The following is an update from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Division of Public Health.

HPV Vaccine Champion Award 2018 Announced

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Raj Naik from Gundersen Health System is the Wisconsin recipient of the HPV Vaccine Champion Award 2018.

The “HPV Vaccine Is Cancer Prevention Champion Award” is to recognize leaders in health care who are going above and beyond to promote HPV vaccination in their communities. The program also serves to reinforce that HPV vaccination is an important part of cancer prevention, and to motivate clinicians to adopt effective recommendation practices.

Dr. Naik is a sought after speaker, a supporting member of the Coulee Region Immunization Coalition (CIRC), and is on the Wisconsin Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (WI-AAP).

Within the Gundersen health system, Dr. Naik has worked closely with the electronic medical record vendor on developing a centralized process for electronic alerts and reminders to improve pediatric immunization rate. Due to his efforts with improving the EMR, the HPV immunization series completion rate for females (13-15 years old) increased 17% from June 2015 to to June 2018. The HPV immunization series completion rate for males (13-15 years old) increased 29% from June 2015 to June 2018 for the entire Gundersen Health System.

These immunization rate improvements were accomplished by:

  • A centralized electronic alerts, reminder, and recall system
    • Electronic scheduling of subsequent doses to help eliminate missed opportunities
    • Development of electronic health record tools to improve vaccine initiation, and series follow-up and completion
    • System-wide health care provider training to dispel HPV vaccine myths
    • Training in C-A-S-E method, created by Alison Singer, MD (model of talking with vaccine hesitant parents)
    • Development of electronic tools for live-prompting of health care providers to dispel HPV vaccine myths, while simultaneously documenting these myths for patient education
    • Individualized, personalized provider education

Congratulations to Dr. Naik for all of his accomplishments!

New Influenza Disease and Vaccine Resources

The Bureau of Communicable Disease is pleased to share a new influenza webpage. The web page includes resources for local health departments, clinics and the public.

New pneumococcal vaccination app: PneumoRecs VaxAdvisor

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently launched an app to help vaccination providers quickly and easily determine which pneumococcal vaccines a patient needs and when.

The PneumoRecs VaxAdvisor mobile app:

  • Incorporates recommendations for all ages
  • Will especially help pediatric providers interpret schedules for catch-up vaccination
  • Will help all providers with vaccination based on medical indications

Users simply enter a patient’s age, note if the patient has specific underlying medical conditions, and answer questions about the patient’s pneumococcal vaccination history. Then the app provides patient-specific guidance consistent with the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended immunization schedule.

Get the PneumoRecs VaxAdvisor mobile app now for iOS and Android devices.

New Updates to the Immunization Program Website

We want to make sure that you are aware of changes to the Wisconsin Immunization Program website.

The Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR) information is now divided into two pages. The first page features resources for the public. The second page features resources for health care providers and local health departments. Please note, upcoming WIR trainings for providers are posted on the health care provider page, under the training tab.

The childhood page includes information for both health care providers, local health departments, and parents. The provider resources includes trainings, schedules, and handouts for both parents and office staff.

The Vaccines for Children (VFC) webpage now includes a section for updates from the VFC program. Any new webinars are posted in this section (excluding the VFC/WIR open forums). As these webinars become outdated, they are removed from the website. If you are looking for forms, trainings, or other resources related to the VFC program, please click on the “Trainings, Resources, and Forms” tab near the bottom of the page.

The  Local Immunization Coalitions page has been updated with a list of contact persons for each county or regional coalition.

The Immunization Program Resources/links webpage has been removed. All of the resources/information has been moved to the appropriate, corresponding webpage.

New HPV Vaccination Report

Please take a look at a new report from the CDC which includes Wisconsin’s HPV vaccine ordering patterns for quarters one and two, 2018.

Updated Fact Sheets Regarding Pregnant Women and Immunizations

Three updated fact sheets regarding Tdap and influenza vaccine during pregnancy have been posted to our website here, under ‘Pregnant Women.’