The CDC has pocket-sized 2011

immunization schedules

available to print:

CDC Vaccine Schedule  

Pertussis Vaccine Guidelines Expand

Nationally the increase in whooping cough (Pertussis) cases is prompting health officials to urge people to get vaccinated.  Preliminary data for 2010 indicates cases reported in Texas have risen above 2,000, and in Kansas and Oklahoma cases are the highest reported since the 1980s.

The highest incidence of complications and mortality due to B. pertussis occurs in infants.  Symptoms of pertussis include prolonged cough, paroxysmal, posttussive vomiting, and an inspiratory whoop.  However, these classic symptoms may not be seen in infants; infants almost always have apnea and cyanosis.  A recent study showed that at least 25% of caregivers of infants diagnosed with B. pertussis reported having a cough illness. 

As always, public health authorities stress vaccination as a best way to protect against the disease.  To help slow the spread of pertussis across the country, a federal vaccine advisory committee has broadened recommendations for theTdap immunization to ensure that  Americans have sufficient immunity against the disease. 

With the burden of cases taking its heaviest toll among infants, health authorities are trying to boost immunization in a population thought to pass along the disease-adults.  In October 2010, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) updated the tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Td/Tdap) vaccination recommendation for adults.  ACIP recommends that all adolescents and adults aged 11 to 64 years old need one dose of Tdap vaccine as soon as feasible if they have not yet received it.  One dose should be administered to patients in this age group if their vaccine history is unknown.  Health-care workers should get one Tdap vaccination as soon as possible but at least two years since the last tetanus shot (Td). 

Most important is that the Td/Tdap recommended vaccination now includes language for persons 65 years and older who have close contact with an infant aged less than 12 months should get vaccinated with Tdap; and notes that all persons aged 65 years and older may get vaccinated with Tdap.  Grandparents pass the disease to an infant in 6% to 8% of cases.  Siblings are the source of pertussis in 16% to 20% of incidents.  

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

Strategic Prevention Framework State

Incentive Grant

Health Disparities Grant    

The Health Disparities (HD) grant is provided by the Office of Minority Health and is currently in its fourth year of funding; the HD grant has four main objectives: 1) Increase the quality and availability of research, evaluation, and surveillance data including those in electronic formats, 2) create career pathways in public health practices and prevention oriented research for tribal members, 3) provide training to leadership at all levels in the areas of cultural competency and issues specific to AI/AN health disparities, and 4) to disseminate the information/results obtained in the projects. The funding of this grant has allowed the Epi Center to begin working on and complete several projects to benefit AI/AN in the Oklahoma City service area.We have completed a cancer data enhancement project between IHS and the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) with the purpose of identifying misclassification rates of cancer reporting. A similar project is also in progress for communicable disease, in which we are working with different IHS, Tribal, and Urban health facilities as well as the OSDH. The OCAITHB has developed a cultural competency curriculum, which is currently under revision and being finalized. Once revised, the OCAITHB will begin implementation of the curriculum in a number of locations across our service area in order to increase the knowledge and understanding of the diverse cultures within the AI/AN communities. These cultural competency trainings will be targeted mainly to health care providers. Lastly the OCAITHB has accepted two paid interns who are currently working on receiving their Master of Public Health degrees. Each of these interns has shown interest in a career working for the betterment of AI/ANs. Contact Cuyler Snider for more information on the HD grant at: Cuyler.Snider@ihs.gov

The Dental Support Center

The Oklahoma City Area Inter-Tribal Health Board's Dental Support Center (DSC) is an established, model support center which provides technical assistance and support to the Indian Health Service, Tribal and Urban dental facilities within the Oklahoma City Area (OCA).The goal of the DSC is to enhance the capacity of OCA dental infrastructure through technical assistance, resources, recruitment and continuing education activities. This includes health promotion and disease prevention initiatives, Head Start and tribal day care programs, and the coordination of research projects and studies relating to the diagnosis, treatment, control and prevention of oral diseases within tribal programs.  The four main objectives for the DSC are developing the capacity to build and sustain administrative expertise and infrastructure, supporting the delivery of dental care, fostering collaboration and innovation, and providing accessible quality dental care. 

 

The DSC is working to establish partnerships with tribes, local governments, and non-profit, private organizatoins and governmental organizations to collaborate efforts to help remedy deficiencies in recruiting, providing training, supporting providers, and promoting the public health model throughout the OCA.  In essence, the DSC supports not only OCA dental facility staff, but public health and other health-related programs as well, through educational and cooperative means. Contact Melissa Reese at Melissa.Reese@ihs.gov  for more information regarding the Dental Support Center.

Tribal Epi Center Consortium

    Sleep Safe Project

The TEC's Safe Sleep program promotes injury prevention and the new project regarding tribal infant sleep practices for AI/AN infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all newborns be placed on their backs for sleeping. In addition to the back to sleep recommendation, the AAP has  also given several other recommendations to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and prevent other sleep related deaths, such as accidental suffocation or strangulation in bed. One of those suggestions is to eliminate the use of loose blankets. "Loose bedding, such as blankets and sheets, may be hazardous."In order to increase consistency of the safe sleep message, the TEC is working with tribal medical centers to train staff in safe sleep practices and to increase the use of "wearable blankets" or "sleep sacks" instead of receiving blankets. The sleep sacks provide additional warmth without the use of loose blankets.  The OCAITHB is partnering with the Choctaw Nation to provide Halo SleepSacks to infants born at the Choctaw Indian Hospital in Talihina. The TEC also provides a safe sleep factsheet for hospital staff to review with new parents, Contact Ashley White at

Ashley.White@ihs.gov for more information regarding this project.

Ms. White is an epidemiologist with 7 years experience working in public health. In 2001, she worked as an epidemiologist for the Kansas Department of Helath and Environment, Tobacco Prevention Program. She coauthored the 2002 Kansas Cancer Report and worked on surveillance and evaluation projects with Tobacco Program grantees. From 2004 to 2007 she worked as an epidemiologist for Chevron Energy Corporation in Richmond, CA. She was responsible for the update of the Chevron Cohort Mortality Study. For the last four years, she served as a science teacher at Putnam City West High School in Oklahoma City. In her spare time, Ms. White enjoys reading, horseback riding and spending time with her family and friends.

LTJG Reese is the Health Board's new Dental Support Center (DSC) Manager. She worked as an Officer in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps in February, 2008, serving as the Clinton Indian Health Center's dental hygienist.  During her duty there, she also served as an adjunct professor for the University of Oklahoma Dental Hygiene program's satellite facility in Weatherford, providing clinical instruction and mentorship to senior dental hygiene students. LTJG Reese was selected as the Oklahoma Area Indian Health Service Dental Hygienist of the year in 2009. She is also the Oklahoma Area oral health representative for the National IHS Health Promotion and Disease Prevention advisory council. In addition, LTJG Reese serves on a number of regional and national level advisory groups, professional committees and workgroups.