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Author: Rishi Sharma

Ensure Patients Are Up to Date With Polio Vaccination

Ensure Patients Are Up to Date With Polio Vaccination

Vaccine-derived poliovirus has been detected in environmental samples and infected one unvaccinated person in New York this year. In some Philadelphia neighborhoods, polio vaccination rates among children remain low. 

Prevent community transmission by ensuring patients are up-to-date with polio vaccines in their upcoming well or sick visit. 

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, delaying immunizations at sick visits can lower immunization rates. Use every opportunity to vaccinate!

What is polio?

  • A potentially disabling and life-threatening disease caused by poliovirus. 
  • Usually spread through the fecal-oral route, and sometimes through the oral-oral route.
  • Most people infected with polio have no apparent symptoms. Some experience mild symptoms (e.g. sore throat, fever, nausea).
  • 1% of polio cases result in paralysis. Paralytic polio can result in death, especially among people diagnosed as adults.
  • Up to 40% of children diagnosed with polio experience new symptoms in adulthood (post-polio syndrome).

Who should get vaccinated?

Pediatric

  • All unvaccinated children should receive the polio vaccine (IPV).
  • CDC recommends 3 doses of IPV for primary series and 1 booster dose for children at the following ages:
    • Dose 1: 2 months old
    • Dose 2: 4 months old
    • Dose 3: 6 through 18 months old
    • Booster: 4 through 6 years old
  • Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children should receive IPV vaccination as soon as possible in accordance with the recommended catch-up schedule.

Adult

  • Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated adults who are at increased risk of infection (e.g. international travelers) should receive their completed series of IPV in the following intervals:
    • Dose 1: at any time
    • Dose 2: 1-2 months after Dose 1
    • Dose 3: 6-12 months after Dose 2

Monkeypox Vaccine Deliveries Paused for Thanksgiving

Monkeypox Vaccine Deliveries Paused for Thanksgiving

Monkeypox vaccine deliveries will be paused during the week of Thanksgiving, November 21 – 25, 2022. The last delivery for monkeypox vaccine will be on Monday, November 21. 

Ordering will remain open this week until Thursday, by 5pm. Remember to submit your temperatures to tempcheck@phila.gov and complete a reconciliation of vaccine on hand for your order to be approved.

Click the button below to submit your order request for monkeypox vaccine.

Order Monkeypox Vaccine

Deliveries for monkeypox vaccine will resume on the week of November 28.

Thank you for keeping Philadelphia safe and healthy! If you have any questions, please contact Kenya Mack at Kenya.Mack@phila.gov. 

Health Department Publishes Request for Proposal for HIV Testing in Pharmacies

Health Department Publishes Request for Proposal for HIV Testing in Pharmacies

PHILADELPHIA—The Health Department is making four to six grants of up to $75,000 available to increase the availability of low-barrier HIV testing and connection to care services in select priority zip codes in Philadelphia. The request for proposals is part of the Health Department’s community-driven Plan to End the HIV Epidemic in Philadelphia, which envisions decreasing new HIV infections by 75% by 2025 and by 90% by 2030. Grant submissions may be made by applicants who operate pharmacies in the listed priority zip codes, and may address HIV testing, information distribution, linkage to care, and participation in training.

The accessibility of pharmacies for HIV testing presents a unique opportunity for pharmacists to contribute to the identification of undiagnosed HIV. An estimated 90% of urban consumers live within two miles of a pharmacy. A CDC-funded feasibility study offering rapid, point-of-care testing in community pharmacies and retail clinics found that pharmacies and retail clinics represent a vast, largely untapped potential for the delivery of HIV testing in settings that are more accessible and, for some people, less stigmatizing than traditional testing.

With this RFP, the Health Department’s goal is to expand opportunities for HIV testing in neighborhoods in Philadelphia with the highest incidence of persons newly diagnosed with HIV in 2019 through community-based retail pharmacies.

