Top 5 Things Scientific Technologies Learned About Vaccinations This Year

5. More Americans got a flu shot for this flu season than voted in the last Presidential election. 15 million more!

4. School nurses are “the TSA of disease prevention.” STC Medical Advisor, Dr. Scott Hamstra pointed out for us, “the vaccinating of children is an overwhelming success, with fewer than 1% of American kids having gotten no vaccines at all.” A major contributor to that success are all the school requirements for immunizations, and it falls to school nurses to enforce those requirements.

3. Pharmacy techs succeed as vaccinators: In March of last year, the Idaho legislature put a new law into effect, allowing pharmacy techs to administer vaccinations. Alex Adams, head of the Idaho Board of Pharmacy estimates that ‘techs have now given 25,000 vaccinations with zero complaints to the Board of Pharmacy.” Adams offered his assessment of what happens next: “I see this as expanding rapidly. Rhode Island has already joined in and Utah is close.”

2. “The Vaccine Superhero”: What do kids know about vaccinations? Just one thing: THEY HURT!  STC developed a new resource to educate and entertain kids as they wait to get vaccinated. It’s free and everyone loves the copyright: Permission to reprint is hereby given to anyone administering vaccines to children. On one side of the “Vaccine Superhero” handout is a pair of cartoons and on the reverse side is the education part, a kid-friendly discussion of vaccinations. “It’s not a shot; it’s a superpower.” Free downloads at https://stchealth.com/2018/01/12/itsnotashotitsasuperpower/

1. Autism Research Enters the Debate Over the Role of Vaccines. We have a new ally in the debate with those who are anti-vaccination – autism research. Some findings:

• Autism can often be detected prior to the MMR vaccine, and probably begins before birth.
• Many eager scientists have tried to find a link between vaccines and autism and have failed. Moreover, that there is no logical mechanism for vaccines to “turn on” autism, while a genetic connection makes sense.
• Autism organizations are supporters of vaccinations. (For example, see the website of the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center at
• www.autismcenter.org/vaccines-and-autism )

More “What We Learned” at https://stchealth.com/?p=3966

To go along with the report on pharmacy techs, the Immunization Ambassadors released a new cartoon offering a lighthearted look at the need for flu shots.

About STChealth

STChealth’s mission is to eradicate vaccine preventable disease and empower individuals through our innovative technology and service solutions. We deliver on our mission through passion and innovation, through teamwork and inclusion, through superior client service and products, and a relentless pursuit of the next ”big idea”​ that will advance immunization intelligence. Starting with developing the first Immunization Information System (IIS) and over 35 years of experience in the immunization ecosystem, STChealth is positioned today to support more than 1/3 of COVID-19 vaccinations reported in the U.S. through our network of over 70,000 Providers and Pharmacy Partners. More information can be found at www.STChealth.com