CDC-25-0007 Strengthening Vaccine-Preventable Disease Prevention and Response - The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), Immunization Program (GIP) provides a wide array of critical prevention services for Georgians who are at risk of acquiring vaccine preventable diseases. The GIP seeks to lower the incidence and risk of vaccine preventable disease (VPD) by providing vaccine, monitoring immunization rates, and providing education and training programs for public and private immunization providers statewide. The GIP ensures that Georgians are protected from vaccine preventable diseases through various programs. The Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program provides public purchased vaccine, for eligible children, at no charge to VFC enrolled providers. The Adult Vaccine Program (AVP) provides public purchased vaccine, for eligible adults, at no charge to AVP enrolled providers with the goal of increasing adult coverage rates. The Georgia Registry of Immunization Transactions and Services (GRITS) collects and maintains accurate and current vaccination records to promote disease prevention and control. The Education, Assessment, and Training Program shares training on immunization and VPDs for health care providers and consumers and annual assessments of school and childcare immunization status. The Field Services Program provides a quality improvement strategy to raise immunization coverage levels and improve standards of practice at the provider level. The Pandemic Vaccine Program helps to ensure the program stays ready to respond to VPD outbreaks and pandemics through a partnership with the DPH Emergency Preparedness, Communications, and Epidemiology teams completing annual emergency response plan reviews and updates and facilitating mass vaccination clinic exercises. The VPD Surveillance Program tracks and monitors VPD cases and outbreaks and provides case management for cases and their contacts. The Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program tracks infants born to Hepatitis B-infected mothers to ensure their infants complete the Hepatitis B vaccine series and post-vaccination testing. Additionally, the GIP will continue to enhance stewardship and accountability for all publicly purchased vaccine and VFC, Discretionary, VFC Compliance Quality Improvement (VCQI), and Pan Flu grant funding, assess program performance for program improvement, assure access to vaccines, assure that the immunization information system technology infrastructure supports program goals and objectives, and improve and maintain preparedness. The GIP will achieve these objectives through various activities such as updating program guidelines in accordance with CDC policies. GIP will also educate providers, the public, and healthcare professionals and develop programs to improve current rates. GIP will continue performing surveillance of immunization coverage levels and vaccine preventable diseases in the state and working with partners to identify pregnant women with Hepatitis B to prevent transmission. Lastly, GIP will enhance GRITS, as needed, to increase use and promote program goals and improve preparedness plans to assure state preparedness for pandemics and other events requiring vaccine response.
