Lab Matters Summer 2021 | Page 25

PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE

By Monife Stout , MA , territorial director , Immunization Program , US Virgin Islands Department of Health ; Tyler Wolford , MS , manager , Emergency Preparedness and Response ; and Jill Sutton , specialist , Crisis Response

In the United States , annual vaccines for children and adults may sound like a regular practice . However , limited access to healthcare or a lack of understanding of the importance of vaccine preventable diseases causes vaccination rates to be low . In the US and the rest of the world , a continual effort to raise vaccination awareness is key to keeping the population healthy .

Following hurricanes Harvey , Irma and Maria in 2017 , APHL received a $ 16.7 million cooperative agreement by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) Center for State , Tribal , Local and Territorial Support ( CSTLTS ) to provide technical assistance for public health response and recovery efforts within three jurisdictions — Houston , TX , Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands ( USVI ). A priority activity in USVI was to assist the jurisdiction in developing and procuring resources to improve vaccination awareness in the community .

In USVI , a campaign is currently underway to increase vaccine awareness and educate the public on the importance of immunizations . The campaign highlights how annual vaccines not only benefit individuals , but also have significant impacts on population health . Community outreach in USVI is focused on all recommended annual vaccinations for both children and adults , including , but not limited to , measles , mumps , rubella , influenza and , more recently , COVID-19 . The ultimate goal is to encourage the public to include annual vaccinations as a part of their healthcare plan .

Community outreach is critical considering the impact of natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic on annual vaccination rates including economic shutdowns , school closures and travel restrictions . Since the pandemic began , most people were hesitant to visit healthcare facilities or private doctors ’ offices . In 2020 , the USVI Immunization Program conducted surveys and convened focus groups with healthcare providers in an effort to determine optimal mitigation efforts to the growing problem . One result of the survey and focus groups indicated that a higher percentage of persons over 40 were less likely to maintain annual vaccinations . In USVI , unvaccinated children are allowed to attend school with an exemption . Receiving an exemption is a lengthy process and the USVI Immunization Program uses this time to educate parents on the importance of vaccines .

National Immunization Awareness Month ( NIAM ) is held annually in August to educate the public about the importance of vaccines for people of all ages and encourage the public to stay up to date on all recommended vaccines . Please visit CDC ’ s NIAM site for more information .

Together , APHL and the USVI Immunization Program are improving vaccine awareness and education for the public by :

• Sharing immunization fact sheets at schools , healthcare facilities and community events .

• Running advertisements in local newspapers and radio stations .

• Distributing incentives , such as hand sanitizers and tote bags with the USVI Department of Health logo , to encourage annual influenza vaccines in children and adults .

By improving education and accessibility to vaccines , together we can eliminate the spread of preventable disease . n

In collaboration with the USVI Immunization Program , APHL developed newspaper ads for vaccine awareness .

Flyers promoting vaccine awareness were developed and distributed locally in the US Virgin Islands .