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Washington
State Department of Health |
New
Requirements For Varicella
Use Best
Practices
A
new law passed in Washington State changes varicella
(chickenpox) vaccine requirements as of July 1, 2008.
This will impact children as they enter the upcoming
school year. Employ best practices and remind your
patients about vaccines that are required for the
upcoming school year! Parents of young children rely on
you to communicate these changes. Children who receive
all of the vaccines recommended for their age will meet
school vaccination requirements. Be sure to follow the
current Recommended Childhood Immunization Schedule when
giving immunizations.
The
following must be reflected on the Certificate of
Immunization Status (CIS) form.
Children
entering child care or preschool after July 1, 2008
For all
children 16 months of age up to Kindergarten entry who
are attending child care or preschool:
-
Date of
one dose of varicella vaccine; or
-
Proof of
provider diagnosis (CHILD Profile-generated CIS form
or a signed note) or verification of a history of
varicella disease or herpes zoster; or
-
Date of
blood test (titer) showing serologic proof of
immunity to varicella or herpes zoster; or
-
Exemption from immunity based on medical, religious,
or personal reasons.
Children
entering Kindergarten after July 1, 2008
For all
children entering Kindergarten:
-
Dates of
two doses of varicella vaccine, received on or after
the child’s first birthday and at least 28 days
apart; or
-
Proof of
provider diagnosis (CHILD Profile-generated CIS form
or a signed note) or verification of a history of
varicella disease or herpes zoster; or
-
Date of
blood test (titer) showing serologic proof of
immunity to varicella or herpes zoster; or
-
Exemption from immunity based on medical, religious,
or personal reasons.
Children
in Elementary School after July 1, 2008
Children
entering 1st, 2nd, and 6th grade:
-
Date of
one dose of varicella vaccine; or
-
Parent
reported OR health care provider-documented history
of varicella vaccine; or
-
Positive
blood test (titer) for history of varicella disease;
or
-
Exemption from immunity based on medical, religious,
or personal reasons.
Requirements For Reporting History Of Disease Are
Changing
It is easy
for parents and even health care providers to
misdiagnose chickenpox as a rash or skin irritation. If
children are misdiagnosed, they are more vulnerable to
getting and spreading the disease in times of outbreak.
For this reason, ACIP recommends not accepting a
parent’s report as proof of disease. In Washington,
therefore, parent reported history of varicella disease
is being phased out, beginning at the child care and
kindergarten levels.
Inform
Your Patients
-
Remind
your patients that they must update their child’s
CIS form after July 1, 2008.
-
Let your
patients know that you can help them complete the
necessary paperwork by printing a child’s
Certificate of Immunization Status form directly
from the CHILD Profile Immunization Registry. (To
set up a free account with CHILD Profile, visit
http://www.childprofile.org for an account
application and data sharing agreement.)
-
Encourage your patients to get varicella vaccine for
their children.
-
Remind your patients
about chickenpox facts:
-
It is one of the most
common childhood illnesses
-
It
spreads easily and can have serious complications
especially for infants, adolescents, and adults
-
In
severe cases, it can lead to serious skin
infections, pneumonia, and meningitis
-
By
immunizing your child against varicella, you also
protect others in your family and community who:
-
have
weak immune systems,
-
cannot get shots because of a medical condition
or because they are too young or too old, and
-
are
not fully immunized.
Resources
For the
Recommended Immunization Schedules, visit:
www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules
For more
information on vaccine requirements, visit:
www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/Immunize/schools/vaccine.htm or
call the Immunization Program CHILD Profile at
360-236-3595 or 1-866-397-0337.
For the
Washington State varicella implementation plan, visit:
www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/immunize/schools/.htm
For
varicella disease information, see the “For Health
Professionals” section at:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/varicella/default.htm
To order
varicella and other immunization education materials for
your office, visit:
https://fortress.wa.gov/prt/printwa/wsprt/default.asp
Ordering
instructions can be found at:
http://www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/Immunize/documents/orderingmaterials.pdf
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Eastern
Washington Diabetes Network is open to anyone. For more
information about the EWDN, the O.C. Olson Diabetes
Center, or to sign up for the EWDN listserve, contact
Jennifer Polello at 509-232-8149 or
PolellJ@inhs.org
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Pooling
Resources To Prevent Diabetes
Eastern
Washington is primed to fight the growing diabetes
epidemic.
With a Washington State
Department of Health grant of almost $10,000 to continue
their work, the Eastern Washington Diabetes Network (EWDN)
has three laudable goals; to increase awareness of
diabetes prevention strategies, strengthen the internal
network of health care providers, researchers, and
educators, and increase diabetes awareness and
prevention education among health care providers and
patients.
“We are excited about the
grant,” says Jennifer Polello, the current leader of the
EWDN and Health Education Manager for the Inland
Northwest Health Services O.C. Olson Diabetes Education
Center. “We are hoping that we can make a bigger impact.
We want to get to be the one stop shopping for diabetes
awareness and prevention in our communities.”
The growing EWDN, which is
like a diabetes resource clearinghouse, is currently
comprised of more than 90 individuals from a variety of
local and regional organizations who have teamed up to
pool their resources, enabling professionals on all
fronts to get patients across the region the best
diabetes care and education.
This is especially important
in the rural communities, says Polello, because research
shows a higher than average prevalence of diabetes in
many rural areas, yet this is where resources are
stretched the thinnest.
“Our rural partners are
getting hit harder by this,” she says. “EDWN started off
as a Spokane-based network and we quickly realized that
we had a problem in our rural communities. Now they know
what resources are available. People know where to refer
patients. They don’t have to be the expert in diabetes
to take care of their patients. We have this network to
assist.”
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