HOUSE MEMORIAL 78
53rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2018
INTRODUCED BY
Elizabeth "Liz" Thomson
A MEMORIAL
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, PHARMACISTS AND OTHER HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS TO PROMOTE SHINGLES AWARENESS AND ADULT VACCINATION AGAINST SHINGLES.
WHEREAS, according to the United States centers for disease control and prevention, herpes zoster, commonly known as the condition called "shingles", is a disease caused by the same "zoster" virus that causes chickenpox; and
WHEREAS, any individual who has contracted chickenpox is at risk for shingles, which includes approximately ninety-eight percent of adults in the United States; and
WHEREAS, according to experts, nearly one in three people in the United States will contract shingles in their lifetime, corresponding to an estimated one million people annually; and
WHEREAS, according to the United States centers for disease control and prevention, the risk of contracting shingles increases with age, with nearly one-half of those affected over sixty years of age, and one-half of people living until eighty-five years of age will develop shingles; and
WHEREAS, shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash that can be severe, along with other symptoms, including long-term nerve pain, fever, headache, chills, upset stomach, muscle weakness, skin infection, scarring and decrease or loss of vision or hearing; and
WHEREAS, as many as twenty percent of adults who have contracted shingles will develop postherpetic neuralgia, a debilitating complication of shingles that causes severe pain, may interfere with sleep and recreational activities and may be associated with clinical depression; and
WHEREAS, vaccines have reduced the burden of widespread and often fatal diseases, enabling individuals to lead longer and healthier lives while reducing health care costs; and
WHEREAS, although much attention has been paid to the importance of childhood vaccinations, there is a general lack of awareness of adult-recommended vaccines and a misperception that immunizations are unnecessary for healthy adults; and
WHEREAS, the United States centers for disease control and prevention and the advisory committee on immunization practices recommend that all healthy adults fifty years of age and older be vaccinated against shingles to prevent shingles and shingles-related complications; and
WHEREAS, despite the recommendations of United States centers for disease control and prevention officials and other experts that all healthy adults be vaccinated against shingles, only thirty percent of eligible adults over sixty years of age had received the shingles vaccine as of 2015; and
WHEREAS, the annual economic burden of shingles in American adults is estimated to be between seven hundred eighty-two million dollars ($782,000,000) and five billion dollars ($5,000,000,000); and
WHEREAS, the national academy of medicine, formerly known as the institute of medicine, has stated that one of the six causes of excess costs in the United States health care system is missed prevention opportunities; and
WHEREAS, millions of American adults go without routine and recommended vaccinations because the medical system is not set up to ensure that adults receive regular preventive health care; and
WHEREAS, residents of New Mexico should be encouraged to speak with their health care provider to ensure that they have been properly vaccinated against shingles according to current United States centers for disease control and prevention and advisory committee on immunization practices recommendations;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that pharmacists and all health care providers be requested to increase public awareness for the importance of adults receiving vaccines against shingles and to promote outreach and education efforts concerning adult vaccination; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department of health be requested to take appropriate action to promote shingles awareness, including urging health care practitioners to discuss vaccines for shingles with adult patients and adopting appropriate programs and initiatives to raise public awareness of the importance of adult vaccination; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department of health be requested to undertake a study to examine the barriers to shingles vaccination uptake, as well as any potential actions that could increase shingles vaccination rates; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department of health be requested to create and disseminate educational resources on shingles and shingles vaccinations, as well as host regular health- and immunization-focused fairs to educate the residents of New Mexico on vaccine-preventable diseases, including shingles; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department of health be requested to develop a state adult immunization plan, modeled on the national adult immunization plan in collaboration with government and nongovernment stakeholders in New Mexico, that aims to increase adult immunization rates in the state for all vaccines recommended by the federal centers for disease and control and prevention and the advisory committee on immunization; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of health.
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