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Women & Children's Health Committee Information

Purpose: 

The Women and Children’s Health Committee (W&C) will focus on the health needs of women and children. As a trusted and credible source of health education and link to valuable resource materials, W&C aims to foster health education that goes beyond mere health information and empowers women of all ages and children to make healthy decisions for themselves and their families, thereby advancing the health, wellness, and well-being of women and children in our target populations.

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2022 Strategies:

W&C will examine health issues that affect women and children, and identify health topics of importance to achieve health and wellness. An exploration of factors that influence each health topic will lead to recommended solutions to address the problem. W&C will research and share sustainable, evidence based tools, resources, and best practices that support health educators in empowering women and children to take control of their health. The W&C Committee will focus on the following health issues given their increased burden during this season.

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Back-to-School Preparations, Kids Health, & PC Health Status

 

It is that time of year, again. Time to stock up on school supplies with the kids. As you prepare for back-to-school, would you consider adding kid's health and computer protections? Both biological and computer viruses/malware spread faster when a large portion of the population is unprotected. 

 

[1] Are all of your kids' vaccine shots up-to-date including COVID-19 for kids 12 years and older, chickenpox (varicella), diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP), flu, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV), measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), meningococcal conjugate, pneumococcal conjugate (PCV13) and pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPSV23), polio (IPV), rotavirus (RV), Serogroup B meningococcal, tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) booster vaccines, and any other pertinent immunizations against the common childhood diseases in your area?

 

​You may check by visiting the CDC web-links below or your local health center, health care provider, or the school nurse in your child's school district. Additionally, remember to get appropriate shots for your college freshman heading off to the dormitory on campus. For information on when a COVID-19 vaccine may become available for children younger than 12 years, click the FDA/NBC link below.

 

Next, what of the kids' personal computers and other electronic devices? Are these devices protected with state of the art anti-virus, anti-malware and Internet security applications (apps)? You may want to include parental controls for added protection. Check reputable websites for more information, get safe third party apps during back-to-school, and install/setup the apps or apply your updates now, since an ounce of prevention is indeed worth a pound of cure."

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  • Preparedness: Women and children need to prepare for emergencies and disasters including winter storms, excessive  heat, fires, chemical spills, hurricanes, tornadoes, and more.

  • Nutrition: Eat well. Provide your body with the essential nutrients it needs to function properly.

  • Physical Activity:  Get active & “Move Your Way.”

  • Work and Health Concerns: Women staying healthy while at work, and children staying healthy while in school, at home and at play.

  • Preventive Medical Care, Early Diagnosis and Treatment: Remind and encourage women and children, especially during this COVID-19 outbreak, to make their health a priority and take care of themselves. Women and children need to visit their health care provider for periodic checkups and early detection and management of emerging health problems. An initial visit will set a personal baseline health record. Mental health issues are becoming more important too in communities.

  • Vision and Hearing: Women and children also need periodic checkups of vision, hearing and scoliosis. This is particularly important for schoolchildren so they can benefit maximally from educational opportunities. Additionally, as women get older it is important to monitor and correct for changes in vision and hearing.

  • Pregnancy and Childbirth Concerns: Healthy People 2030 stresses reduction of maternal deaths, since women in the United States are more likely to die from childbirth or problems related to pregnancy than women in other high-income countries. In addition, there are persistent disparities by race/ethnicity. Thus, improving the quality of medical care for women before, during, and after pregnancy can help reduce maternal deaths.

  • The COVID-19 Pandemic: W&C will amplify and share messages from credible COVID-19 sources of information to help women and children avoid pandemic fatigue, and continue practicing all recommended safety precautions and safe behaviors. Women and children can serve as a great example that motivates other family members.

  • Other Infectious Diseases: These remain of concern.

    • (A) Mothers and caregivers need to ensure children receive timely vaccinations for vaccine-preventable diseases of childhood. 

    • (B) Likewise, pregnant women need to get their recommended shots, as do older women too. Sexually transmitted diseases may have severe consequences and need to be addressed with prevention, early detection, and treatment.

  • Detection and Management of Chronic Health Conditions: It is extremely important for all women and children, especially those with underlying chronic health conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, and women 65 years and older, to take care of their health now. Women with disabilities also need to take care of their health. No less important are precautions to protect children in this season, with a focus on asthma, sickle cell disease, disability, cancer, prevention of self-harm and unintentional injury.

  • Cancer: Healthy People 2030 also stresses reduction of the female breast cancer death rate since breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in American women. Although breast cancer death rates have gone down in recent years, they remain higher in some racial/ethnic groups. Interventions to increase breast cancer screening, personalized treatments, and community-based cancer control efforts are important for reducing breast cancer deaths.

