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    • 7 days ago
    • 1 min read

WEBINAR: Introduction to 2020 Oregon HPV Vaccination Week!

Oregon Pacific AHEC invites you to register for the webinar “Introduction to 2020 Oregon HPV Vaccination Week”!

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

11:00 AM PDT.


Attendance is FREE and you can obtain 1 CME credit. You can register today at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8294894247996311310.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join the webinar. Please see flyer attached for additional details on this training.


The HPV Vaccination Week Webinar will provide an overview of Oregon's HPV Vaccination Week. After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

  1. Understand goals and mission around Oregon’s HPV Vaccination Week

  2. Analyze significant data on HPV vaccination and HPV cancers in Oregon

  3. Access resources and tools available to improve HPV vaccination rates

  4. Strategize participation in Oregon’s HPV Vaccination Week and beyond

  5. Raise awareness on the importance of HPV vaccination in community



HPV Vax Week Flyerpdf
HPV Free Toolkit


    • May 7
    • 4 min read

Feature Article: Why Will It Take So Long to Make a Vaccine against COVID-19?

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia | Published on May 07, 2020 | Parents PACK

By now, most people are aware of the important role for vaccination in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. Because this is a new virus, we do not have a vaccine to protect against it. And, while many scientists and companies around the globe have started to work on vaccine development, estimates suggest that the shortest timeframe for having a vaccine is next year. This has left many wondering, “Why will it take so long?”

To get a better sense of why it will take time — and why an estimate of one year is optimistic — it is useful to start with a discussion about how vaccines are made and how long it takes under normal circumstances, before looking at what will change because we are in the midst of a public health emergency and what that means for individuals and families.

Making vaccines under normal circumstances: The process and the timeline

Because vaccines are given to healthy people, they are among the best studied products available. Typically, vaccine development starts not at companies but rather in university labs, where scientists identify what type of vaccine they are interested in creating and what type of animal model will be useful for evaluating it. Animals, when infected, develop immune responses similar to people. Animal models are not perfect, but they offer an opportunity to study a vaccine candidate before it is given to people; these are called “proof-of-concept” studies. To learn more about working with animals in vaccine research, watch this short video.

With a candidate vaccine and some positive results in animals, vaccine development typically moves to a company. The potential vaccine goes through several phases of trials that include increasingly larger numbers of people. All phases carefully monitor vaccine safety, but as the studies progress, they move from evaluating immunogenicity, meaning the ability to generate an immune response in recipients, to efficacy, meaning the ability to protect recipients from infection. To find out more about these different stages of vaccine trials, visit the Vaccine Education Center’s (VEC’s) webpage, “Making Vaccines: Process of Vaccine Development.”

By the time these studies are done, tens to hundreds of thousands of people may have been inoculated with the vaccine. These studies can take 10 to 20 years or more to complete.

Making vaccines during a public health emergency

Obviously, during a public health emergency, we cannot wait for 10 to 20 years, so how does the process change?

First, in an emergency, it is likely that more resources will be put toward the project, so more scientists are able to work on developing a vaccine. For example, more than 70 companies are working on a COVID-19 vaccine, whereas under normal circumstances, fewer than five — and, often only one or two — companies are working on developing any particular vaccine. This means that all of those working on vaccine development can benefit from the findings of their competitors. This builds the knowledge base more quickly.

Second, researchers are able to work together with fewer barriers. For example, in the current COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) is overseeing an international randomized controlled trial in which candidate vaccines can be compared with a single placebo, or control, group. The plan is also written in a way that candidate vaccines can start being tested at different times, and data can be compared. In this way, the trial can help increase scientific rigor and efficient use of resources.

Third, normal processes are likely to be altered as well. This can include eliminating animal model studies, reducing the number of study participants at each phase, and shortening the timeline for monitoring results.

What does this mean for me and my family?

While people are anxious to resume regular activities, it is important that any vaccine against COVID-19 is safe and effective. Therefore, it is important to monitor what is happening with vaccine development, but it will be even more important for public health officials to clearly communicate what is known about any new COVID-19 vaccine in terms of how well it works and its possible side effects.

Likewise, other factors will also be important at that time. People will need to evaluate whether the disease is spreading in their area, whether they have immunity as a result of previous illness, what is known about how long immunity lasts, and whether a certain level of immunity is needed for protection.

With all of this information, public health officials will likely make vaccine recommendations, and families, in consultation with their healthcare providers, will need to decide the relative risks and benefits of being vaccinated.

Resources for more information

Categories: Parents PACK May 2020, Feature Article

    • Nov 14, 2019
    • 1 min read

STORM THE FLU

Tweet all week to keep families healthy | November 18th - 22nd

Trust for America’s Health is leading a flu vaccine tweet storm next week (Nov 18th-22nd) to encourage the public to get their flu shot during this holiday season and provide resources with important data around the flu, the critical need for the flu shot and the negative impact the flu can have families. Utilize these sample tweets for each day of the week and join the effort to keep families healthy during this holiday season.



Monday, November 18th

Don’t forget this holiday preparation: Get Your Flu Shot. It’s the best way to protect your family from the flu this holiday season. Find out where here: https://vaccinefinder.org/ #fightflu #flushot



Tuesday, November 19th

Think you know all there is to know about the miracle of vaccinations? Find out more here: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/index.html #fightflu #flushot



Wednesday, November 20th

Vaccines help save 3 million lives worldwide annually by preventing disease. Learn more about the importance of vaccinations: https://www.tfah.org/story/vaccines-prevent-infectious-disease-outbreaks-and-protect-communities/ #fightflu #flushot



Thursday, November 21st

Grandma didn’t get run over by a reindeer, but she could get the flu. Read more about how the flu can negatively impact you and your family: https://www.familiesfightingflu.org/family-stories/ @famfightflu #fightflu #flushot



Friday, November 22nd

Flu can lead to serious complications for higher risk groups including young children, pregnant women and people over 65. A flu shot will help protect your loved ones this holiday season. https://downloads.aap.org/DOPA/Immunizations/Help_Your_Family_Fight_Flu7x12.jpg @AmerAcadPeds #fightflu #flushot


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coordinator@immunizeOR.org  |  503-413-4167

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