For Polio Survivor Lois Tilley, COVID-19 Brings Memories of Polio Outbreaks

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The COVID-19 virus has quickly spread across the globe, causing half a million cases and nearly 40,000 deaths. In the U.S., we’ve seen over 160,000 reported cases as of March 30, and the actual number is likely much higher. Disease is spreading rapidly, and health systems are struggling to keep pace. Across the country, non-essential businesses are being required to shut their doors, schools are closing—some for the remainder of the school year—, and state governors are issuing Stay-At-Home orders requiring that people not leave their homes unless absolutely necessary.

We are living in a new and uncertain reality. But to many, the fear and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 is familiar. This is not the first time our society has experienced a pandemic like COVID-19; it is not the first time that people have been afraid to leave their homes, or that healthcare workers have struggled to keep pace with the number of cases.

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Immunology 101 Series: The Process of Making Safe and Effective Vaccines

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By Aimee Pugh-Bernard, PhD

This post was originally published on April 4, 2013 and updated on March 17, 2020.

In the third installment of the Immunology 101 Series, Aimee explains the process of vaccine development. Vaccines undergo rigorous testing and must be proven extremely safe and effective before they are available for use in the general public.

As you may know from reading the first Immunology 101 Series post, vaccines train our immune systems to recognize and respond quickly to infection to keep us healthy. Reading the second Immunology 101 Series post, you learned that there are several different forms of vaccines, each created to produce the most effective vaccine possible based on the unique properties of each type of pathogen. In this post you will learn about the process of vaccine development. The process is lengthy and rigorous, just as it should be to prove that the end product is safe and effective! [Read more…]

A Tale of Two Registries: Unpacking How Strong Immunization Information Systems in New York Helped End the Measles Outbreak

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The Benefits of Immunization Information Systems to Public Health Efforts 

Immunization Information Systems (IIS) are confidential electronic records of vaccine information which provide a powerful public health tool for patient care, especially during an outbreak.  The benefits of IIS occur on an individual and societal level and include but are not limited to: data usage and collection, timely and accurate patient care, and efficient resource allocation. Access to immunization records allows providers, patients, and some partner organizations, such as schools, to access data in order to inform or notify parties of missing or needed immunizations. 

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Standing Up to Cancer During Cervical Cancer Awareness Month (And Beyond)

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Guest Post by Laurie Cardin

Laurie Cardin was 48 years old when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2013. Six years later, Laurie is cancer-free. She still lives with the trauma—both mental and physical—of her battle with cervical cancer. But with the support and encouragement of family, friends and support groups, Laurie has chosen to embrace life and support other women and families who are affected by cervical cancer. Laurie also advocates for the HPV vaccine and its incredible power to prevent the cancer that changed her life. In honor of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, Laurie shared her story with Immunize Colorado.

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Home for the Holidays? 5 Ways to Protect Your Family from Vaccine-Preventable Diseases During the Holiday Season

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With an increasing number of people traveling the globe, our world keeps getting smaller and smaller. This is especially true during the holiday season, when an expected seven million Americans will take to the air in the last weeks of the year to celebrate with family and friends. While this makes spending time with far-flung family members much easier, it also increases opportunities for dangerous pathogens to more easily circulate and spread across greater geographic distances.

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The Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition is Changing!

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CCIC is thrilled to announce our new name, coming January 2020!

After nearly 30 years focused on protecting Colorado’s children from the dangers of vaccine-preventable diseases, the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition (CCIC) is changing our name and expanding our mission to strengthen and solidify our commitment to protecting Coloradans of all ages, not just children and adolescents, from vaccine-preventable diseases!
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Start the School Year Off Right With Vaccines!

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Summer has flown by, and it is nearly time for kids to say goodbye to summer break and hello to the new school year. As you soak up the last few moments of summer with your kids and work to complete those last-minute back-to-school checklist items—like buying school supplies, creating a family calendar or turning in registration forms—don’t forget to check immunizations off your list!

back-to-school

Ensuring your child receives school-required and other recommended vaccines will help to bolster their immune system, keep them (and the community) healthy, and set them up for success as they enter the new school year.

