 This is a picture of the first day I met Kaliah. Later in the evening, she was taken into the Emergency room. There was a birthday party at the house and there were a few other babies in the room with her that day, with people passing the babies around, even though they knew she had Whooping Cough. They were all unaware that it was dangerous. They were all unaware there was expected to be a higher than normal year for the disease, based on an epidemic in California in 2010. They should have been made aware. However, it was a full three months into the worst epidemic in decades, that the message was finally shared with the public. They said it cost too much too warn us. They told us, the family of the victim, to go to the private sector to raise the money to warn the public about the epidemic. We think it costs more for them not to tell us. It costs us our children's lives. It would cost about .08 to send a warning, I think it is a bargain. Department of Health, please tell us when a contagious disease is at epidemic levels in our neighborhood. We want to protect our family and need this information so we can decide how to proceed. Please sign and share Kaliah's Law so you know when the next epidemic is in your neighborhood. http://www.change.org/petitions/epidemic-warning-law-pass-kaliah-s-law-washington-state-hb-1139-and-sb-5228?utm_campaign=url_share_after_sign&utm_medium=url_share&utm_source=share_petition
 - "Act Relating to public notification of local health conditions"
This is what they named Kaliah's Law before it goes for a vote.
Please contact your local representative and tell them to support the new bill "An Act Relating to public notification of local health conditions"
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/
Here is the bill:
House Health Care Committee
December 12, 2012 (9:45 AM)
AN Act Relating to public notification of local health conditions; and adding a new section to chapter 70.05 RCW.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.70 RCW to read as follows:
(1) By January 1, 2014, the department shall establish guidance for local health jurisdictions to consider while developing community health alert notification plans. The guidance shall assist local health jurisdictions with the adoption of community health alert notification plans by addressing components of the plan including the:
(a) Methods for monitoring the incidence of notifiable conditions within the local health jurisdiction and determining when the incidence of notifiable conditions exceeds the rate that would be expected within the particular jurisdiction; and
(b) Manner and content for informing the public within the local health jurisdiction's territory as notifiable conditions exceed the rate that would be expected. The department shall identify factors to consider when determining the appropriate level of public notification such as the risk to the public from the notifiable condition, the duration of the higher incidence of the notifiable condition, the extent of the increased incidence, the cost-effectiveness of various options, and the balancing of the need to keep the public informed without creating either undue concern or diminished receptivity to severe public health risks.
(2) In developing the guidelines, the department shall establish a temporary work group of public health officials, representatives of local media establishments, and the public.
(3) For purposes of this section,
(a) "Local health jurisdiction" means a county board of health organized under chapter 70.05 RCW, a health district organized under chapter 70.46 RCW, or a combined city and county health department organized under chapter 70.08 RCW.
(b) "Notifiable condition" means a disease or condition that the state board of health has determined to be of public health importance and must be reported to either the local health officer or the department.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 70.05 RCW to read as follows:
(1) By July 1, 2014, each local board of health shall adopt a community health alert notification plan that establishes the method by which the local health department, health district, or combined city and county health department shall keep the public who reside in its jurisdiction informed of variations in the incidence of notifiable conditions that exceed the rate that would be expected. The plan shall address the elements identified in section 1 and shall give consideration to the guidance established by the department.
(2) The plan shall be made available to the public on the web site of each local health department.
--- END ---
 Here is Kaliah's Law!
It is only a draft at this time, but it is the beginning of a life saving law. Created for Kaliah, to remember her always by warning citizens when there is an epidemic in their community!
Christopher Blake 360-786-7392
House Health Care Committee
December 12, 2012 (9:45 AM)
AN ACT Relating to ---; and adding a new section to chapter 70.05 RCW.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.70 RCW to read as follows:
(1) By January 1, 2014, the department shall establish guidance for local health jurisdictions to consider while developing community health alert notification plans. The guidance shall assist local health jurisdictions with the adoption of community health alert notification plans by addressing components of the plan including the:
(a) Methods for monitoring the incidence of notifiable conditions within the local health jurisdiction and determining when the incidence of notifiable conditions exceeds the rate that would be expected within the particular jurisdiction; and
(b) Manner and content for informing the public within the local health jurisdiction's territory as notifiable conditions exceed the rate that would be expected. The department shall identify factors to consider when determining the appropriate level of public notification such as the risk to the public from the notifiable condition, the duration of the higher incidence of the notifiable condition, the extent of the increased incidence, the cost-effectiveness of various options, and the balancing of the need to keep the public informed without creating either undue concern or diminished receptivity to severe public health risks.
