this is because she is only interested in “intelligent debate”.  As far as I’m concerned, debate only happens when both sides get to present their position.  So, after viewing the video I figured that we could certainly help facilitate debate for the “Patriot Nurse”.

(Interestingly enough, it’s unclear whether this video is tied in any way to Rachel Greene of the Patriot Nurse blog.  Could this be the same Rachel Greene who works as a nurse in a TN birthing center?  I certainly hope not.  As far as the informed consent she calls for in her video, I would have to wonder if the parents giving birth in that center are fully informed about her views on vaccines. )

To kick off the discussion, I wanted to begin with comments I received from another nurse with serious objections to what the “Patriot Nurse” states in the video above.  As a Canadian nurse, with an additional background in biology, who works at a large teaching hospital, she’ll tell you… don’t’ take her word for anything, but instead, be wary of individuals who use You Tube to spout off misinformation and try to convince you not to protect your children from preventable disease.

Of course, as always, we welcome your comments in an intelligent debate below.   Read more…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that 63% of healthcare workers received a seasonal influenza vaccine as of the beginning of November.  While this is a 7% increase over the number vaccinated by the same time last year, there is still significant room for improvement.

Healthcare workers include a wide variety of professions, such as nurses, dentists, lab technicians, OB/GYNs and many others.  These professionals have a great deal of contact with patients, and therefore are exposed to illness on a regular basis, which is why you might suspect they would want to be up-to-date on their vaccines.  However, we must also recognize the risks these workers pose to others if they themselves are infected.  It is possible for workers to be contagious before they realize they are ill.  During that time it is also possible that they could unknowingly spreading illnesses, such as influenza, to vulnerable patients.

Take, for instance, the example of a newborn child.  As a parent, your most important concern is for the well-being of your baby.   That’s why you may insist that friends and family members who want to visit your child, both in the hospital and at home, are immunized.  However, how would you feel if you discovered that almost 40% of the people providing care for your child are not immunized against seasonal flu?

As parents and patients we often assume that those caring for us and our loved ones are doing everything possible to protect us, and that includes getting immunized.  While we are seeing encouraging statistics to suggest that they are, this is not a universal requirement in the healthcare industry and so there is still work to do to help improve healthcare worker vaccination rates.

Since nurses play a critical role as vaccinators, educators and role models for their patients, it’s important to highlight the efforts being made by the American Nurses Association (ANA) to help educate nurses on the importance of immunizations.  Not only do they offer a free Continuing Education (CE) course entitled Bringing Immunity to Every Community, they are doing their part to engage on the issue of influenza vaccination with their Unite to Fight the Flu! campaign.  Today, they’ve even planned a clever way to offer free CE credits with a live Twitter chat.     

To join today’s twitter chat from 12:30-1p.m. EST,  all one has to do is go to http://tweetchat.com/room/anachat or use the hashtag #anachat on Twitter.  The discussion will focus on facts about influenza, with a special emphasis made to dispel the myths about the flu vaccine.  This is a free event and both ANA members and non-members are encouraged to join.  Read more…

Today marks the start of National Influenza Vaccination Week and so I ask; are you one in 111 million?

If you’ve already received your influenza vaccination this season than, congratulations…you are!

According to today’s telebriefing on U.S. influenza activity and vaccination rates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s estimated that as many as 36% of the general public (which represents a total of 111 million) have been vaccinated against seasonal influenza in the U.S. as of the beginning of November.   These mid-fall statistics were compiled after phone surveys were conducted during the first two weeks of November, and while final results will not be available until the end of the season, all indications are pointing to a slight increase in this season’s flu vaccine uptake versus last year’s data.

According to the CDC’s estimates, influenza rates among the general public are up about 3.5% from this time last year.  What’s even more encouraging are that the statistics suggest greater vaccine coverage among certain high-risk populations including children, seniors and pregnant women. Read more…

After an Associated Press analysis was published yesterday, it didn’t take long for the message to spread like a cold in a daycare.  Although it was information that was spreading, rather than illness, many public health officials acknowledged that it may eventually be new outbreaks of diseases.  What’s particularly disturbing is that it could possibly mean the return of diseases which have been all but eliminated here in the U.S.

