Downtown Eastside's Immunization Walkabout a North American First: Nurses Will Target Five Serious but Preventable Diseases
CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update
Thursday, June 06, 2002
"Downtown Eastside's Immunization Walkabout a North American First: Nurses
Will Target Five Serious but Preventable Diseases"
Vancouver Sun (06.04.02)::Glenn Bohn
Teams of nurses and volunteers are giving out immunization shots as they
walk through streets, parks and hotels in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
neighborhood during a two-week blitz that began Monday. The public health
campaign, described as the only one of its kind in North America, targets
five serious but preventable diseases.
Immunization shots against pneumonia, hepatitis A and hepatitis B will be
given on the spot. The teams will test for TB and in some cases refer
clients for x-rays and diagnosis at the Downtown Community Health Center.
And they will offer educational material about the prevention and treatment
of syphilis. The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority says the campaign is
different than those in other cities, in that nurses and community
volunteers aren't just asking people to go to an immunization clinic. In
effect, the clinic is going to its clients.
When someone consents to an immunization shot, a nurse will lay out a
sterile cloth on a picnic table or some other suitable place and take out
the needed medical equipment from a shoulder bag.
"This is the only campaign of its kind in North America," said Shelagh
Weatherill, communicable disease control consultant with the Health
Authority. "This is also the first time we have run a street campaign like
this in Vancouver targeting these diseases combined with the TB testing and
syphilis prevention." Health officials have noted a
drop in the number of new hepatitis A cases since 1999, when an immunization
program for the disease began. In that effort, more than 15,000 people have
been immunized against any combination of influenza, pneumonia and hepatitis
A and B. This year's target is to provide 3,000
people with a combination of immunizations and testing. "The street
campaigns are proving to be the best way to reach large numbers of people
who may be reluctant to seek other treatment," Weatherill said.