A publication of the Immunization Action Coalition of WA (IACW) and WithinReach
November 2018
Greetings!

~~Happy November!~~

This month's edition of the Immunity Community Connections is a cornucopia (no pun intended) of immunization news, webinars, resources, and more. Enjoy!
Immunity Community Highlight of the Month:
This toolkit is designed to help healthcare organizations promote influenza and Tdap immunizations for their employees. It was developed with the belief that it is the professional and ethical responsibility of healthcare workers to prevent the spread of infectious pathogens to the populations they serve by receiving recommended immunizations. When you are ready to start working on your immunization campaign, you will find tools here to help you do so.

"Since we began offering no-cost flu vaccinations to all our employees, there has been an increase in the number of staff members who have chosen to be vaccinated and the number of staff sick days has decreased. I strongly recommend offering no-cost influenza vaccines to your healthcare employees."

-Connie, RN, nursing supervisor at Northwest Pediatrics Center in Centralia & Chehalis
October Quarterly Meeting Follow-Up
A huge thank you to those of you who were able to attend our IACW Quarterly Meeting either in-person or via GoToWebinar. The meeting was filled with some very fruitful discussion surrounding how parents make the decision to delay or skip vaccinations based on some new research findings from the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute. At this time, we are unable to post the recording of the meeting online, but hope to do so at a future date.

In the meantime, here are the questions that we discussed as a group, as well as a summary of attendees' comments. We encourage you to think through these questions with staff at your workplace and keep the conversations going!
  1. How do we build on and emphasize the reasons that parents do vaccinate?
  2. How do we do a better job educating all members of our population about the science of vaccines?
  3. How do we find creative ways to foster positive dialogue and discussion around vaccines?
  4. Can we expect everyone to adhere to a strict and very involved schedule in a society that prioritizes consumer choice and individualism?
New HPV Cancer Resources Website
Stewart Lyman put together a comprehensive HPV Cancer Resources Website for patients (and their families, friends, and caregivers), scientists, doctors, and anyone else who's interested in the subject. As an HPV cancer survivor, he discovered first-hand that there is a lot of information about HPV-caused cancers, but tracking it down isn't always easy. The goals of this website are to:
  1. Spread awareness about HPV
  2. Educate parents about, and advocate for, the safe and effective HPV vaccine
  3. Refute misinformation about the safety and efficacy of HPV (and other) vaccines
  4. Share an organized collection of resources specifically curated for HPV cancer patients and their family members
  5. Provide basic information for all new cancer patients about different scans and treatments, how tumors are staged, how clinical trials work, etc.
National Immunization Survey (NIS) Child Data Released for 2017
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released the 2017 National Immunization Survey (NIS) Childhood data, including Washington's immunization rates. Most vaccination rates for toddlers 19 to 35 months in Washington State and nationally did not change significantly from 2016. However, there were two significant decreases over the last year: Haemophlius influenzae type b (Hib) and hepatitis B (HepB) birth dose vaccinations. Nationally, there was a significant increase in Hib vaccination rates.

You can view both national and statewide NIS-Child results at the CDC's ChildVaxView web page. The article about the nationwide data is in the October 12 MMWR . You can also download the full letter to IACW members from DOH, including more in-depth Washington-specific data points. If you have questions about Washington's data, email Julia Velonjara at the Washington State Department of Health.
HPV E-Course Available for King County VFC Providers
A team of researchers at the University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Public Health-Seattle & King County, and the Somali Health Board are still looking for 30 VFC providers in King County to take their e-course entitled: " HPV Vaccination: Framing the Conversation for East African Families ."

Developed with research funding from the CDC, the purpose of this e-course is to educate healthcare providers on the basics of HPV-related diseases and vaccination recommendations, explain cultural humility as it relates to the experience of immigrants and refugees in a healthcare setting, and share evidence-based strategies to increase HPV vaccination uptake that are relevant to East African communities. Participants will receive 0.75 continuing education credits as well as a $25 Starbucks gift card for completing the course, and feedback will be used to evaluate the course content.

