HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The 2024 National Immunization Survey will take place in April, said Department of Public Health and Social Services officials, who asked the public to answer the call.
The survey will be ongoing for several months, during which time island residents may receive a phone call to participate in the survey, the department announced in a press release.
“We ask the public that if you are called to please cooperate as the information collected is important,” Dr. Robert Leon Guerrero, DPHSS chief medical officer and pediatrician, said in the release.
The National Immunization Survey, or NIS, randomly calls households with children between the ages of 19 and 35 months or 13 to 17 years old.
“Parents or guardians will be asked to provide information on the date and type(s) of vaccinations given to their children. At the end of the interview, authorization to contact their child’s vaccination provider will be requested from the parent or guardian. The health care provider will then be contacted by mail to verify the child’s vaccinations,” Public Health said in the release.
The information is being collected for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to analyze, which will then be sent to Public Health to compare Guam’s vaccination rates with other states and territories, according to the release.
“The data gathered by NIS is used to identify groups at risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, to provide feedback (to) coverage in an effort to increase coverage, and to evaluate the effectiveness of programs designed to increase coverage,” Public Health said in the release.
The phone calls parents receive will be from the following no-charge, off-island telephone numbers: 404-809-2644, 404-809-2195, 404-806-4810, 404-806-4811, or 404-806-4812.
A child gets a shot of vaccine from a Department of Public Health and Social Services employee in November 2017.
