Aug. 22, Vaccination In Central Wisconsin

Vaccination rates in Wisconsin lag behind national goals, especially for children in rural areas in central and north central Wisconsin. Efforts are underway to change that, including a proposed bill that would allow pharmacists to vaccinate children. In addition, a new proposed mandate would add the meningitis vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for students entering the seventh grade.

Shereen Siewert welcomes Portage County Public Health Nursing Supervisor Melanie Baehr and Dr. Jonathan Temte, a UW-Madison expert on vaccination and microbiology, for a discussion on vaccination and how the new proposal would impact students in our area. State Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point) will also discuss his bill that would allow pharmacists to vaccinate children, an effort to boost rates in rural areas where access to doctors can be limited.