To verify your eligibility and take the course, click here . Additionally, you can download the course flyer here .The course will be accessible by providers outside of King County upon completion of the research study.
(Click on flyer above to enlarge).
Flu Zone
Did you know the word influenza is the Italian word for "influence"? It refers to the cause of disease, as people believed that the flu was influenced by planets, stars, and the moon. The word influenza was used in English for the first time in 1703.
FiveThirtyEight, a statistics-based blog, breaks down why it is so important to get a flu shot - especially this year!
The CDC's digital media toolkit includes details on events/activities, sample social media and newsletter content, graphics, web assets, and media prep material. This material is downloadable, shareable, and some of the materials are even customizable!
By now, we've probably all heard that the the 2017-2018 flu season was pretty bad, but did you know it also had the highest mortality rate in years?
UPCOMING/ARCHIVED WEBINARS
The Washington Department of Health is collaborating with Jenny Arnold of the Washington State Pharmacy to host a webinar that will cover education and training, state laws, and immunization practices of pharmacists. The webinar is open to any healthcare provider interested in learning about the important role of pharmacists as vaccinators and ways to partner with them to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases. This webinar has CEU opportunities, too! Click here to register.
The Northwest Center for Public Health Practice collaborated with communications professor Devon Greyson to explore ways to help public health professionals and clinical providers speak about vaccinations. The webinar seeks to describe the importance of understanding individual and community factors that influence vaccine hesitancy and identify context-appropriate interventions to build trust and confidence among parents and community partners. Click here to view the archived webinar. Note: The webinar is free but you will need to make an account.
The National Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Organization HPV Immunization Project has hosted a series of HPV-related webinars, which are all free upon registration. Recent topics include:
FREE E-COURSES
FREE MATERIALS BY MAIL
2018 Laminated Childhood Immunization Schedules
The Immunization Action Coalition of Washington creates our own durable, convenient format of the recommended childhood schedule, and we distribute them free of charge to providers in Washington.
Please note that these are intended for health- care provider use only. If you are looking for materials for patients, we'd be glad to send
you alternative resources. 
2017 Adult Immunization Schedules

Our pocket-sized, convenient format of the  2017 recommended adult schedule for patients. The only differences on the
2018 schedule are the clarification on the
new shingles vaccine recommendations and division of Meningococcal vaccines into two separate lines (A,C,W,Y and B).
TOOLKITS
UPCOMING EVENTS
YOU ARE THE KEY TO CANCER PREVENTION (CE's available!)
November 14, 2018 | Dinner @ 6:00pm, Programming from 6:30-7:30
Tacoma, WA

IACW QUARTERLY MEETING
January 16, 2019, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Tukwila Community Center

HPV TASK FORCE
January 24, 2019
Vancouver, WA
~details to follow~
NEWS
A study in Pediatrics found that pediatricians have significant knowledge gaps around the adoption of the Meningitis B vaccine recommendations. You can see CDC incidence data on Meningitis B here.
October 24th was World Polio Day. Check out the CDC's infographic to see how far we've come in eradicating polio through vaccination. You can also read more about the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
Washington's CDC Childhood Immunization Champion and Kittitas pediatrician has a new blog post on the importance of tetanus boosters,
A JAMA article investigated whether there's an optimal gestational age for maternal Tdap immunization during pregnancy.
QUESTIONS OR SUGGESTIONS?
Contact us: ic@withinreachwa.org
Making the connections Washington families need to be healthy and safe. Promoting, protecting & supporting immunization as a vital part of the health and development of children and families.
Izzy Brandstetter, MPH and Mackenzie Melton, MPH

Founded in 1994, the Immunization Action Coalition of Washington (IACW), a program of WithinReach, works to improve the health of the community by minimizing the incidence of vaccine preventable diseases through the optimal use of immunizations across the lifespan.