442: Telling Public Health Stories, RSV Vaccine Reaction

JANSON SILVERS:  00:03

This is Public Health Review Morning Edition for Thursday, June 15, 2023. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

ED EHLINGER:  00:15

This is the first time in 31 years of the Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality that they actually focused on American Indian-Alaskan Native outcomes.

SILVERS  00:25

Dr. Ed Ehlinger, chaired the Federal Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality. Their report recommends action to save the lives of American Indian and Alaska Native mothers and their babies.

ED EHLINGER:  00:37

It has raised the issue. It has also raised the issue that the context and historical factors are important in assessing the needs of this community. It was important in that it helped develop some relationship with tribal communities across the country where they recognize that if the federal government is willing to go to tribal land to hear those stories, they're making an effort to really listen.

JANSON SILVERS  01:03

Among the committee's recommendations: more data to better understand the problem and drive solutions.

ED EHLINGER:  01:09

The other thing about data is that we oftentimes think of data as purely the numbers that we collect from birth certificates and death certificates and service delivery. But we don't think of the stories that people tell the lived experience as data that also counts. And this report really highlighted the fact that those stories are just as important pieces of data as the numbers on the birth certificate are.

JANSON SILVERS  01:34

You can read the report using the link in the show notes. Also hear more of Ehlinger's comments in a new episode of the Public Health Review Podcast coming soon everywhere you stream audio. Providers are buzzing about new RSV vaccines approved for vulnerable populations. Robert Johnson sat down with ASTHO's Dr. Kimberly Wyche-Etheridge at the TechXpo last month in Chicago to talk about the vaccines and their impact on public health.

ROBERT JOHNSON:  02:06

We've talked with you many times. You're a practicing pediatrician, in addition to a public health professional. How big is the news that we finally have an RSV vaccine for pregnant people?

Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge  02:20

It is so exciting to hear the news that a vaccine for RSV is going to be available for pregnant women. RSV is such a big problem for infants, especially infants who are at-risk, whether or not they may be born premature, or any kind of health problems they may have that puts them at an increased chance of catching RSV and having a more severe illness. So, this is a game-changer.

ROBERT JOHNSON:  02:46

You've seen cases of RSV in your practice, I assume.

Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge  02:49

I've seen lots of cases. I've taken care of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. In the regular pediatric units with RSV, I've watched those who are lucky enough to have a very mild case, and those that have been severely impacted and very, very ill. And unfortunately those that don't make it.

ROBERT JOHNSON:  03:09

Putting on your public health hat, big news there also?

Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge  03:12

Definitely. RSV is one of the major causes of hospitalizations for infants, especially in the season from about November to March, which is typically RSV season. Unfortunately, last year, we saw a lot earlier. Now whether or not that's environmental, or that was just happened to be the year, I don't know. But it made for a very long, very tiring season because of the spread of the disease. It's very, very contagious. And as I said, you never know who's going to be impacted the worst.

ROBERT JOHNSON:  03:43

It's quite possible that many people in the country are 'vaccined out.' How does public health get the word out about this particular vaccine? And how do we make sure that there is substantive uptake?

Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge  03:55

That is a good question, because we did see during COVID, a decrease in our routine childhood vaccinations. And now we're asking people to add yet another vaccine to that. Now, this one because it is actually given to pregnant women, and it has been proven that it's safe for pregnant women, most moms are very interested in what can I do to make sure my baby is healthy. So, they tend to be a little bit more willing to get vaccinated or do the things that they need to do for the sake of their infant.

ROBERT JOHNSON:  04:27

You think then that it might be a little bit of an easier sell than some of the other vaccines that we have out there now that we've been talking about for the last three years?

Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge  04:36

I think so. RSV is so common that a lot of women either know someone, have family members, or have heard of infants who had RSV, and have been in the hospital. And that's a very scary thought for any parent to have an infant in the hospital. And anything that can be done to avoid that has good potential of having good uptake.

ROBERT JOHNSON:  04:59

Is that the best argument for getting this when you're pregnant, or are there others that make the case as well?

Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge  05:05

Well, of course, what we want to do is protect the infants when they're still so young, that their anatomy in general puts them at risk for having severe respiratory complications. RSV, being a lower respiratory disease gets a really, really small little breathing tubes or airways, and causes some damage in those airways, which then makes it difficult to breathe. So when that happens, and a lot of children will require oxygen, and some may require having breathing tubes put in. So when you know that that's a potential outcome of it, you really want to try to avoid those things. And many kids or babies that have RSV end up with asthma, or other kind of long-term health issues as a result of having that as an infant.

ROBERT JOHNSON:  05:50

What can public health people do to help raise interest to boost interest in the vaccine now that it's available?

Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge  05:57

Within public health, we have to do what we do best. And that's tell our story, and tell the story about how vaccines have decreased death rates, have increased the potential of children making it to their first birthday, we know the US has an infant mortality problem those babies dying before their first birthday. Some of them are from infectious causes like RSV, so being able to decrease that means that we have more babies making it to the first birthday, and that's something for everybody to celebrate.

JANSON SILVERS  06:27

Also today, Alice Schenall outlines an ASTHO blog on the Boundary Spanning Leadership workshops. These are designed to teach public health leaders how to recognize, address, and span existing boundaries.

ALICE SCHENALL  06:39

Leadership is not an individual, nor is it a formal position of authority. Moreover, it's a social process that's focused on three outcomes: direction, alignment, and commitment. So basically, 'Where are we going? How do we get there, and who's involved with the process?'

JANSON SILVERS  06:57

Schenall says many in public health stand to benefit from this leadership.

ALICE SCHENALL  07:01

Everyone should challenge themselves to have greater capacity to lead across boundaries, and to expand their network to grow an army of supporters that are moving in the same direction for the same reasons and to achieve even higher goals. So every member of a public health organization, whether you are working in finance, whether you're working in HR, whether you're working in maternal and child health, everyone in public health and in the health sector should become a boundary spanning leader, I do believe.

JANSON SILVERS  07:37

If you're interested in learning more, you can sign up for the Boundary Spanning Leadership workshops using the link in the show notes.

Also, today, endgame isn't only the name of a Marvel movie, it's also a tobacco policy strategy. O'keyla Cooper has more.

O'KEYLA COOPER:  07:53

ASTHO and Action on Smoking and Health are teaming up to host an expert panel discussion on building state readiness for the tobacco endgame. This discussion will focus on policy approaches that aim to phase out the sale of all commercial tobacco products. The panel will also explore how endgame policies impact health disparities and social determinants of health. Don't miss out on an opportunity to join the conversation. Registration information can be found in the show notes.

JANSON SILVERS  08:20

That'll do it for today's newscast. We're back tomorrow morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Janson Silvers. You're listening to Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.