SAINT LOUIS COUNTY, MO – (September 27, 2011) Flu season has arrived and the Saint Louis County Department of Health is urging all residents six months of age and older be vaccinated against the seasonal flu.       Read More >>

Influenza was associated with the deaths of 115 children in the U.S. over the past 12 months, the CDC reported.
And nearly half of those were without high-risk medical conditions that might have predisposed them to more serious illness, the agency reported in the Sept. 16 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Not surprisingly, the agency found that only a handful of the children who died and who were eligible for vaccination had actually been immunized against the flu.       Read More >>

Flu vaccination rates among healthcare workers increased slowly in recent years, but are still well below the 90% target recommended by government's Healthy People 2020 initiative, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Researchers reported that 63.5% of healthcare personnel were vaccinated in the 2010 through 2011 flu season, 1.6 percentage points higher than the previous season. CDC Press Release

CDC Influenza vaccination recommendations

A Call to Action occurred on Friday, July 29, 2011 in Richmond Heights, Missouri. This kickoff event, sponsored by the St. Louis County Department of Health and the Heartland Center for Public Health Preparedness at Saint Louis University's School of Public Health, was held to introduce the 2011-2012 Health Care Worker Influenza Vaccination Campaign to increase seasonal influenza immunization rates among health care workers in the St. Louis region.

Check out the photo gallery of the event here.

After the World Health Organization (WHO) made its recommendations for the Northern Hemisphere, the U.S. FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) met in Bethesda, Maryland on February 25, 2011 and concurred with WHO's recommendation. So the U.S. seasonal vaccine for the 2011-2012 season includes an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like virus, an A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)-like virus, and a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus. For more information see www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaccine-selection.htm.

PandemicPrep.Org was engaged by St. Louis County Department of Health to expand the number of residents covered by Workplace Points of Dispensing (PODs) that distribute life-saving medications in the event of a bio-terrorism attack. PandemicPrep.Org created the Bio-Defense Network and began a rigorous effort to recruit large businesses, educational institutions, and organizations to host Workplace PODs. Starting with 27% coverage, the effort succeeded in increasing the coverage to nearly 70%. For more information see www.biodefensenetwork.org.

The next meeting of the Gateway Immunization Coalition will be Friday, April 20, 2012 at a new location, the May Conference Center at DePaul Hospital.

Click Here for GIC Meeting Flyer.

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Ken Haller will be speaking. The focus of the meeting will be National Adolescent Immunization Month. An RSVP is appreciated.