Eligible applicants are independent and non-independent pharmacies currently operating in the priority areas listed in this request for proposals or with appropriate justification and prior approval of the Department in an immediately adjacent ZIP code neighborhood. Based on local analysis of recent data on HIV testing, newly diagnosed HIV, and HIV testing resources by zip code, the Health Department has identified 13 priority zip codes for this RFP.  

To learn more about the request for proposals, all documentation is available on the eContractPhilly website, under Opportunity 21221013101712. The Health Department’s Community Plan to End the HIV Epidemic in Philadelphia can be downloaded here. 

Temperature Reporting for Online Vaccine Ordering

Temperature Reporting for Online Vaccine Ordering

Temperature logs must be submitted on the same day as any order placed for federal vaccine (VFC, VFAAR, flu, COVID-19, or monkeypox)!

Temperature logs are to be uploaded in PhilaVax and emailed to tempcheck@phila.gov. The logs must show that the unit is within the appropriate temperature ranges and that there have been no alarms. This reporting guide can assist you in submitting your DDL temperature files.

For more information on ordering and how to upload your temperature log, please attend the next online ordering training on November 10, 2022 from 10:00AM – 11:00AM EST. Click the link below to register for the training.

Register: Online Ordering Training

If your site uses a privately purchased DDL or cannot upload in PhilaVax, please contact tempcheck@phila.gov.

Thank you for keeping Philadelphia safe and healthy! 

Immunization Records Review for Childcare Facilities

Immunization Records Review for Childcare Facilities

Hello Childcare Provider:

On an annual basis, the Pennsylvania Department of Health in collaboration with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health conducts an immunization records review of a random sample of childcare facilities from the Department of Human Services list of childcare group settings throughout the Commonwealth. This year, your facility has been chosen.   

The goal of this review is to ensure that all children receive their required immunizations and are protected against vaccine preventable diseases.

During the review, we will examine the immunization records for all children enrolled at your facility and validate their completeness. Per the regulations for childcare facilities, all ACIP recommended vaccines are required for children unless an exemption is on file. This includes an annual flu vaccine.

On the day of the review, we will need access to the Child Health Assessment Form (CD 51) for all children enrolled in your facility who are 2 months through 59 months of age, with a date of birth from 9/2/2017 – 7/1/2022.

The deadline to submit requested information is September 30, 2022.

Please review the attachments below:

HIPAA Letter

Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s correspondence letter 

2022 Recommended Immunization for Children (Birth-6 years old)

Thank you for your commitment to keeping children safe and healthy! If you have any questions, please email tanya.jones@phila.gov.

Monkeypox Vaccine Update: Expanded Eligibility & Second Doses

Monkeypox Vaccine Update: Expanded Eligibility & Second Doses

There is now vaccine supply to begin administering a complete two-dose Jynneos vaccine series to each individual who is eligible for vaccine.

Updates

Eligibility for a first dose now includes:
• People of all ages. Subcutaneous administration continues to be required for those <18.
• People with a history of STI in the past 12 months, as well as individuals who plan to have multiple or anonymous sex partners, or those plan to meet new sexual partners via social media.

Eligibility for a second dose now includes:
• People who have received a first Jynneos vaccine dose through either intradermal or subcutaneous administration. This dose should be given intradermally to those 18 and older unless there is a contraindication.

Eligibility has also expanded to include those with a history of STI in the past 12 months (from 6 months previously) and to start offering preexposure prophylaxis to people at high risk for becoming infected. The interval between doses for both subcutaneous and intradermal injections is at minimum 28 days. Individuals who test positive for monkeypox after their first dose should not receive a second dose of vaccine. Individuals whose second doses have been delayed do not need to restart the two-dose vaccine series.

There is no age requirement for Jynneos vaccine eligibility, although those less than 18 years of age must receive the vaccine subcutaneously. Individuals 18 and older will be given intradermal vaccination, regardless of which method was used for the first vaccine, unless there is a contraindication.

