Kaliah's Law

What do pneumonia, apnea, encephalopathy (brain damage), seizures, fractured ribs, miscarriage and death have in common? They are the potential complications of the avoidable disease Pertussis, or otherwise known as Whooping Cough.  Pertussis can cause significant life-threatening medical problems in young children and those who are not fully vaccinated or up to date with their immunizations.  Reported cases of this vaccine-preventable disease are increasing at an alarming rate. In 2010, 27,550 cases of Pertussis were reported in the United States; 3,350 of those cases were in infants younger than 6 months of age — 25 of those infants died. Across the United States, medical professionals and politicians are coming to together to advocate the importance of the Pertussis vaccine and booster, while parents and affected family members are also becoming involved to spread the message: Vaccines save lives.  It’s vital everyone steps up in order to protect each other, especially the most vulnerable to the effects of Pertussis by receiving their vaccines. Kaliah's Law is an example of a family working together after tragedy to prevent others from the loss and devastation they encountered in 2011. Kaliah Dailynn Holly Jeffery died at the age of 27 days, a heartbreaking victim of the Washington State Pertussis outbreak.  To commemorate her short life, her family is working hard with local, county, and state government to implement Kaliah’s law.  The family is stepping up their efforts during the one-year anniversary of Kaliah’s life—a time they have dubbed “Kaliah’s 27 Days.” Their goal is to have legislation written in January 2013, which would require that the Department of Health publicize and mail an “Official Public Health Warning Notice” to all households, businesses, and PO Boxes in the area. The notices would serve to warn citizens of the epidemic, so they may react accordingly. Before her birth, Kaliah’s parents were unaware that that their home state Washington was among the top 5 states experiencing a Pertussis outbreak (It's "Very, Very Bad"). They had not been informed about the dangers their newborn faced from the Pertussis outbreak, nor were they educated about the importance for those who would have close contact with the infant to obtain the Pertussis booster (To date there are 15 States with incidence of Pertussis the same or higher than the national incidence (as of July 5, 2012), which is 5.24/100,000 persons
Wisconsin	50.7	Utah	14.2	New York State	7.3
Washington	39.2	Maine	14.1	Illinois	6.7
Montana	32.7	Oregon	13.4	Pennsylvania	6.3
Vermont	23.7	New Mexico	11.7	Missouri	5.8
Minnesota	23.4*	Arizona	8.3	Idaho	5.7
Iowa	21.0	Colorado	8.2	Alaska	5.2

(http://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/outbreaks.html/)

In the United States, the recommended Pertussis vaccine for infants and children is called DTaP.  Kaliah would not be able to receive the first dose of the DTap until at least 2 months of age. For maximum protection against Pertussis, children need 5 DTaP shots. The first 3 shots are given to infants at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. As such, care must be given to ensure that parents & caregivers are vaccinated against the disease by receiving the Tdap vaccination at least two weeks prior to coming into contact with an infant.  

As part of “Kaliah’s 27 Days” campaign, from now until August 16^th advocates of Kaliah’s Law are looking for supporters to sign the Change.org petition, and contact their local legislators. The Facebook event page has a link for every state in the information section.

Kaliah’s Aunt, Kennetha Scott, has been unwavering with her campaign for Kaliah’s Law on her Blog, Kennetha’s Korner, and Facebook page- Two great sources for additional information and updates on the law.

Nurses Who Vaccinate proudly supports Kaliah’s Law which would notify communities and citizens of ongoing epidemics in their neighborhood. Once alerted, residents could seek information from their medical physicians and their State Department of Health, regarding boosters and proper precautions. Nurses are essential in public health education and prevention -  Kaliah’s Law is an excellent intervention for pro-active nurses to support - The death of an infant reminds us there are vulnerable people in our community and the only way to protect them and prevent future casualties, is if everybody is  vaccinated.

California's AB 2109

     States like California are stepping up and seeking to further parental education and awareness on immunizations.An act to amend Section 120365 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to communicable disease, AB 2109, would ensure that parents receive accurate information about immunizations from a licensed health care practitioner before they decide if they will sign a new refusal form that explains and details the risks of refusing vaccinations.

Actual Amendment:

(1) A written statement signed by a health care practitioner that indicates that the health care practitioner provided the parent or guardian of the person, or the person if an emancipated minor, who is subject to the immunization requirements of this chapter with information regarding the benefits and risks of the immunization and the health risks of the communicable diseases listed in Section 120335 to the person and to the community. This statement shall be signed not more than six months from the date when the person subject to the immunization requirements is first admitted to the school. If the person was admitted to the school prior to entering the 7th grade and is about to enter the 7th grade, then an additional letter or affidavit shall be filed with the written statement signed by the health care practitioner not more than six months from the first day of school for a person about to enter the 7th grade.

(2) A written statement signed by the parent or guardian of the person, or the person if an emancipated minor, who is subject to the immunization requirements of this chapter that indicates that the signor has received the information provided by the health care practitioner described in paragraph (1). This statement shall be signed not more than six months from the date when the person subject to the immunization requirements is first admitted to the school. If the person was admitted to the school prior to entering the 7th grade and is about to enter the 7th grade, then an additional letter or affidavit shall be filed with the written statement signed by the parent not more than six months from the first day of school for a person about to enter the 7th grade.

(b) On and after July 1, 2013, a separate form prescribed by the State Department of Public Health shall accompany the letter or affidavit filed pursuant to subdivision (a). The form shall include both of the following:

(c) When there is good cause to believe that the person has been exposed to one of the communicable diseases listed in subdivision (a) of Section 120325, that person may be temporarily excluded from the school or institution until the local health officer is satisfied that the person is no longer at risk of developing the disease.

(d) A copy of the signed written statement shall be accepted in lieu of the original form. A signed letter from the health care practitioner that references the person’s name shall be accepted in lieu of a statement on the original form.

(e) For purposes of this section, “health care practitioner” means a physician and surgeon, licensed pursuant to Section 2050 of the Business and Professions Code, a nurse practitioner who is authorized to furnish drugs pursuant to Section 2836.1 of the Business and Professions Code, or a physician assistant who is authorized to administer or provide medication pursuant to Section 3502.1 of the Business and Professions Code.

The remainder of the bill can be found here on California's Legislative Information website.

If you would like to let the Health Committee know that you support the simple provisions of AB 2109, and that you would like the Committee to approve the bill for hearing in the Assembly, the names and contact information of the Committee are listed on this link. Special thanks to I Speak of Dreams for collecting the contact information.

For information on Assembly member Richard Pan (D 5th District)'s public statement see the following link.

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