U.S. Update:
Planned Activities for National Infant Immunization Week/Vaccination Week in the Americas
April 25-May 1, 2004
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW)
Working together with Vaccination Week in the Americas
The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be participating in an unprecedented multi-national Western Hemisphere campaign to promote immunization in all countries of the Americas starting April 25th. HHS and CDC will partner with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission (USMBHC) and more than 35 other nations for Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA), April 24-April 30, 2004. This effort will highlight the need to improve immunization coverage levels and promote access to health services in all countries. It coincides with the tenth anniversary of National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW), an annual observance in the United States that emphasizes the need to fully immunize children age two years and younger against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases. This year's NIIW theme is "Vaccination: An Act of Love. Love Them. Protect Them. Immunize Them," and more than 500 NIIW events are taking place across the United States to promote and provide childhood vaccinations.
To support National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW), April 25 through May 1, 2004, HHS and CDC produced a 30-second Spanish-language Public Service Announcement (PSA) and an English-language PSA entitled, "Vaccination: An Act of Love." Both PSAs stress the importance of immunizing and protecting children ages two years and younger from vaccine-preventable diseases. Each PSA features parents and health care providers promising to vaccinate their children on time, every time, and will provide parents with visual and audio cues to reinforce the recommended childhood vaccination schedule: at birth, 2, 4, 6, 12 and 15 months. The PSAs, set to begin airing on April 25th, will be linked via satellite to major markets throughout the United States and will be broadcast through March 2005. Additional campaign materials include Spanish and English text for live read radio public service announcements, web banners, and posters and print ads in Spanish and English. A video news release was also produced featuring interviews in Spanish with HHS Acting Assistant Secretary for Health, Rear Admiral Cristina V. Beato, M.D., PAHO Director Mirta Roses, M.D., Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua Health Services Director Enrique Romanillo, M.D., and USMBHC Member Jose Manuel de la Rosa, M.D., The interviews describe the health benefits of immunizations and urge parents to be responsible for immunizing children before age two to protect them against vaccine-preventable diseases.
During NIIW and VWA, over 500 communities in the United States will sponsor activities designed to highlight the need to achieve and maintain high childhood vaccination coverage rates. Special events including provider education events, press events, and immunization clinics are also being planned in collaboration with the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission along the United States - Mexico border in sister cities including El Paso, Texas / Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and San Diego, California / Tijuana, Mexico. Highlights of activities are listed below. Please visit http://www.cdc.gov/nip/events/niiw/ for a list of events planned in communities across the U.S.
April 22, 2004
Event: National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) Satellite Radio Tour
Purpose: HHS Acting Assistant Secretary for Health, Rear Admiral Cristina V. Beato, M.D., FAAFP will participate in a satellite radio tour targeting Spanish radio stations on April 22, 2004, to promote infant immunizations and National Infant Immunization Week, April 25-May 1, 2004.
April 22, 2004
Event: Press Event for National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW)
Location: New York City
Purpose: Steve Cochi, NIP's Acting Director, will participate in a press event with Thomas R. Frieden, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOH) to promote the importance of immunizing infants from 12 vaccine-preventable diseases by age two. The press event will be sponsored by the NYCDOH and held at Alianza Dominicana, Inc. in Northern Manhattan as part of the NYCDOH's celebration of NIIW and Vaccination Week in the Americas. Additional speakers at the press conference will be Dr. Stephen Friedman, Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Immunization and Joxel Garcia, Deputy Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Dr. Cochi and Dr. Walt Orenstein will also provide Grand Round presentations at Children's Hospital of New York and at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore. Both Dr. Cochi and Dr. Orenstein will also speak at a day-long provider symposium, "Current Topics in Infant and Child Immunization," sponsored by the New York Academy of Medicine and The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and they will provide Grand Rounds presentation on "Influenza" at Columbia and Montefiore Hospitals.
April 23, 2004
Event: Miami Children's Hospital Grand Rounds
Purpose: Dr. Andrew Kroger, Medical Epidemiologist, from the National Immunization Program will present an "Immunization Update" during Grand Rounds at Miami Children's Hospital as part of the hospital's National Infant Immunization Week activities. Andrew will also participate in an "Ask the Experts" panel.
Date: April 26, 2004
Event: March of Dimes Media Event: 50th Anniversary of the Salk Polio Clinical Field Trials
Purpose: April 26, 2004, marks the 50th anniversary of the first clinical field trials for the Salk polio vaccine. Dr. Steve Cochi, Acting Director of CDC's National Immunization Program, will be participating with the March of Dimes in a media event to commemorate this anniversary at Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean Virgina, the site of the first trials. Also participating in the event will be the physician who administered the first injections, one of first children to receive the vaccine, the granddaughter of Franklin Roosevelt, Anna Roosevelt, and the first lady of Texas, Anita Perry.
April 27-28, 2004
Event: Bi-national National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) Events, San Diego, California
Purpose: Larry Pickering, Senior Advisor to the Acting Director of CDC's National Immunization Program will participate in cross-border health events in San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico to celebrate National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) and Vaccination Week in the America's (VWA). Events include press events with children and physician educational forums in San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico to highlight cross-border teamwork to children from vaccine-preventable diseases. Presenters at the San Diego event are Nancy Bowen, Health Officer County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency; Greg Cox, First District Supervisor County of San Diego Board of Supervisors; Howard Backer, Acting Chief of the Immunization Branch California Department of Health Services; Larry Pickering, NIP; and a representative appointed by Dr. Romeo Rodríguez Suárez (invited), Director of the National Center for Infant and Adolescent Health Secretariat of Health for Mexico.
April 28, 2004
Event: Bi-national National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) Press Event, El Paso, Texas
Purpose: HHS Acting Assistant Secretary for Health, Rear Admiral Cristina V. Beato, will launch NIIW and Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) during a press conference on Wednesday morning, April 28, at the El Paso Region 19 ESC Head Start. Also participating with Dr. Beato will be Dr. Miquel Escobedo, Regional Public Health Director of the Texas Department of Health (representing Commissioner of Health Eduardo Sanchez); Patricia Montoya, Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Health and Member of the US-Mexico Border Health Commission, and Dr. Stephen L. Cochi, Acting Director of CDC's National Immunization Program. This year, for the first time, HHS and CDC have partnered with the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission (USMBHC) and the Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) creator, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), to reach millions more about the benefits of immunizations and to promote access to health services in more than 35 countries. Dr. Beato will convey the importance of timely immunizations for children age two yearsand younger. Special bi-national border events are being planned on the US-Mexico border in partnership with the (USMBHC). It will be the first time the two countries and three states (Texas, New Mexico, and Chihuahua) collaborate on this effort. Dr. Steve Cochi will also present to health care providers on April 29th.
April 28 - 29th, 2004
Event: National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) Press Event, Indianapolis, Indiana
Purpose: Dr. Bill Atkinson, Medical Epidemiologist and Physician Trainer from CDC's National Immunization Program will speak at a press event hosted by the Indiana Fever Women's National Basketball Association team to promote infant immunization. Dr. Atkinson will emphasize the importance of timely infant immunizations to prevent 12 vaccine-preventable diseases before the age of two. Dr. Atkinson will also provide an "Immunization Update focusing on Influenza" for Indianapolis providers.
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