2019 State of the ImmUnion Report

Apr 03, 2019 | Kim Rodgers

Vaccinate Your Family: The Next Generation of Every Child By Two has released their third annual State of the ImmUnion (SOTI) report. The 2019 report examines how strong our defenses truly are against vaccine-preventable diseases and what we can do, as public health advocates and legislators, to make our country stronger and more resilient in the face of disease outbreaks and other emerging health threats.

The SOTI highlights several action items and points for consideration broken down as follows:

  • The initial section titled: “2018 Proved Vaccine-Preventable diseases are Still a Threat to the US” explores the landscape of vaccine-preventable disease in the United States for 2018.
    • “2018 marked a difficult year in our fight against vaccine-preventable diseases. The country experienced a record number of flu deaths, measles cases and hepatitis A cases across the U.S.”
  • Protecting Children is All of Our Responsibility
    • In this section the report takes a deeper dive into the importance of herd immunity, or community immunity, in protecting the health of the public at large. Similarly, the report expands on the burden of disease in the community when populations are under vaccinated. This burden is described in both rates of morbidity and mortality as well as in economical indicators.
    • “It’s far better to vaccinate children to prevent these diseases than to have to treat the illnesses. In fact, vaccines given to children born between 1994-2016 will prevent an estimated 381 million illnesses, 24.5 million hospitalizations, 855,000 deaths, and $1.65 trillion in total societal costs.”
  • Adolescents are at Risk from Serious Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
    • The SOTI describes adolescence as a pivotal time when it comes to immunizations, and that there are sometimes missed vaccination opportunities during this time in life.
    • “There are now five vaccines recommended for adolescents. Unfortunately, since teens have fewer well visits with providers, missed opportunities to vaccinate can cause this population to remain under vaccinated and this at risk of diseases.”
  • Ensuring Access to Affordable Vaccines for Adults
    • Continuing the focus on the importance of immunization across the lifespan, the SOTI also addresses the importance of vaccines for adults. Similarly to adolescents, adults are also missing critical vaccinations.
    • “As the country’s population ages, we can expect that by 2020, one of every four workers will be over the age of 55… Vaccines are a proven means of preventing and reducing the inevitably huge cost of maintaining the health of our aging workforce.”
  • Protecting Pregnant Women Also Extends Protection to their Babies
    • Pregnant women are an additional focal point for vaccinations and expectant mothers are not only protecting themselves, but their child as well when they receive a vaccine.
    • “Almost all vaccines for infants start at two months of age or later, so the only protection for newborns from vaccine-preventable diseases is through vaccination of their mothers, who transfer protective proteins called antibodies to their babies across the placenta.”
  • A Quick Reference Guide to Vaccine Safety and Oversight
    • The SOTI also provides an overview of the aspects of vaccine safety and regulation including a description of safety and efficacy measures.
    • “Vaccines are one of the most thoroughly tested medical products available in the U.S. Before a vaccine can be considered for approval by the FDA, a vaccine manufacturer must show it is safe and effective through clinical trials.”

Vaccinate Your Family, through their State of the ImmUnion publication, addresses the most pressing issues in the realm of immunizations today. NACCHO supports Vaccinate Your Family’s efforts in educating everyone on the importance of immunizations, while working to strengthen the community’s protection against vaccine-preventable diseases.


About Kim Rodgers

Pronouns: She/Her

Kim Rodgers was formerly the Communications Manager at NACCHO.

More posts by Kim Rodgers

Related Posts

Scbclogo 0
  • Opportunity

Win $25,000 in cash prizes. Share your innovative...

The EPA’s Small Communities, Big Challenges Competition encourages local...

Nov 16, 2023 | Anu Varma

Win $25,000 in cash prizes. Share your innovative...

Novavax ir logo

Join Novavax for a Webinar About Their New Covid-19...

Join NACCHO and our Platinum Affiliate Business Partner, Novavax, on November...

Oct 16, 2023

Join Novavax for a Webinar About Their New Covid-19...

CEH Day logo No Date
  • Community Engagement

It’s Children’s Environmental Health Day today!

Celebrate with us!

Oct 12, 2023 | Anu Varma

It’s Children’s Environmental Health Day today!

Central District 1
  • COVID-19
  • Healthcare-Associated Infections
  • ID Featured
  • Infection, Prevention, and Control

BLOC COVID+ Spotlight: Central District Health Department

The Building Local Operational Capacity for COVID-19, Healthcare-Associated...

Sep 11, 2023 | Irene Halferty, Kristen Ross

BLOC COVID+ Spotlight: Central District Health Department

Calhoun
  • COVID-19
  • Healthcare-Associated Infections
  • ID Featured
  • Infection, Prevention, and Control

BLOC COVID+ Spotlight: Calhoun County Health Department

The Building Local Operational Capacity for COVID-19, Healthcare-Associated...

Sep 08, 2023 | Irene Halferty, Kristen Ross

BLOC COVID+ Spotlight: Calhoun County Health Department

SLVC Toolkit graphnic 008

Getting into the Groove: School-Located Vaccination...

NACCHO’s Immunization team has developed the School-Located Vaccination Clinic...

Aug 31, 2023 | Kayla Miller, PHAP

Getting into the Groove: School-Located Vaccination...

PIMA County 1
  • COVID-19
  • Healthcare-Associated Infections
  • ID Featured
  • Infection, Prevention, and Control

BLOC COVID+ Spotlight: Pima County

The Building Local Operational Capacity for COVID-19, Healthcare-Associated...

Aug 14, 2023 | Irene Halferty, Kristen Ross

BLOC COVID+ Spotlight: Pima County

Chw 5
  • Community Engagement
  • Community Resilience
  • Immunization
  • Vaccine Hesitancy

Community health workers meet people where they are to...

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted what we already know to be true: higher-risk...

Aug 10, 2023 | Dominique Baradaran, MSM, Interim Chief of Community Health, Oklahoma City- County Health Department

Community health workers meet people where they are to...

Brownsville
  • COVID-19
  • Healthcare-Associated Infections
  • ID Featured
  • Infection, Prevention, and Control

BLOC COVID+ Spotlight: Brownsville

The Building Local Operational Capacity for COVID-19, Healthcare-Associated...

Aug 07, 2023 | Irene Halferty, Kristen Ross

BLOC COVID+ Spotlight: Brownsville

Back to Top