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With adult immunization, everything old is news again
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Looking at the agenda for the NFID news conference on adult immunizations last month, I could not help but get that déjà-vu feeling. Haven’t we been talking about racial and ethnic disparities in vaccination rates — and health care in general — for years? Haven’t we heard repeatedly that poor communication between physicians and patients is one factor explaining low vaccination rates? Don’t we all know that gaps in vaccinations can lead to disease outbreaks?
Yes, this is old news, but it bears repeating. Our persistence in getting out the message has yielded progress. We have increased consumer awareness about vaccines and improved immunization rates. Data from recent CDC and NFID surveys that were presented at the news conference demonstrated this. Yet, the progress is slow.
The need to continue talking about immunizations could not be greater than it is right now. The country is seeing a surge in pertussis cases — a disease we thought was heading for the history books. California has been particularly hard hit and has now seen its highest number of annual cases in more than 60 years. Ten infants younger than 3 months have died of the disease in California this year. It’s urgent that everyone — not just every Californian — who should get the pertussis vaccine or booster receives it without delay.
Other topics at the news conference dealt with old lethal and debilitating diseases that we have the potential to put on the path to yesterday’s news. We have vaccines to protect against the cancer-causing viruses HPV and hepatitis B, and we have the real possibility of winning more battles in the war against cancer. With an effective vaccine available, older Americans should not be suffering the incapacitating pain of shingles. Annual influenza vaccination and, when appropriate, pneumococcal vaccination, help adults stay out of the sickbed and deathbed.
I’ll reflect more on each topic covered at the NFID news conference in upcoming blogs. In the meantime, let’s rewrite history by offering recommended vaccinations at every patient visit.