HJLR Mar/Apr 2019

Healthcare Journal of LITTLE ROCK I  MAR / APR 2019 23 “I would love to see legislature strengthen our school vaccine mandates and remove the school vaccine exemption.” many gaps (rural areas with no vaccine pro- viders, practices choosing not to immunize, lack of a way to finance vaccines not cov- ered by certain health plans) in our health care system that make it difficult for patients to get the vaccines they need. What would you like to communicate to the general public about the need for vaccination and immunization? Safe and effective vaccines have been developed and are available today for chil- dren, adolescents, and adults to prevent and/or reduce the severity of many diseases that have historically harmed or killed mil- lions of people. While some of these dis- eases are no longer common, they still exist and will continue to reemerge if we do not work hard to vaccinate as many people as possible. It is unfortunate if even one person suffers from a preventable illness, poten- tially leading to a catastrophe by inadver- tently spreading the malady to others. It is critical that everyone take advantage of the vaccines available to protect their family and community. What are some interesting studies being worked on in the field of immunization? There is a great deal of work being done to develop a universal influenza vaccine that is more effective than the current immuni- zation—providing protection over a number of seasons, and against even more strains of this deadly virus. Investigators are working on develop- ment of vaccines against a number of new vaccine-preventable disease targets such as staphylococci, RSV, gonorrhea, Clostrid- ium dificile, malaria, Ebola, and Zika. There is also research underway to improve the effectiveness of a number of our current vaccines. Other teams are working on development of new vaccine delivery systems that have the potential to allow us to deliver effec- tive vaccines without a needle stick. There is a group at NIH working on delivery of an influenza vaccine using a patch placed on the skin that looks like a simple cloth bandage. What types of immunization partnerships do you think make sense to encourage vaccination and immunization? Schools, work, etc.? Health care providers across many pro- fessional backgrounds (medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and others) need to partner with schools, health departments, home health agencies, nursing homes, employers, faith organizations, and government if we are to close the gaps in vaccine prevention for our society. How does Arkansas compare to the coun- try? Are we unique? The immunization rates for Arkansans are not as high as they could or should be, but we have many similar challenges to immuniz- ing our population as our neighbors. Many rural counties in Arkansas have a very lim- ited number of vaccine providers, which can make obtaining vaccines difficult. There are a number of areas in our state with popu- lations of highly vaccine-averse families. In addition, Arkansas law allows relatively easy exemption from school immunization man- dates. Unvaccinated people not only place themselves at increased risk for vaccine- preventable disease outbreaks, they increase these risks for their neighbors. What would you like to see in the future for society in the field of vaccination and immunization? I would love to see legislature strengthen our school vaccine mandates and remove the school vaccine exemption. Arkansas could make an investment in the health of our population similar to the state of Rhode Island, which funds universal vaccine pur- chase to allow lower-cost vaccines to all state residents. Health care teams would receive improved evidence-based vaccine education, and access to ongoing support in best immu- nization practices. We would develop better tools to help support vaccine-hesitant fami- lies in understanding and accepting the value of preventive vaccination. Finally, it would be wonderful to see greater investment in the development, validation, and dissemi- nation of safer and more effective vaccines to all members of our society, regardless of wealth or insurance status. n