HR1165 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1165 LRB096 21972 GRL 40122 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Illinois House of Representatives finds that influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus; and

WHEREAS, The best way to help prevent seasonal influenza is by getting an influenza vaccination each year; and

WHEREAS, Every year in the United States, an average of more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from influenza-related complications and approximately 36,000 people, most of whom are elderly, die from influenza-related causes; and

WHEREAS, While influenza viruses can cause illness in people of any age group, children are most likely to get sick because their immune systems aren't strong enough to fight off the infection; children and young adults ages 5 to 19 are 3 to 4 times more likely to be infected with influenza than adults; school-aged children are the population group most responsible for transmission of contagious respiratory viruses, including influenza; and

WHEREAS, The elderly make up the population that is most vulnerable to severe illness from influenza, due to weaker immune responses to vaccination; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recently began recommending universal routine seasonal influenza vaccination for all persons aged 6 months of age and older; and

WHEREAS, School-based vaccination programs have been documented to be an effective way to vaccinate children while reducing transmission and infection rates to the large community, while at the same time reducing rates of school absenteeism due to children being infected with influenza; and

WHEREAS, Increasing the focus on providing influenza vaccine to children targeted for immunization will also help efforts to build a sound foundation for future vaccination efforts; and

WHEREAS, Schools can be an effective infrastructure tool to improve pandemic planning by developing collaborations and enhancing partnerships between local health departments, schools, and other community health partners, so that those collaborations can be utilized to help facilitate mass immunization during a pandemic outbreak; and

WHEREAS, Although experience has demonstrated the feasibility and success of school-based influenza vaccination programs in vaccinating school-age children, the Illinois House of Representatives is aware that funding and logistical considerations, particularly involving the procurement and delivery of vaccine to children with private health insurance coverage, continue to present issues of program sustainability; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we support school-based influenza mass vaccination collaborations among local health departments and elementary and secondary schools in their jurisdictions for the purpose of vaccinating school-age children against influenza in accordance with the recommendations of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the annual vaccination of all school-age children 5 through 18 years of age; and be it further

RESOLVED, That these programs through coordination with local health departments, school nurses, school health care programs, and other local entities shall be voluntary for all participants; the influenza vaccination shall be administered only with the consent of the student's parent or legal guardian; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution shall be presented to the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education.