Sadly, the report indicated that a rising number of parents, in half the states in the U.S., are now opting out of school shots for their kids.  While the report lacked details regarding how many immunizations were being declined and which ones, the concerning data was that one in twenty public school kindergartners, in as many as eight states, are not getting all the vaccines required for school attendance.

This may come as a shock for many parents, since as many as ninety percent follow the recommended vaccination schedule for their children and adhere to their state’s school immunization requirements.  For many people, the idea of not vaccinating their children has never crossed their mind.  Many parents who vaccinate probably assume that everyone else is vaccinated as well.  But thanks to this recent AP analysis, and last night’s episode of NBC’s Nightly News, parents may begin to understand the concerns tied to this dangerous trend.  After all, it’s time we acknowledge that some parents are making decisions for their children that may have a direct impact on others.

As Brian Williams explains on last night’s episode of NBC’s Nightly News,

“We have vaccines, of course, for a reason.  The alternative can be disease and in some cases epidemics.  That’s why it’s called public health and so the choices of a few can affect a lot of people who have followed the rules.”

Dr. Nancy Snyderman, NBC’s News Chief Medical Editor, followed up by addressing some of the growing concerns to our public health.

Read more…

Every Child By Two (ECBT) recently offered an informative webinar entitled “Autism 101 for Immunization Advocates”. 

You may be asking, why would an immunization organization like Every Child By Two be offering education on autism?  To be honest, as we continue to share information about autism research on this blog and on our Vaccinate Your Baby Facebook page, we hear this question time and again.

“If there is no link between vaccines and autism, then why do you spend so much time talking about it?”

While the majority of people realize that vaccines are not responsible for a diagnosis of autism, there are still some people who are under the impression that some possible link may exist.  In fact, research has indicated that some parental hesitation about vaccinations is in part due to these unsettling concerns and misconceptions.   According to a Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll published in January 2011, 18% of Americans say vaccines cause autism and 30% of Americans aren’t sure.

That is why Every Child By Two continues to be involved in the conversation.  They believe that as long as these two things remain associated in some way, both the immunization community, as well as the autism community, have an important role in educating parents.

Amy Pisani, Executive Director of Every Child By Two, explains, Read more…

Last month, in a post entitled The Villian is a Virus, I wrote about an event I attended in which a special panel of experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided an inside perspective on the science behind the movie Contagion.  The truth is, just as the organization is portrayed in the movie, the CDC remains constantly vigilant in their efforts to protect us from dangerous health threats that occur not only in this country, but well beyond our nation’s borders.

Sadly, our media reality happens to be, ”It’s only news when someone is hurt or killed.” This may explain why the Contagion story-line was even developed as a major motion picture.  Interestingly enough, at this behind-the-scenes event, I was able to get a glimpse of all the incidents that are so routinely avoided.  Unfortunately, it’s hard to generate interest about something that’s been prevented.  After all, if it never happened, how could it be newsworthy?

However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try out best to recognize our successes.  How many times have we been able to contain a dangerous disease?  How many vaccines do we now have that protect against diseases that often afflicted children in the generations before us?  And how many lives have been sparred because of them?

If you are looking to hear a bit of reality, and not just Hollywood hype, I encourage you to check out the video below.  It highlights the frank conversation between a curious crowd of typical movie-goers and a panel of public health experts.  In this video, CDC Director Tom Frieden is joined by Dr. Ali Khan who is currently the Director of CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Dr. Anne Schuchat who serves as the Director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, to speak about their real-life experiences in investigating dangerous and deadly diseases.  Their personal contributions serve as an excellent reminder of why we should remain vigilant in our efforts to protect our nation’s public health.

Even though interest in the movie Contagion has already faded, the possibility of some contagious disease gaining Hollywood-worthy headlines remains.  In fact, it’s often just a plane ride away.    While that may be frightening to consider, it’s important that we continue to applaud the work that is being done to ensure good public health, whether that be by promoting diligent handwashing, covering our coughs or vaccinating ourselves and our children.  We all share this one world and like it or not, that means we are all somehow connected.  Contagions and all.