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Result 1: Improved Health Status for New Mexicans

P003: Pneumonia and Influenza death rate per 100,000 population

Current Value

14.4 per 100,000

2016

Definition

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Story Behind the Curve

  • Pneumonia and influenza (P&I) infections are the eighth leading cause of death in the US and 10th in New Mexico. Influenza causes more than 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths nationally each year. The most recommended intervention to reduce these hospitalizations and deaths is vaccination. 
  • P&I infections have decreased over the last 10 years. Recognizing the importance of influenza anti-viral medications in preventing influenza-related deaths has increased their use among hospitalized influenza patients and during influenza outbreaks in healthcare facilities. 
  • Experts recommend annual flu vaccination for everyone six months and older, with few exceptions, and specifically for these high priority groups: pregnant women (up to two weeks post-partum); children younger than 2 years of age; people aged 65 plus; people living with asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic diseases; people who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities; people who live with or care for babies younger than 6 months; American Indians and Alaskan Natives, and people who are morbidly obese. 
  • NMDOH promotes and assures the use and availability of influenza vaccines. Surveillance for influenza-like illness and influenza hospitalizations will continue to inform influenza vaccination policy and recommendations.

Partners

  • NMDOH
  • University of New Mexico
  • New Mexico Immunization Coalition 
  • Office of the Medical Investigator 
  • New Mexico Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology 
  • Regional health promotion teams 
  • Local school districts and schools
  • Local hospital infection control practitioners 
  • Indian Health Services 
  • Albuquerque Tribal Epidemiology Center 
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  
  • National Emerging Infections Program
  • Bureau of Indian Education-New Mexico

What Works

  • Promoting pneumococcal vaccine among adults ≥65 years of age and influenza vaccine among individuals ≥6 months of age.
  • Promoting influenza vaccination to all residents of the state that are six months of age and older per Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and NMDOH recommendations.
  • Preventing influenza-related hospitalizations and deaths by promoting the appropriate use of anti-viral medications consistent with CDC identified risk factors and hospitalization status.
  • Conduct virologic surveillance to detect changes in circulating strains and identify mismatch with vaccine strains.
  • Promoting the use of standing orders for administration of vaccines to high-risk groups.

Strategy

  • Measure the percent of adults ≥65 years of age who receive pneumococcal vaccine.
  • Measure the rates of pneumococcal vaccine uptake among children.
  • Measure the percent of the population ≥6 months of age who receive influenza vaccine.
  • Measure P&I death and hospitalization rates through existing surveillance systems to detect changes in morbidity and mortality.
  • Conduct viral isolation of specimens to detect changes in circulating viral strains and to compare what is circulating with vaccine strains.
  • Measure the use of anti-viral medications among hospitalized cases and deaths attributed to influenza.
  • Increased pneumococcal & influenza vaccination rates among New Mexicans.

FY18 Annual Progress Summary

In FY18, the New Mexico Department of Health Epidemiology and Response Division continued to work collaboratively with key internal programs as well as several state, federal, and tribal partners to understand and address the existing challenges and barriers in reducing this public health burden for New Mexico.  All of the work done in FY18 has established a solid foundation on which FY19 achievements will be based on.  

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