With so much to do before the summer ends, this time of year can feel chaotic. Luckily, there are many resources that make it easy to check vaccines off your list and create a smooth transition back to school for your family.

Why are vaccines important for kids in school and child care?

Vaccines are your child’s best defense against harmful, potentially deadly diseases. Diseases, like measles and whooping cough, can spread very easily in school settings. To protect other students and school staff, especially those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, every child who can be vaccinated should be. This is called community immunity, and when enough people are vaccinated, it provides a shield against contagious disease.

Out of all the states in the U.S., Colorado currently has the lowest kindergarten immunization rate for the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine at 87.4%. This rate is much lower than the 95% level necessary for community protection. This leaves our communities vulnerable to an outbreak. With well over 1,000 measles cases reported across 30 states in 2019, it’s not unlikely that an outbreak could make its way to Colorado.

To learn more about vaccines and how they work to protect communities from vaccine-preventable disease, visit SpreadTheVaxFacts.com.

Which vaccines are needed for school entry?

To see which vaccines your child might need depending on their age, head to the state health department’s webpage on school-required vaccines. To learn more about other recommended vaccines like the flu shot and the HPV vaccine, visit the CDC’s vaccine website for parents. In Colorado, you can visit COVaxRecords.org to request your child’s vaccination records and see which vaccines your child might be missing. You should also consult your child’s healthcare provider to determine which vaccines your child needs.

Where can I get vaccines for my child? 

If your child has a family physician they see regularly, this physician can provide vaccines for your child, as well as other important health and developmental screenings and tests. In addition, local public health departments often offer weekend vaccination clinics. In the Denver-Metro area, the Shots for Tots and Teens program offers low-cost vaccines for both insured and underinsured children and adults at their Saturday immunization clinics hosted at Aurora Fire Station #2 in Aurora. You can visit COVax4Kids.org to determine if your child is eligible for low- or no-cost vaccines and to locate providers who offer them.

The state health department also provides a full list of locations that offer vaccines.

How can I see the immunization rates at my child’s school?

Parents and the public can view vaccination and exemption data for their child’s school or child care facility at COVaxRates.org to see how protected it is from outbreaks of preventable disease.

You can also view your school district’s immunization and exemption coverage and an overview of statewide Colorado vaccine and vaccine-preventable disease information using fact sheets and dashboards created by the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition, which are available at COSchoolIZ.org.

Other helpful immunization resources for parents and families:

  • ImmunizeForGood.com and VaccunalosPorSuBien.com – CCIC’s English- and Spanish-language websites for parents that include information on vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases, outline the importance of vaccination, and provide answers to parents’ commonly asked questions
  • CDC’s Childhood Vaccine Assessment Tool – Allows parents to answer quick questions to learn which vaccines their child may need
  • CDC’s Immunization Tracker – Helps parents record their child’s immunizations, developmental milestones, and growth at each well-child visit
  • CDC’s How Vaccines Work video series – Series of animated videos that help explain how germs can make babies sick, how vaccines can help babies fight germs and infection, and what to expect when your child is vaccinated

On behalf of the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition, we wish your family a healthy and happy 2019-2020 school year!

How Does the Colorado Immunization Information System (CIIS) Benefit Colorado’s Public Health Efforts?

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An Interview with Heather Roth, Deputy Immunization Branch Chief at the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment

Immunization information systems (IIS), also CIISreferred to as immunization registries, are confidential, population-based, computerized databases that collect vaccination data within a geographic area. They are a confidential, secure, and centralized way for authorized users (i.e. healthcare providers, public health officials, schools) to enter immunization data, access immunization records for patients, identify missed immunizations, monitor gaps in immunization coverage important for outbreak response and targeting interventions, and to ultimately improve vaccination rates.

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Clinicians: As Measles Outbreaks Grow, Here’s How You Can Help Protect Your Patients

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Measles outbreaks are popping up across the United States. From January 1 to March 7, 2019, 228** individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 12 states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. Six outbreaks (defined as 3 or more linked cases) have been reported, in Rockland County, New York; New York City, New York; Washington; Texas; California and Illinois.

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