Important Memo Regarding Parotitis Testing

Please review a memo from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Public Health, and the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH). This memo requests that an additional specimen be submitted for influenza and other respiratory pathogen testing from individuals with parotitis.

Please share this information widely with your appropriate stakeholders.

Education Webinar

The Scenic Rivers AHEC is offering an webinar about HPV vaccination.

Dr. Aaron Scherer will discuss why interventions to improve vaccine uptake via vaccine attitude change often fail, or even backfire, and evidence for why a focus on identifying and targeting the psychological sources of HPV vaccine beliefs—deliberations, affect, intuitions, and personal or social motives—could be used to create more effective interventions to improve both vaccine uptake and attitudes.

Title: Why aren’t Information and Altruisim Appeals Enough? Targeting the Psychological Sources of Vaccine Beliefs.
Date: 4/24/2019
Time: 12-1:00 p.m. CST
Registration: Click here. Registration is limited.

Measles Outbreaks Update

From January 1 to April 4, 2019, 465 people from 19 states have been reported as having measles. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges healthcare professionals to ensure that all patients are up to date on MMR vaccine, including before international travel.

What Should Clinicians Do?
Discuss the importance of MMR vaccine with parents. Listen and respond to parents’ questions. When parents have questions, it does not necessarily mean they won’t accept vaccines. Sometimes, they simply want your answers to their questions.

  • Ensure all patients are up to date on measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine.
    • Children need 2 doses of MMR: one dose at 12-15 months and another dose at 4-6 years.
    • Before any international travel, infants 6-11 months need 1 dose of MMR vaccine, children 12 months and older need 2 doses separated by at least 28 days, and teenagers and adults who do not have evidence of immunity against measles need 2 doses separated by at least 28 days.
  • Consider measles in patients presenting with febrile rash illness and clinically compatible measles symptoms (cough, coryza, and conjunctivitis), and ask patients about recent travel internationally or to domestic venues frequented by international travelers, as well as a history of measles exposures in their communities.
  • Promptly isolate patients with suspected measles to avoid disease transmission and immediately report the suspect measles case to the health department.
  • Obtain specimens for testing from patients with suspected measles, including viral specimens for genotyping, which can help determine the source of the virus. Contact the local health department with questions about submitting specimens for testing.

For more information, including guidelines for patient evaluation, diagnosis and management, visit our measles webpage.

Please see below for additional resources:

Below is information about measles that you can promote to other healthcare professionals:

WIR Usergroup Meetings

Please join us for the next round of WIR usergroup meetings. The meetings are open to all active WIR users. This is an opportunity to learn about what is new with WIR and to give feedback to WIR staff. Please sign up in advance, as space is limited.

Below are the upcoming dates and city locations:

April 23, 2019-Madison

April 24, 2019-Franklin

April 30, 2019-Fond Du Lac

May 1, 2019-Green Bay

2018 Adolescent Vaccine Coverage Levels Available

Wisconsin-wide vaccine coverage levels for the adolescent platform are now available on our website. Coverage levels are available for the state or regional, or county/city levels.

Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Summaries for 2018

The 2018 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Surveillance Summary is now available. This document summarizes vaccine-preventable diseases in Wisconsin in 2018 and includes historical data for comparison.

Additionally, counts for vaccine-preventable diseases in Wisconsin are now finalized for 2018.

Reminder: Verify Patient Vaccine Record at Every Encounter

Given the multiple vaccine preventable disease outbreaks occurring across the country, we wanted to take a moment to remind all providers to review a patient’s vaccine record and ensure all patients are protected, even if the primary purpose of the visit is not vaccination, and to make a strong recommendation for vaccination.

The CDC offers several resources to help providers continue to make strong recommendations to patients:

In addition to the above listed CDC resources, American Academy of Pediatrics provides suggestions for providers working with vaccine hesitant parents on the AAP website.