(2) In developing the guidelines, the department shall establish a temporary work group of public health officials, representatives of local media establishments, and the public.
(3) For purposes of this section,
(a) "Local health jurisdiction" means a county board of health organized under chapter 70.05 RCW, a health district organized under chapter 70.46 RCW, or a combined city and county health department organized under chapter 70.08 RCW.
(b) "Notifiable condition" means a disease or condition that the state board of health has determined to be of public health importance and must be reported to either the local health officer or the department.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 70.05 RCW to read as follows:
(1) By July 1, 2014, each local board of health shall adopt a community health alert notification plan that establishes the method by which the local health department, health district, or combined city and county health department shall keep the public who reside in its jurisdiction informed of variations in the incidence of notifiable conditions that exceed the rate that would be expected. The plan shall address the elements identified in section 1 and shall give consideration to the guidance established by the department.
(2) The plan shall be made available to the public on the web site of each local health department.
--- END ---
KALIAH'S LAW
KADEN'S LAW
 Just another reminder about the four states we have laws in work to warn the the public in the event of an epidemic of any contagious disease in their area. Please help us add all of the other states and make this happen!
My niece got her Tdap shot right after her daughter was born, but it was too late. She already had it, and passed it on to her child, Kaliah. Kaliah died at 27 days old from Pertussis. Chelsey did everything right, and had even asked them to give it to her while she was pregnant. The recommendation in 2011 was not to give it to a pregnant woman. A couple months after Kaliah's death, they changed that recommendation to say to give it to a pregnant woman. Now they are saying to give it to them more than once before they have said the rest of the population should have more than one per lifetime. I am not without concerns about this decision. However, what I have learned is that they have a lot more data than they share with us. If this wasn't safe, they wouldn't go this far. They have a tendency to only say things when their hand is forced into action, as in this epidemic. They have been researching giving a newborn a vaccine as well, but the verdict is still out on that one.
One thing we all know now. There are going to be more of these epidemics in the near future. There is no new vaccine close to completion to fix this. We will all be asked to get more booster shots, probably every five years or so. We should do this. We should do this because it it the intelligent thing to do. More people are now resistant to this vaccine after finding out it doesn't work as well as they had previously been told.
But it does work! Hardly anyone questions that we need to get a new tetanus shot every so often; this is no different.
The scientific and medical community recommends this vaccine- Doctors, Nurses, Scientists; all of whom have dedicated themselves to higher learning and discovery by careful, disciplined research.
I choose to believe in them over the unsubstantiated claims of the modern day snake oil salesman that make up much the anti vaccination community.
The more prepared we are for these epidemics, the better.
A big issue is that no one tells you when it is at epidemic levels in your neighborhood, so you don't know to keep yourself away from all of the adults who are not vaccinated at all because their childhood vaccine has worn off, or at least waning.
We are trying to create a law here in Washington state as well as three other states, Illinois, Michigan, and Oregon. This needs to be nationwide. There is no requirement for any state department of health or any other agency to tell the citizens in the event of a epidemic of any contagious disease in their neighborhood. There is no funding directed at it. They told us to go to the private sector to get money to warn the public. Make them tell us! Kaliah's Law in Washington, Collin's Law in Illinois, Kaden's Law in Michigan, and Sebanna's Law in Oregon. Visit Stop Whooping Cough Washington facebook page for more info https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-Whooping-Cough-Washington/155649037851216?ref=hl.
It is unconstitutional to ask for a national law, so it has to be done state by state! As a citizen, I expect to be informed if there is a communicable disease at epidemic levels in my neighborhood, or my state. We ask that a new law be created to require the State Department of Health to send out a Public Health Warning Notice, in the form of a low cost post card, to be mailed to all households, businesses and Post Office Boxes in the affected area. This must happen as soon as any reportable communicable disease reaches the epidemic threshold, which is predetermined by the state Department of Health, in conjunction with the CDC. Please, if you know anyone that has lost a child to a communicable disease, let them know we are here and looking for a child to honor in each state. Have them contact me at kat.scott@hotmail.com or on the Washington Stop Whooping Cough Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-Whooping-Cough-Washington/155649037851216
Link to states with petitions for this law. Please click link to sign petitions:
 South Carolina - Found possible child to represent!
