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VAXX VOICE

 
 

TIP summer school now in session

We’re offering professional continuing education credit through Immunization University (IZU). This new online platform provides nursing educational courses/modules, which include information about immunizations and vaccine-preventable diseases.

The professional continuing education credit for nursing approved credits is through a partnership with Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth. Non-approved credit courses are open to individuals in other professions and students.

IZU courses include:

  • Immunization 101 (non-credit)
  • Vaccine Myths and Misinformation (Credit and Non-credit)
  • Vaccine Preventable Diseases and Your Healthy Classroom (non-credit – designed for Texas teachers, school administrators, and future teachers)
  • COVID-19 Myths and Misinformation (non-credit)
  • COVID-19: Simplifying Vaccine Science (non-credit)
  • How Vaccines Work (non-credit)
  • History of Vaccines (non-credit)
  • Vaccine Safety (Credit and Non-credit – Launching end of July 2021)
  • Vaccine Hesitancy (Credit and Non-credit – Launching end of August 2021)

To take any of the courses, please click here.

If you have any question about IZU, the courses, or options to make the course interactive for your college or university, please contact Katy Gore at kgore@immunizeUSA.org.

 

TIP talks to Texas

Rekah Lakshmanan, our director of advocacy and public policy, spoke up and out during the July 27 broadcast of the Texas Standard. She offered her insights on the current state of COVID-19 and the Delta variant in Texas, particularly as we see a dramatic and troubling rise in the number of new cases, hospitalizations, and death. Also this month, we’re seeing an increase in the number of companies requiring vaccinations for their employees.

August is National Immunization Awareness Month

National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is an annual observance to highlight the importance of getting recommended vaccines throughout your life. You have the power to protect yourself and your family against serious diseases, such as whooping cough, cancers caused by HPV, and pneumonia through on-time vaccination. And don’t forget your COVID-19 vaccine.

During NIAM, TIP encourages you to talk to your doctor, nurse, or other healthcare professional to ensure all of your family is up to date on recommended vaccines.

Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has an Interactive Vaccine Guide for information on the vaccines recommended during pregnancy and throughout your child’s life.

School days are fast upon us

Are your kiddos ready for school? Check with your healthcare provider and the CDC guidelines to ensure your family members are current on their vaccines, including the COVID vaccines. Schools should be safe places, free of vaccine-preventable diseases.

 
 

Texas still a long way from community immunity

The Texas Department of State Health Services says we have about 48% of the state fully vaccinated as of July 21, 2021.

We need about 80% for community immunity in any given location. Your vaccine is waiting for you, so exercise your right to bare arms and take a shot for Texas.

Percent of Texas population fully vaccinated as of July 21.

Age                 Percent

12-15               22.5%

16-49               44.6%

50-79               68.4%

80+                  69.3%

MOBI vs THE SHIELD

As we approach August with National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) and Back-to-School time, we wanted to let everyone know about our children’s book.

Mobi vs. The Shield: Community Immunity Saves the Day explains community immunity and the importance of keeping those who are unable to receive vaccines safe from harm. The book follows Mobi, a pesky measles virus who has a goal of infecting everyone in Townsville. However, a superhero vaccine named Victor quickly throws a wrench in Mobi's plans. The reader goes on an exciting adventure with Mobi and Victor as they explore together different community immunity situations. Leslie Harrington (who does Goofus & Gallant for Highlights Magazine) beautifully illustrated the book. Click on the links below to see inside the book.  

To order the English version: Hard cover or Paperback

To order the Spanish version: Hard cover or Paperback

If you would like to order bulk copies of the book, please email kgore@immunizeUSA.org.

You can receive a 50% discount on your book order by using coupon code: TIP

We also appreciate Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for adding Mobi vs The Shield to its Vaccine Resources for Kids and Teens web page and for featuring it in its Vaccine Update newsletter, which will be published later this week. Thanks, CHOP, for including us among your great resources to educate parents and their children about the importance of vaccines and community immunity.

 

The Immunization Partnership Podcasts

Health Disparities. That’s the topic of our five-part series of conversations with Dr. Nicholas Bergren, Medical Science Liaison with Sanofi-Pasteur. You can listen to this series, and all of our Vaxx Voice podcast episodes for free by clicking here.

Overcoming vaccine hesitancy on the community level is the topic of this four-part series of conversations with Dr. Aisha Siddiqui, Founding Director of Houston’s Culture of Health-Advancing Together, or CHAT. You can listen to this series, and all of our Vaxx to the Future podcast episodes for free by clicking here.

 

Goodbye to our outstanding summer interns

Baileigh Toenes and Michelle Starrett have worked on background research and preparation for our FY 2022 projects. They will receive course credits for the TIP internships. We’re sad to see them go, but we expect great things from them as they continue their careers in public health.

Baileigh Toenes is pursuing a certificate in Maternal and Child Health and a Master of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center School of Public Health in Houston where she expects to graduate in December. 

“During my time at TIP this summer, I gathered information on how to host effective focus groups to gauge attitudes and beliefs on immunizations to form internal documents. While working on this project, TIP was conducting focus groups simultaneously, so I was able to see my research work first-hand. I also researched how to measure immunization attitudes and beliefs in vulnerable communities. Additionally, I worked on gathering statistics on vaccine uptake and how race/ethnicity, age, and gender affect vaccination rates. Through my research, the implications of not having accessible health care and the consequences of health inequity were all reinforced.

“As my internship comes to a close, I have learned more than I ever expected! I was able to apply skills that I have learned in my graduate classes while also gaining new knowledge on the immunization environment in Texas. The thing I enjoyed the most was fostering relationships with the TIP staff and learning how the staff fulfills public service every day. As I start my last semester of graduate school, I look forward to embodying the selfless ideologies that the TIP staff exemplifies.”

Michelle Starrett attends Texas A&M University at College Station where she is pursuing a Master in Public Health from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health and a Master in International Affairs from The Bush School of Government & Public Affairs. She expects to graduate in 2023.

"My summer at TIP as an Education Intern has been such a great experience. The staff is wonderful and were very willing to support me in any way I needed throughout my time here. Katy Gore has been an incredible mentor, going above and beyond to help me succeed. She expanded my understanding of the world of immunizations and public health.

“In the fall, I will be starting my second year at Texas A&M to finish up my Master's in Public Health. Then I will be continuing to pursue a Master's in International Affairs at Texas A&M's Bush School. I am confident that my application of real-world experiences and skills gained this summer to my course work will make for a much more enriching classroom experience. I am very thankful to TIP for giving me this opportunity!!"

 

Find out what TIP is saying about COVID-19 and other vaccine-preventable diseases, and what the media are saying about TIP by visiting our TIP in the News page.

Also, you can catch up on past Vaxx Voice newsletters here.

 

TIP's mission is to eradicate vaccine-preventable diseases by educating the community, advocating for evidence-based public policy, and supporting immunization best practices.

The Immunization Partnership
240 West Galveston Street #1985  | League City, Texas 77574-1985
281-400-3689 | info@immunizeUSA.org

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