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WomenHeart, the only national organization solely devoted to supporting women living with and at risk of heart disease, understands the importance of ensuring that adults with chronic health conditions have access to recommended vaccines.

April 30th is designated as National Adult Hepatitis B Vaccination Awareness Day. Hepatitis B is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus. Some people who become infected can go on to develop a chronic or lifelong infection. Left untreated, chronic hepatitis B can cause serious liver damage, and even liver cancer.

Experts have suggested a vaccine may be 12 to 18 months away, an optimistic timeline given the intense scrutiny vaccines undergo prior to approval. By planning for a vaccine now, our country can be better prepared to quickly protect everyone in the U.S. from this deadly pandemic. 

It should come as no surprise then that patients are far more likely to receive an immunization when a provider has recommended it. Vaccines are an essential tool in a medical professional’s arsenal of preventive health measures as they strive to keep Americans of all ages and walks of life leading healthy and active lives.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared vaccines to be one of the most important public health interventions of the twentieth century, second only to clean water. Yet, we are seeing an increase in preventable infectious disease outbreaks, gaps in long-standing vaccine practices, and a growth in sociodemographic disparities in vaccination rates, particularly among children who live in rural areas or who are uninsured.

Meaningfully measuring adult influenza and pneumococcal vaccination is a vital public health intervention. Until recently, quality performance measures were only available for some adult vaccines. Newly available composite measures, however, account for all vaccinations routinely recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and have the potential to ensure that all patients receive the standard of care when it comes to immunization coverage.

This past weekend, Vaccinate Your Family (VYF) lost a beloved colleague and close friend. Rich Greenaway, our Director of Operations and Special Projects, passed away unexpectedly at his home on Sunday. Rich was a committed champion of vaccinations and a superlative human being who dedicated more than two decades of his life to protecting people of all ages from vaccine-preventable diseases. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.