  • Continuing Education and Train-the-Trainers: A selection of Continuing Education Unit credits (CEU) for health educators and team leaders.

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Resources:
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FEBRUARY 1, 2022  NEW HEALTH INFO:

 

A-Z Health Topics on Women's Health - Click for details: 

https://www.womenshealth.gov › a-z-topics

A federal government website managed by the Office on Women's Health (OASH) in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

 

Search for information on health topics from Acne, Asthma, Autoimmune disease, ... Breastfeeding, ... Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, ... Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ... Date rape drugs, ... Depression, ... Fitness & Getting active, ... Hashimoto's disease, ... Health Information Gateway, ... HIV/AIDS, ... Infertility, ... Lupus, ... Mammograms, ... Oral health, ... Period (menstruation), ... Pregnancy, ... Quick Health Data Online, ... Sickle Cell Disease, ... STD/STI, ... through to Weight loss (& overweight & Obesity), and Yeast infections.

 

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https://apnews.com › article › covid-vaccine-children-pfizer-07d72ab0b76329d3899c135afd2a93f5

Pfizer asks FDA to allow COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 5 By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MATTHEW PERRONE February 1, 2022 GMT WASHINGTON (AP) — Pfizer on Tuesday asked the U.S. to authorize extra-low doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5, potentially opening the way for the very youngest Americans to start receiving shots as early as March.

 

 

From Kaiser Health News - Click for details:

KHN First Edition NEW & KHN Morning Briefing

Kaiser Family Foundation, 

Tuesday, February 1, 2022  Updated 8:59 AM

Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

https://khn.org/latest-morning-briefing/

 

NPR: Cervical Cancer Kills Black Women At A Disproportionately Higher Rate Than Whites
For many women, cervical cancer — while scary — is largely preventable, and if caught early, has a five-year survival rate of over 90%. Despite the usually favorable prognosis, an estimated 4,290 U.S. women died of cervical cancer in 2021. Black women, like Williams, are more likely to have a late-stage diagnosis of the disease and are almost one-and-a-half times more likely to die of cervical cancer than white women.

 

Reuters: U.S. CDC Warns Against Travel To Mexico, Brazil, Singapore Over COVID-19
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday advised against travel to a dozen countries because of high rates of coronavirus infection, including Mexico, Brazil, Singapore, Ecuador, Kosovo, Philippines and Paraguay. The CDC now lists nearly 130 countries and territories with COVID-19 cases as "Level Four: Very High." It also added Anguilla, French Guiana, Moldova and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to its highest level on Monday. (Shepardson, 1/31)

 

The Washington Post: Pfizer-BioNTech Coronavirus Vaccine For Children Under 5 Could Be Available By The End Of February, People With Knowledge Say
Coronavirus vaccines for children younger than 5 could be available far sooner than expected — perhaps by the end of February — under a plan that would lead to the potential authorization of a two-shot regimen in the coming weeks, people briefed on the situation said Monday. Pfizer and its partner, BioNTech, the manufacturers of the vaccine, are expected to submit to the Food and Drug Administration as early as Tuesday a request for emergency-use authorization for the vaccine for children 6 months to 5 years old, which would make it the first vaccine available for that age group. Older children already can receive the shot. (McGinley, Sun and Johnson, 1/31)

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AP: Mandate To Vaccinate New Orleans Schoolchildren Kicking In
As school systems across the U.S. struggle to keep classrooms open amid the pandemic, New Orleans is set to become the nation’s first major district to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for children 5 and up, though state regulations will allow parents to opt out easily. Ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, many schools in the city have been holding vaccination events, including one at KIPP Believe school. (Santana, 1/31)

 

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia COVID Deaths Rising As U.S. Deaths From Omicron Surpass Delta 

Deaths from Omicron surpass Delta.

The highly contagious omicron variant has pushed the daily average U.S. COVID-19 death toll higher than last fall’s delta wave as the nation nears a chilling milestone of 900,000 coronavirus deaths. 

 

CNBC: Omicron: Vaccinated Are Less Likely To Spread BA.2, Study Finds
The omicron BA.2 subvariant is inherently more contagious and better at evading vaccines than any other Covid strain, but vaccinated people don’t transmit it as easily as the unvaccinated, according to a Danish study published Sunday. The new subvariant, which has rapidly become dominant in Denmark, spread more easily across all groups regardless of sex, age, household size and vaccination status, the study found. The probability for spreading within a household was 39% for BA.2 versus 29% for BA.1, the original omicron strain that was dominant worldwide as of Jan. 19, according to the World Health Organization. (Kimball, 1/31)

 

AP: Youngkin, Justice Seek Relief From Health Worker Vax Rule 

Warning of hospitals and other health providers facing “an urgent staffing crisis,” the Republican governors of Virginia and West Virginia on Monday asked the Biden administration for a limited waiver to the federal vaccine mandate for health care workers. (Raby and Rankin, 1/31)

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The Washington Post: Coronavirus Vaccine Mandates Appear On Way Out At Virginia’s Public Universities After Attorney General’s Opinion 

One by one, Virginia’s public universities appear to be falling into line with an opinion from the state’s new Republican attorney general, Jason Miyares, that they are not legally authorized to require students to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. 

