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TMA Grants to Help Your Practice Improve Local Vaccination Rates - 09/21/2023

Apply for a grant. Vaccines Defend What Matters (formerly Be Wise – Immunize) is TMA’s integrated, multimedia public health education and advocacy effort to overcome vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccination rates in Texas. 

Build Immunization Awareness During August - 09/11/2023

If you weren’t already aware, August is National Immunization Awareness Month. As a physician, you’re aware of how important vaccines are for public health. But some of your patients might not know or understand the benefits of getting vaccinated. Whether you’re talking to parents of young children, senior citizens, or anyone in between, TMA’s Be Wise – Immunize has some tools you can use.

Online Anti-Vaxxers Don’t Deter Texas Physician - 09/11/2023

Frisco anesthesiologist Zach Jones, MD, doesn't let antivax Internet trolls stop him from spreading vaccination message.

Update: Ten Measles Cases Reported in Texas - 09/11/2023

Ten cases of measles have been reported in Texas this year, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) said in a statement Wednesday. The 10th case is an adult who was visiting Guadalupe County from the Philippines, where there is an ongoing measles outbreak, the statement said. 

Using Social Media to Curb HPV on Campus - 09/11/2023

With funding help from the TMA Foundation, the association’s philanthropic arm, more than 100 students at Angelo State University in San Angelo and Tyler Junior College in Tyler received free HPV shots at their schools’ health fairs March 5 and 7.

Talk To Your Patients About: Mumps - 09/11/2023

The March issue of Texas Medicine highlights mumps, which spreads easily through sneezing and coughing, or just touching infected surfaces. A vaccine, first introduced in 1967, reduced U.S. cases by 99 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Talk to Your Patients About: Tetanus - 09/11/2023

The April issue of Texas Medicine highlights tetanus, which causes painful spasms that typically occur in jaw muscles but can wrack the entire body, and can be fatal.

Talk to Your Patients About: Meningococcal B - 09/11/2023

Texas Medicine recently highlighted Meningococcal B, a bacterial infection that can affect the blood, brain, and spinal cord with lasting effects like learning difficulties, hearing loss, or limb amputation. The Meningococcal B vaccine is relatively new, having won Food and Drug Administration approval in 2014.

Texas is No. 1 in “Hotspots” For Vaccine Exemptions - 09/11/2023

Houston, Fort Worth, Plano, and Austin are among the cities in the nation with the highest number of kindergartners who have not received vaccinations because of nonmedical reasons, according to the study published this week in the journal PLOS Medicine.

Talk to Your Patients About: Hepatitis B - 09/11/2023

Texas Medicine recently highlighted Hepatitis B, a viral liver infection that spreads through contact with blood and other bodily fluids. Hepatitis B has two stages: acute and chronic. The acute stage is often symptomless, making the disease easy to spread unknowingly. The acute stage normally resolves within six months. But if it becomes chronic, the condition can cause lifelong health problems like cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) and liver failure.

Most Texans Support Mandatory Childhood Vaccinations, Yet Another Poll Shows - 09/11/2023

Although an anti-vaccine movement has continued to grow in Texas, the vast majority of voters support requiring vaccinations for Texas children, results from a poll released this week show.

Talk to Your Patients About: Polio - 09/11/2023

February’s Texas Medicine magazine highlights polio, a virus that was mostly  eradicated in the United States by 1979, thanks to a vaccine. However, we still vaccinate children here because the crippling disease remains a problem in Asia and Africa, and it could spread when people travel.

Talk to Patients About: Hib - 09/11/2023

Talk to your patients about Haemophilus influenzae type b – or Hib, which, despite its name, does not cause influenza. However, Hib causes several severe illnesses, particularly meningitis, mostly in children younger than 5.

Talk to Patients About: Diphtheria - 09/11/2023

 Diphtheria infected more than 200,000 and killed 15,000 in the U.S. in 1920, but the growing use of vaccines during that decade caused rates to drop, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says. In the 1940s, the diphtheria vaccine was combined with tetanus and pertussis, and the shot became routine for children. Between 2004 and 2017, only two U.S. cases were reported, CDC says.

Watch Herd Immunity at Work - 09/11/2023

A new simulation  shows the brutal intensity of a measles outbreak after the introduction of just one sick person to a community.

TMA Pushes Back Against Planned Vaccine Payment Cuts - 09/06/2023

As the influenza virus continues to spread statewide, the Texas Medical Association and other specialty societies have taken a stand against a plan to cut by almost 36 percent payments to physicians who administer a flu vaccine in their offices.

TMA Partners to Boost HPV Vaccination Rates - 09/06/2023

To help improve HPV vaccination rates, the Texas Medical Association joined with a coalition of more than 40 other organizations Tuesday to announce a renewed statewide immunization campaign to prevent HPV-related cancers.

Multiple Mumps Cases Reported in Immigrant Detention Centers Across Texas - 09/06/2023

Texas physicians should be on the lookout for mumps as health officials investigate multiple cases of the infectious disease in immigration centers throughout the state.  

Combating Measles Resource Center - 09/06/2023

The December 2014 "Disneyland" nationwide measles outbreak and the 2013 outbreak in North Texas -- all primarily among unimmunized persons -- brings new attention to a disease once thought to be eliminated in the United States. TMA has collected the information below to help you and your patients combat this deadly disease.  

Urge Texans to Get Flu Vaccine Early, Officials Say - 09/06/2023

With flu season on the horizon – and the COVID-19 pandemic expected to continue – Texas physicians should strongly encourage patients to receive a flu vaccination as early as possible.

New CME! Talk to Parents About Vaccine-Preventable Diseases - 09/06/2023

Talking to parents about vaccines can be challenging, especially with the anti-vaccine movement, and the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a decline in childhood vaccinations across the country. That’s why the Texas Medical Association has created a CME course to better prepare you for these conversations.

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) - 09/06/2023

Since the 1980s, pertussis cases in the United States have increased, especially among adolescents and adults. The best way to prevent pertussis infections among adolescents and adults is a Tdap booster.

Encourage School Vaccinations with Prewritten Letters to the Editor - 08/31/2023

To help you spread the word to families who might have missed or avoided vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Texas Medical Association’s Be Wise – Immunize program and the Texas Pediatric Society have created four prewritten letters to the editor you can send to your local newspaper.

Another Dubious Distinction: Texas Tops Unvaccinated List - 08/31/2023

According to WalletHub, Texas is No. 50 on its “2019's States that Vaccinate the Most” report, which also includes the District of Columbia. The report analyzed 18 key metrics – from share of vaccinated children to people without health insurance, and reported outbreaks such as measles – to determine each state’s ranking.

Back to School Season Warrants Pneumococcal Vaccine Reminders - 08/08/2023

With school starting back up, Texas Medical Association public health experts remind their colleagues that now's the time to stress the importance of getting children up to date on their pneumococcal vaccine.