PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

In pandemic, parents who get reminders more likely to get kids vaccinated

U-M researchers find state's immunization registry can be used to spur parents of children with chronic illness to get vaccinated during pandemic

2013-11-19
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Mary Masson
mfmasson@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
In pandemic, parents who get reminders more likely to get kids vaccinated U-M researchers find state's immunization registry can be used to spur parents of children with chronic illness to get vaccinated during pandemic Ann Arbor, Mich. — A new University of Michigan study found that the state immunization registry – the public health database that tracks vaccinations– can be an effective tool to encourage influenza vaccinations during a pandemic.

U-M researchers collaborated with the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) to evaluate a statewide influenza vaccination reminder campaign conducted using the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR) during the H1N1 pandemic during 2009-10. The study results were published Nov. 14 in the American Journal of Public Health.

Reminder letters were mailed to parents of children with chronic health conditions such as asthma or diabetes, who had not yet received the vaccine that was recommended during the 2009-10 H1N1 pandemic. The letter explained that children with chronic conditions were at increased risk for complications from H1N1 influenza and that parents should contact the child's health care provider or local health department to make an appointment for vaccination.

Vaccination rates were higher for children whose parents were sent a reminder letter compared to children without chronic conditions who were not sent reminders.

Early in the 2009-10 pandemic, reports from the CDC indicated that pediatric influenza deaths were more common among children with one or more chronic condition, heightening the importance of influenza vaccination among this priority group.

"Immunization registries like MCIR are important public health tools. This study shows the value of using immunization registries to prompt parents of children with a chronic condition to get that child vaccinated," says Kevin Dombkowski, Research Associate Professor with the University of Michigan's Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit.

"This is an important illustration of public health preparedness," says Dombkowski, who was the lead author of the study.

Dombkowski says that the Michigan Department of Community Health has invested significant amounts of time and resources to establish and maintain MCIR, which is one of the best immunization registries in the country.

"MDCH officials recognized the importance of being able to identify these high-risk kids in the event of a severe influenza season, so as a consequence, MCIR was ready when the H1N1 pandemic hit in 2009," he says. "All kids 6 months and older should receive flu vaccine each season, but those with chronic conditions are considered priority cases during pandemics or times of vaccine shortages."

In 2005, MDCH began using administrative claims from the state's Medicaid program to identify children with chronic health conditions. This unique approach makes Michigan a national leader in this type of proactive approach to protecting children at high risk for influenza-related complications, Dombkowski says. "It's a model that most other states could follow."

INFORMATION:

Journal reference: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301662

Additional authors: Anne E. Cowan, Shiming Dong, and Sarah J. Clark, all of the University of Michigan. Rachel C. Potter of the Michigan Department of Community Health, Lansing. Maureen Kolasa of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.

Funding: This work was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through a cooperative agreement with the Association of Prevention Teaching and Research.

About the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital: Since 1903, the University of Michigan has led the way in providing comprehensive, specialized health care for children. From leading-edge heart surgery that's performed in the womb to complete emergency care that's there when you need it, families from all over come to the U-M C.S. Mott Children's Hospital for our pediatric expertise.

For more information, go to http://www.mottchildren.org

For more information on the University of Michigan's Child Health Evaluation and Research, go to http://www.chear.org

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Are prisoners with military mettle more likely to toe the line or cross it?

2013-11-19
Are prisoners with military mettle more likely to toe the line or cross it? University of Cincinnati research examines whether prison inmates with military backgrounds are more likely to misbehave The military lifestyle can be one of extremes: the orderliness ...

New program offers blueprint and 'Golden Rules' for increasing sustainable electricity in developing country governments

2013-11-19
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 19-Nov-2013 [ | E-mail ] var addthis_pub="eurekalert"; var addthis_options = "favorites, delicious, digg, facebook, twitter, google, newsvine, reddit, slashdot, stumbleupon, buzz, more" Share Contact: Terry Collins tc@tca.tc 416-538-8712 Adriana Paez paez.adriana@hydro.qc.ca 514-392-5642 Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership New program offers blueprint and 'Golden Rules' for increasing sustainable electricity in developing country governments Global outreach effort by electricity giants fosters bottom-up approach to ...

