Thread by @ChomiloMD

Under-reported in the coverage of vaccine legislation at #mnleg: Sen @drscottjensen’s harmful & wasteful amendment to the Senate’s HHS omnibus bill - senate.mn/chamber/amendm…
THREAD 👇🏾

#IVax2Protect
Cc: @mnaap @MNFamilyDocs @mnmed @MNACOG @md4healthequity

For a party who talks A LOT about government waste it is beyond peculiar to spend money on a workgroup to study giving vaccines unbundled or to adjust the schedule, “based on patient circumstances & conditions” – when the science on these questions is solid & definitive

As there seems to be some confusion of the facts - I would refer my medical colleague to the approved @CDCgov schedule - cdc.gov/vaccines/sched… which is developed by ACIP & approved by the @AmerAcadPeds , @aafp & @acog

Upon reviewing these guidelines in detail Sen @drscottjensen may be surprised to find that there are detailed recommendations for the following “patient circumstances & conditions” (in no particular order):

International travel
Chronic Liver Disease
Alcoholism
(cont.)

Sickle Cell Disease & other hemoglobinopathies
Anatomic or Functional Asplenia
Congenital or acquired immunodeficiency
HIV infection
Chronic renal failure
Nephrotic syndrome
Solid organ transplantation
Multiple myeloma
Pregnancy
Cerebrospinal fluid leak, cochlear implant
(cont.)

Malignant neoplasms, leukemias, lymphomas, Hodgkin disease, & other diseases associated with treatment with immunosuppressive drugs or radiation therapy

Chronic heart disease (particularly cyanotic congenital heart disease and cardiac failure)

(cont.)

Chronic lung disease (including asthma treated with high-dose, oral corticosteroids)

Diabetes mellitus
First-year college students who live in residential housing or military recruits
Egg allergy, hives only
Egg allergy more severe than hives
Homelessness
(cont.)

Travel in countries w hyperendemic or epidemic meningococcal disease
History of sexual abuse or assault
Mother is HBsAg-negative
Mother is HBsAg-positive
Mother is HBsAg status is unknown
Clotting factor disorders
Men who have sex w men
Injection or non-injection drug use
(cont.)

Work with hepatitis A virus in a research laboratory or nonhuman primates with hepatitis A infection

Travel in countries with high or intermediate endemic hepatitis A

AND

Close, personal contact with an international adoptee

I (honestly) would be curious to know what other conditions Sen @drscottjensen believes need special study.

Sen Jensen should also know that there is already more than ample evidence around giving vaccines simultaneously - cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/a…

#VaccinesAreSafe

So my hope is that upon learning all of this, Sen Jensen & his #mnleg conference committee colleagues (@renamoran, @TinaLiebling, @LaurieHalverson, @RepJenSchultz, @SenatorBenson, @SenUtke & @JohnMarty) will move away from an unnecessary, irresponsible & wasteful workgroup.

And instead give sufficient funds to organizations that actually have inroads to vaccine hesitant communities by not limiting those funds to community health boards.

Like @RepFreiberg’s bill HF1182

I also hope my colleagues at @mnaap, @MNFamilyDocs, @MNACOG, @mnmed & @md4healthequity will join me in reminding Sen Jensen of these credible resources & that the @StarTribune, @PioneerPress & others keep this amendment on their radar

#VaccinesWork
#VaccinesSaveLives
(fin)