DHHS Recognizes National Infant Immunization Week
This year National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW), sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is April 21–28. Its purpose is to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases, many of which can be fatal.
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Immunization Program wants to remind people to protect our most vulnerable citizens, infants and young children, by making sure they are fully immunized against 14 vaccine-preventable diseases.
NIIW has been an annual event since 1994 with the goal of serving as a call to action for parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers. Because of the success of vaccines in preventing disease in the United States, parents are often unaware that their children are at risk for so many serious and life-threatening diseases. In the early 20th century, many children contracted diphtheria and some even died from this infection, but today few physicians graduating from medical school will ever see a case.
“New Hampshire continues to be one of the healthiest states in the nation because our parents know the importance of vaccinations,” said Dr. José Montero, Director of Public Health at DHHS. “In New Hampshire, the pediatricians, family physicians, and other medical providers have been instrumental partners in protecting children who in years past would have been stricken by a number of deadly diseases. Infants are particularly vulnerable to communicable diseases, which is why it is important to protect all children by mmunizing them on time. It is also important to remind healthcare providers, parents, siblings, and grandparents and caregivers
to protect our smallest residents by getting themselves vaccinated against whooping cough and influenza.”
Vaccines for children from birth through age 18 are funded by the Vaccines for Children Program (a federal program) and the New Hampshire Vaccine Association (a New Hampshire insurance fund) and distributed through the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services’ Immunization Program. For more information, contact the Immunization Program at 603-271-4482, visit the website at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw/index.html, or visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/vaccines.
Department of Health and Human Services Recognizes World TB Day
Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Public Health Services recognizes World Tuberculosis Day, sponsored by the Stop TB Partnership, which aims to eliminate tuberculosis worldwide. World TB Day is held on March 24th, commemorating the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB. The goal of World TB Day is to raise awareness of the disease and work toward elimination of TB disease and infection.
There were 10 cases of tuberculosis (TB) identified in New Hampshire in 2010. In the United States there were 11,182 reported cases in the same year, a rate of 3.6 cases per 100,000, which is a decrease from 2009. The
2009 rate showed the greatest single-year decrease ever recorded and 2010 was the lowest recorded rate since national TB surveillance began in 1953.
TB case counts and rates decreased both among foreign-born and U.S.-born persons. However, despite this great news, cases of this treatable disease continue to be seen in the United States so there is concern that there is not enough progress being made toward elimination.
“Although tuberculosis is an ancient disease and is treatable unfortunately it is still with us,” said Dr. José Montero, Director of Public Health at DHHS. “TB is a worldwide problem that also affects people in the United States. It is estimated that about one third of the world’s population is infected with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium. The very success of declining case numbers in the U.S. makes us vulnerable to complacency and neglect, but there is more we can do to help stop the spread of this disease and one of the most important steps is education.”
Tuberculosis disease can attack any part of the body, not just the lungs. TB is most often spread when an infected person coughs and the bacteria become airborne. Symptoms of TB can vary from person to person but the most common ones include a bad cough that lasts longer than 3 weeks and coughing up blood or phlegm. People may also experience weakness or fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, chills, fever, and/or night sweats.
For more information about TB, visit www.cdc.gov/tb, the NH Department of Health and Human Services website at www.dhhs.nh.gov, the Stop TB Partnership at www.stoptb.org, or Breathe New Hampshire at www.breathenh.org. For questions about tuberculosis and reporting requirements, call the DHHS Bureau of Infectious Disease Control at 603-271-4496.
Poison Centers: Saving Lives 24/7
- Saving lives 24/7 – poison centers provide free, confidential medical advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year.
- Do you have questions? Not sure if it’s an emergency? When in doubt, check it out. Call your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222.
- Poison centers save lives and save money.
- Every $1 spent on poison centers saves about $7 in unnecessary healthcare costs.
- More than 70% of people who call a poison center get needed help without having to go to a doctor or emergency room.
- In 2010, 1.7 million people who called a poison center were treated at home and didn’t have to go to the doctor or hospital.
- Poison centers are for everyone. Even doctors and nurses call the experts at poison centers for treatment advice for their patients.
- U.S. poison centers answer more than 4 million calls each year. That’s one call every eight seconds!
- The Poison Help line (800-222-1222) connects you to your local poison center. Program the Poison Help line in your phone.
- Poison centers are in jeopardy after suffering a federal funding cut of 36 percent in 2011 and additional cuts at the state and local levels. Further cuts will make it difficult for poison centers to continue to provide life-saving services.