 

Stat: Moderna Wins Full Approval For Its Covid-19 Vaccine
On Monday, 01/31/2022 Moderna won full approval for its vaccine from the Food and Drug Administration. The approval of Moderna’s vaccine, Spikevax, makes it the country’s second fully licensed vaccine to protect against SARS-CoV-2. The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine, Comirnaty, became the first to be fully approved in August. (Branswell, 1/31)

 

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Fully Approves Moderna’s Covid-19 Vaccine
Moderna completed its application for full approval of Spikevax in August 2021, which included results of a 30,000-person clinical trial. A final analysis of that trial found the vaccine, given as two doses 28 days apart, was 93% effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19 disease, and that efficacy remained durable six months after the second dose. (Loftus, Fidler and Sylvers, 1/31) Hence the need for a booster shot now given after five months of the second vaccine.

 

Politico: FDA Gives Full Approval To Moderna's Covid-19 Shot
The approval for people ages 18 and older will make it easier for schools and workplaces to require vaccination against the virus, now that there are two approved products to choose from, including Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid shot. It will also allow Moderna to market its vaccine directly to consumers. (Foley, 1/31)

 

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From CDC COVID-19 Healthcare Quality and Worker Safety Information

The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination continue to outweigh any potential risks, including myocarditis. CDC recommends that everyone ages 5 years and older get vaccinated as soon as possible and receive a booster dose as soon as eligible.

Click on Additional CDC resources on this topic that can be found here:

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Additional COVID-19 Resources

Operation Expanded Testing (OpET) — Operation Expanded Testing (OpET) provides no-cost laboratory-based testing to childcare centers, K-12 schools, congregate settings, and other communities who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

For more information, see Operation Expanded Testing | CDC 

 

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) — Trends in Disease Severity and Health Care Utilization During the Early Omicron Variant Period Compared with Previous SARS-CoV-2 High Transmission Periods — United States, December 2020–January 2022 — The Omicron variant has been shown to be more transmissible and less virulent than previously circulating variants. 

 

To better understand the severity of disease and health care utilization associated with the emergence of the Omicron variant in the United States, CDC examined data from three surveillance systems and a large health care database to assess multiple indicators across three high–COVID-19 transmission periods: December 1, 2020–February 28, 2021 (winter 2020–21); July 15–October 31, 2021 (SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 [Delta] predominance); and December 19, 2021–January 15, 2022 (Omicron predominance). You can learn more here: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

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DECEMBER 27, 2021 NEW HEALTH INFO:

 

From the US DHHS Office on Women's Health (OASH), double click on the link below to sign up for newsletters and to see Tips for a Healthy and Safe Holiday Season."

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USOPHSOWH/bulletins/3029575

 

 

For additional tips on how to "Stay Safe and Healthy in Winter,"  Click on the following link for details." 

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/features/winterweather/index.html?

 

Some communities have had more than 10 feet of snow and recently a snowstorm got drivers stuck on I-95 in Virginia for upwards of three days! 

Are you ready? The National Center for Environmental Health has some tips. 

 

"Winter storms and cold temperatures can be dangerous. Stay safe and healthy by planning ahead. Prepare your home and vehicles. Prepare for power outages and outdoor activity. Check on older adults. Although winter comes as no surprise, many of us may not be ready for its arrival. If you are prepared for the hazards of winter, you are more likely to stay safe and healthy when temperatures start to fall." Click on the link below for details on the following steps: https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/features/winterweather/index.html?

 

• Prepare your home

• Prepare your vehicle

• Prepare for emergencies

• Take precautions outdoors

• Do this when you plan to travel

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Women’s Corner - Selected Resources:

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Resources for All Mothers:

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Grandmothers’ Zone - Selected Resources:

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Kids’ Fun Corner - Selected Resources:

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Students’ Section - Selected Resources:

STUDENT LESSON PLAN: This lesson will help students think critically about their daily food choices and build healthy habits.

 

 

Train-the-Trainer CEUs for Health Education & Health Promotion Specialists:

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Contact Us - women.children.ncasophe1@gmail.com

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