Immunization questions raised at Jefferson County health board meeting | News, Sports, Jobs

MEETING — Members of the Jefferson County Board of Health reviewed paperwork during their meeting Tuesday. — Christopher Dacanay

STEUBENVILLE — Questions were raised during Tuesday’s meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Health regarding immunization in the county.

Following the monthly report from Medical Director Dr. Janie Culp, board member Mary Mihalyo asked how Jefferson County compares to other locations based on residents’ adherence to immunization schedules, or staying up-to-date on timelines for receiving certain vaccines.

Culp noted that the Jefferson County General Health District and all health departments follow the same schedule for immunizations that’s recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and approved by the Centers for Disease Control. The same goes for catch-ups, when individuals miss their recommended timeline to receive a vaccine.

Tracking whether individuals go through the full course of a vaccine, even once they’ve started in the county, is “almost impossible,” Culp said. The health department’s goal is to ensure the immunizations are received on time, including catch-ups, and it can even make appointments on the spot. But whether an individual adheres to that is beyond the department’s capabilities.

Health Commissioner Andrew Henry added the department has access to statewide and local vaccination rate data through the Ohio Department of Health’s Get Vaccinated program — data that, although insightful, is not without its faults.

“It couples (patients with providers),” Henry said, adding, “Say somebody came to us for a pediatric vaccine. Then we would basically assume responsibility of that child through their vaccination schedule … That’s where it’s kind of iffy. People are transient, they may move, so we may have somebody in our database of patients who doesn’t even live here anymore, but I think it’s a good roundabout figure, ultimately.”

“It’s not really showing adherence though,” Culp said. “It’s mainly showing which population has had these vaccines, not whether they’re actually planning to continue a vaccine series, so that’s another problem with that data: It’s from a retrospective rather than showing the future updates. We’re trying to do reminders or a system like that, but once again, you’re not really showing adherence because you actually have to come and get the vaccine for adherence to come in.”

Nursing Director Kylie Smogonovich said that perhaps the best data on immunization rates comes from Get Vaccinated’s work within schools. The numbers for vaccine exemptions in schools have reportedly risen from before the COVID-19 pandemic, Smogonovich said, noting that medical exemptions have remained the same, but personal or religious exemptions have risen statewide.

Culp also updated the board on reportable disease instances in the county:

• COVID-19 positive tests have “dramatically decreased” from 269 last month to 63. Numbers from the same month in 2022 and 2023 have showed a trend downward.

• There have been nine positive chlamydia tests in the county this month, as well as one positive test for gonorrhea.

• Four pertussis, or whooping cough, cases have been tracked in the county — representative of a national uptick. Culp said that, although older populations may still face problems, younger populations are those most at-risk due to having undeveloped airways and not yet receiving the full course of three immunization doses, which start at 2 months old.

• There have been 12 probable or confirmed lyme disease cases in the county. Positive cases have reportedly been increasing throughout the year, including in the designated Southeast Region that Jefferson County occupies.

On a related note, Culp noted that the health department does not track instances of respiratory syncytial virus, which is primarily seen during the fall. Vaccines are available for pregnant women and younger children.

Additionally, Culp said it’s “never too late” to receive an influenza vaccine during the period from Oct. 1 to March 31 when the flu is most common — though it truly never goes away.

This year’s flu vaccine is trivalent, targeting three strains of the virus. The health department itself offers flu vaccines but not higher antigen doses, which are recommended for those age 65 or older and can be acquired at some local pharmacies.

Smogonovich said the department has administered 338 flu vaccines during the past two months, with 351 vaccines or 96 percent being given at outreach clinics. Second doses of human papillomavirus and meningitis B vaccines have also been distributed at Jefferson County schools.

A recent, two-day COVID-19 flu clinic distributed nine total vaccines, Smogonovich added, though 15 vaccines have been administered prior to those clinics.

Also, Smogonovich reported that health department nurse Danielle Czuchran, as part of Get Vaccinated, is attending virtual training for maximizing office-based immunizations and teen immunization education. Once that’s complete, Czuchran will work with other CDC Vaccines for Children providers and school-based health clinics to review vaccine rates and assist families struggling with immunization access.

In other business:

• WIC Director Stephanie Chester said her department, in conjunction with the nursing department, will host an open house on Dec. 17 and 18 for program participants and the public, featuring infant/child CPR demonstrations, resource information snacks and a craft. Additionally, Chester reported that her department will participate in the downtown Steubenville tree decorating contest. The program’s tree will be adorned with pictures colored by participants’ children, and possible award money would be directed to Aim Women’s Center.

• The board approved contracts or memorandums of understanding with the OneOhio Recovery Foundation for a $187,951 grant allowing the health department to do opioid prevention education at local schools, Trinity Health System’s Dr. Paul MacDonald to perform pediatric services for WIC and Franciscan University of Steubenville for nursing students to do clinical rotations at the health department in 2025.

• Board members Mihalyo and Dr. Mark Kissinger requested that Kelly Wilson, director of finance and administration, present a one-time yearly report to provide an outlook on the department’s balance during the last several years.