A new public health campaign, “Adults Need Vaccines Too,” is underway in Illinois to ensure adults maintain immunity against preventable diseases.
The campaign, launched by the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), comes amid low vaccination rates.
The vaccination rate for adults is currently targeted at 70%.
Dr. Asim Jaffer, a family physician at Carl Health in Peoria and past president of IAFP, said central Illinois may be facing this problem because strong patient-doctor relationships are lacking. said.
Dr. Asim Jaffer of Carl Health in Peoria
“If a patient needs to go to the doctor because they don’t feel well, that’s a different thing, but we really need to have a conversation about preventive health,” Jaffer says. “We try to address problems before they happen.”
Jaffer said the flow of misinformation could also be influencing motivation to get vaccinated.
“I think it’s understandable, but it’s certainly possible that patients have some concerns, justified or not, about the safety of vaccination,” Professor Jaffer said. “I think it’s really important for patients to know that the information they’re getting is of good quality, reliable (and) from verified sources.”
Jaffer said this could also reduce motivation to get vaccinated, as the infection rate of COVID-19 is less of a public concern. However, the disease still affects the general population.
“Unfortunately, coronavirus-related deaths continue to occur in Illinois,” Jaffer said. “Fortunately, the severity of the disease is not as severe as it used to be, but people who are already sick or who have other health conditions or chronic illnesses can develop severe illness and eventually You are more likely to die, be hospitalized, or even die.”
“They need to continue seeing their doctors and continue their preventive health care,” Jaffer said.
Jaffer said the “Adults Need Vaccines Too” campaign is being promoted throughout central Illinois on television and radio, as well as through public education institutions and public health care providers.