Alabama - Coming Soon!
Alaska - Coming Soon!
Arizona - Coming Soon!
Arkansas - Coming Soon!
California - Coming Soon!
Colorado - Coming Soon!
Connecticut - Coming Soon!
Delaware - Coming Soon!
Florida - Coming Soon!
Georgia - Coming Soon!
Hawaii - Coming Soon!
Idaho - Coming Soon!
Iowa - Coming Soon!
Indiana - Coming Soon!
Kansas - Coming Soon!
Kentucky - Coming Soon!
Louisiana - Coming Soon!
Maine - Coming Soon!
Maryland - Coming Soon!
Massachusetts - Coming Soon!
Minnesota - Coming Soon!
Mississippi - Coming Soon!
Missouri - Coming Soon!
Montana - Coming Soon!
Nebraska - Coming Soon!
Nevada - Coming Soon!
New Hampshire - Coming Soon!
New Jersey - Coming Soon!
New York - Coming Soon!
North Carolina - Coming Soon!
North Dakota - Coming Soon!
Oklahoma - Coming Soon!
Pennsylvania - Coming Soon!
Rhode Island - Coming Soon!
South Dakota - Coming Soon!
Texas - Coming Soon!
Tennessee - Coming Soon!
Utah - Coming Soon!
Vermont - Coming Soon!
Virginia - Coming Soon!
West Virginia - Coming Soon!
Wisconsin - Coming Soon!
Wyoming - Coming Soon!
 Here is the definition of each from Websters Dictionary: EPIDEMIC: "affecting or tending to affect an atypically large number of individuals within a population, community, or region at the same time <typhoid was epidemic>" PANDEMIC: "occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population <pandemic malaria> <pandemic influenza>" So what that means is if say more than one continent is affected, it is a Pandemic, but if only one geographic area is affected, it is an epidemic. So, interestingly enough, while I was researching the Law in Illinois where I was unable to find any law or planning regarding epidemics, I ran across their plan for pandemics. There is an existing plan for a pandemic in nearly every state. I have attached Illinois plan for your review. It is in regard to the H1N1 flu and was created in 2009. There was swift response to this disease, and that is what we want for local epidemics as well. Here is an excerpt from the plan: "Purpose To provide timely, accurate, consistent and appropriate information to the general public, news media, health care providers and other key partners during a pandemic influenza outbreak. Effective emergency and risk communications is essential to supporting the public health response and to help build public trust, confidence and cooperation. Planning Assumptions and Considerations An influenza pandemic will generate intense and sustained demand for information from the public, health care providers, policy makers and the news media. Informing health care providers and the public about influenza disease and the course of the pandemic, the ability to treat mild illness at home and the availability of vaccine will be important to ensure appropriate use of medical resources and avoid possible panic or overwhelming of vaccine delivery sites. Effective communication with community leaders and the media also is important to maintain public awareness, avoid social disruption and provide information on evolving pandemic response activities. Spokespersons will most likely need to acknowledge the anxiety, distress and grief people will experience during a major public health crisis such as a pandemic. Communication efforts will be directed to rapid sharing of appropriate, up-to-date information on the progression of the outbreak, the possible disruptions to routines and events, and contingency measures. The public must be provided as much information as possible to help them understand that uncertainty is part of the process and answers may change as new information and science becomes available. Emergency communication is approved by the Governor or his designee. In the event of an emergency, emergency communication systems will be used as described in the Emergency Operations Plan Government and non-government resources will utilize a single source of information on the state’s position regarding the emergency. Federal partners at CDC and HHS will provide regular updates regarding the pandemic. Local information will be provided to IDPH through existing reporting systems from local sources, such as local health departments, hospitals, physician’s offices and schools. Illinois Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan Version 3.00 August 31, 2009 78 Coordination of release of information among federal, state and local health officials is critical to help avoid confusion that can undermine public trust, raise fear and anxiety, and impede response measures. The state will utilize a Joint Information Center http://www.idph.state.il.us/pandemic_flu/H1N1_Pandemic_Flu_Plan_091409.pdf
|
RSS Feed