Complete eligibility criteria include:

People who meet the following condition:

• Gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, and other men who have sex with men, transgender, or non-binary persons

AND meet ONE of the following criteria:

• Have had multiple or anonymous sex partners in the last 14 days
• Have had any newly diagnosed STI in the past 12 months, including gonorrhea, chlamydia, early syphilis, or HIV
• Have recently attended or plan to attend any venue where anonymous sex or sex with multiple partners will occur (e.g. saunas, bathhouses, sex clubs, sex parties) in the next 30 days
• Have met recent partners or plan to meet new partners in the next 30 days through social media platforms (such as Grindr, Tinder or Scruff), or at clubs, raves, sex parties, saunas

Additionally, the following people are eligible:

• Sex workers (of any sex or gender), and/or
• Anyone with known close contact (skin-to-skin) with someone with monkeypox in the past 14 days

When using an intradermal strategy, there may be unused doses in a single vial. All efforts should be made to give doses to the above eligible individuals. If there are doses that would go wasted, they may be given to other individuals not included in the above criteria. Healthcare workers directly involved in testing and examining those with possible monkeypox illness and staff involved in environmental cleaning and disinfection protocols should be prioritized.

Thank you for keeping Philadelphia safe and healthy! If you have any questions about these updates, please contact vaccines@phila.gov.

Aetna Better Health Medicaid Coverage Discontinued

Aetna Better Health Medicaid Coverage Discontinued

Aetna Better Health of Pennsylvania (ABH-PA) Medicaid Coverage was Discontinued Wednesday, August 31st, 2022. As of Thursday, September 1, 2022, patients with this plan will no longer be covered by this plan. Letters were sent to ABH-PA plan members to help them with the transition. They can also call the phone number on the back of their card for more information.

As a provider, please:

  • Continue to vaccinate these patients. They are still VFC and medicaid eligible.
  • Do not charge patients out of pocket for care or vaccine administration. 
  • Support patients identify, or as they identify, a new provider if their new Medicaid plan is out of network. Email our team at vaccines@phila.gov with any questions.

These changes do not affect the Aetna Better Health of Pennsylvania Kids Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Aetna Better Health CHIP will remain in place following the changes to their Medicaid program. 

Questions?

You can direct questions regarding the closure of ABH-PA to their dedicated mailbox at PAMedicaidClosureProviderRelationsMailbox@AETNA.com. 

Other questions can be directed to vaccines@phila.gov. Thank you for keeping Philadelphia safe and healthy!

Invitation to Discuss Monkeypox Testing, Treatment, and Vaccine

Invitation to Discuss Monkeypox Testing, Treatment, and Vaccine

FQHC Partners,

On Wednesday, August 17, PDPH is inviting you to participate in a discussion about monkeypox testing, treatment, and vaccine. Please mark your calendars, and join using the meeting information below!

PDPH is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: FQHC Discussion on monkeypox testing, treatment, and vaccine
Time: Aug 17, 2022 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81516780822

Meeting ID: 815 1678 0822

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Meeting ID: 815 1678 0822

Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kcXvdHapmW

Thank you for your dedication to keeping Philadelphians safe and healthy.

Updated Eligibility Criteria for Monkeypox Vaccine

Updated Eligibility Criteria for Monkeypox Vaccine

There has been a recent update in eligibility criteria for monkeypox vaccination, including sex workers of any sex or gender, as well as anyone who has had recent close contact with someone infected with monkeypox.Eligible individuals include:
  • Gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, and other men who have sex with men, transgender, or non-binary persons, who are 18 years of age or older.
    • And have had multiple or anonymous sex partners in the last 14 days, and/or believe they have been exposed to an STI within the last 14 days.
    • Or have had any newly diagnosed STI in the past 6 months*, including gonorrhea, chlamydia, early syphilis, or HIV.
  • Sex workers of any sex or gender.
  • Anyone with known close, skin-to-skin contact within the last 14 days with someone infected with monkeypox.
*Eligibility criteria has been modified from a newly diagnosed STI in the past 3 months to the past 6 months.
Thank you for your dedication to curbing the spread of monkeypox. If you have any questions about these criteria, please reach out to vaccines@phila.gov.