Vaccinations Update

Stan, Clarenc, & Barry revisit vaccinations with Nurse Practioner, Shirlynn LaChapelle

Shirlynn LaChapelle, President of Nursing is the Answer and a nurse consultant at Shirlynn LaChapelle & Associates, brings decades of expertise as a former surgical ICU nurse, nurse practitioner, and past president of the Minnesota Black Nurses’ Association. A member of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Drug Pricing Task Force, she joins Health Chatter to share her insights on the critical role of vaccinations in promoting public health.

Join the conversation at healthchatterpodcast.com

Brought to you in support of Hue-MAN, who is Creating Healthy Communities through Innovative Partnerships.

More about their work can be found at http://huemanpartnership.org/

Research

Immunization is key to primary health care, an indisputable human right, and one of the best health investments money can buy.

Vaccines are also critical to the prevention and control of infectious disease outbreaks. They underpin global health security and are a vital tool in the battle against antimicrobial resistance.

Covid-19 Update

CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older should get the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine. This includes people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine before and people who have had COVID-19.

As of October 22, 2024, we estimate that COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 7 states, declining or likely declining in 23 states, and not changing in 18 states.

As of October 24, 2024, here are some vaccination trends for respiratory illnesses:

COVID-19: 4.8% of children and 13.5% of adults have received the updated 2024–25
COVID-19 vaccine. Among adults 65 and older, 30.4% have received the vaccine.
Influenza: 25.2% of children and 24.8% of adults have received the influenza vaccine.
Among adults 65 and older, 42.5% have received the vaccine.
RSV: 37.6% of adults 75 and older have received an RSV vaccine.

Outbreaks

As several measles outbreaks in the U.S. in recent years so vividly show us, vaccine-preventable diseases can be a threat to our health

As of October 24, 2024, a total of 271 measles cases were reported by 32 jurisdictions
U.S. Hospitalizations in 2024 40%

40% of cases hospitalized (108 of 271) for isolation or for management of measles complications.

There have been 15 outbreaks (defined as 3 or more related cases) reported in 2024, and 71% of cases (193 of 271) are outbreak-associated.

For comparison, 4 outbreaks were reported during 2023 and 49% of cases (29 of 59) were outbreak-associated.

Minnesota Measles Outbreak

There is currently a measles outbreak in Minnesota. The outbreak began in May 2024. It is primarily affecting unvaccinated children in the Twin Cities metro area.

In 2024, there have been 51 confirmed measles cases in Minnesota. Of those, 50 were unvaccinated children.
The majority of the cases have been reported in Hennepin County.
The MDH's new guidance allows children to get the MMR vaccine as soon as a month after their first dose.
The biggest issue doctors are facing with the measles outbreak is fear of immunization.

Resources

https://www.who.int/health-topics/vaccines-and-immunization#tab=tab_1

https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/vaccines

https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html

https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/measles/update.html#hosp

https://www.fox9.com/news/measles-outbreak-grows-mn-doctors-urge-parents-get-kids-vaccinated

https://www.cdc.gov/covid/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html

https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data/vaccination-trends.html