Study finds altered brain connections in epilepsy patients

2013-11-19
Study finds altered brain connections in epilepsy patients OAK BROOK, Ill. – Patients with the most common form of focal epilepsy have widespread, abnormal connections in their brains that could provide clues toward diagnosis and treatment, according ...

Age affects short-term quality of life after breast biopsy

2013-11-19
Age affects short-term quality of life after breast biopsy OAK BROOK, Ill. – Breast biopsies can adversely affect short-term quality-of-life, and the effects are more pronounced in younger patients, according to a new study published online in the journal ...

New method to diagnose sepsis is faster, cheaper

2013-11-19
New method to diagnose sepsis is faster, cheaper WASHINGTON, DC – November 15, 2013 – A new method could cut hours off the time it takes to diagnose blood infections while also eliminating the need for complicated manual processing and expensive equipment, according ...

Liberals aren't like the rest, or so they think

2013-11-19
Liberals aren't like the rest, or so they think Liberals tend to underestimate the amount of actual agreement among those who share their ideology, while conservatives tend to overestimate intra-group agreement, according to new research ...

Could basic fertility information be key to reversing late-parenthood trend?

2013-11-19
Could basic fertility information be key to reversing late-parenthood trend? Study finds college students plan to have kids earlier after reading brief pamphlet Increasingly, young people around the world are planning to have children later in life, despite the fact ...

Salk scientists for the first time generate 'mini-kidney' structures from human stem cells

2013-11-18
Salk scientists for the first time generate 'mini-kidney' structures from human stem cells Findings may lead to much-needed therapies for kidney disease LA JOLLA, CA— Diseases affecting the kidneys represent a major and unsolved health issue worldwide. The kidneys rarely recover ...

Scientists fingerprint single cancer cells to map cancer's family tree

2013-11-18
Scientists fingerprint single cancer cells to map cancer's family tree A new method to take the DNA fingerprint of individual cancer cells is uncovering the true extent of cancer's genetic diversity, new research reveals A new method to take the DNA fingerprint ...

Evidence found for granite on Mars

2013-11-18
Evidence found for granite on Mars Researchers now have stronger evidence of granite on Mars and a new theory for how the granite – an igneous rock common on Earth -- could have formed there, according to a new study. The findings suggest a much ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Spinning fusion fuel for efficiency

The American Pediatric Society names Dr. Beth Tarini as the recipient of the 2025 Norman J. Siegel New Member Outstanding Science Award

New Clinical Study Confirms the Anti-Obesity Effects of Kimchi

Highly selective pathway for propyne semihydrogenation achieved via CoSb intermetallic catalyst

GERD linked to cardiovascular risk factors: New insights from Mendelian randomization study

Content moderators are influenced by online misinformation

Adulting, nerdiness and the importance of single-panel comics

Study helps explain how children learned for 99% of human history

The impact of misinformation on Spanish-language social media platforms

Populations overheat as major cities fail canopy goals: new research

By exerting “crowd control” over mouse cells, scientists make progress towards engineering tissues

First American Gastroenterological Association living guideline for moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis

Labeling cell particles with barcodes

Groundwater pumping drives rapid sinking in California

Neuroscientists discover how the brain slows anxious breathing

New ion speed record holds potential for faster battery charging, biosensing

Haut.AI explores the potential of AI-enhanced fluorescence photography for non-invasive skin diagnostics

7-year study reveals plastic fragments from all over the globe are rising rapidly in the North Pacific Garbage Patch 

New theory reveals the shape of a single photon 

We could soon use AI to detect brain tumors

TAMEST recognizes Lyda Hill and Lyda Hill Philanthropies with Kay Bailey Hutchison Distinguished Service Award

Establishment of an immortalized red river hog blood-derived macrophage cell line

Neural networks: You might not need to buy every ticket to win the lottery

Healthy New Town: Revitalizing neighborhoods in the wake of aging populations

High exposure to everyday chemicals linked to asthma risk in children

How can brands address growing consumer scepticism?

New paradigm of quantum information technology revealed through light-matter interaction!

MSU researchers find trees acclimate to changing temperatures

World's first visual grading system developed to combat microplastic fashion pollution

Teenage truancy rates rise in English-speaking countries

[Press-News.org] In pandemic, parents who get reminders more likely to get kids vaccinated
U-M researchers find state's immunization registry can be used to spur parents of children with chronic illness to get vaccinated during pandemic