ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
Appropriates $500,000 in FY
2000-2001 from the medically needy account to the Department of Health Services
(DHS) for emergency vaccines.
Historically, diseases such
as smallpox, measles, diphtheria and whooping cough have claimed thousands of
young lives each year. Since the
development of certain vaccines, instances of these life-threatening illnesses
have decreased significantly or vanished completely. In April 1998, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) reported zero cases of polio caused by wild polio virus, only one case of
diphtheria, six cases of birth defects from rubella in infants born to
unimmunized migrant worker mothers and 89 cases of measles, all of which are
believed to be importations from other countries.
Last year, the CDC’s
recommended vaccine schedule for the United States included 6 vaccinations:
Hepatitis B, Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis, H. Influenzae type b, inactivated
Polio, Measles/Mumps/Rubella and Varicella.
Recently two additional vaccines, pneumococcal vaccine (Prevnar) and
Hepatitis A, were approved and licensed and are now included in the recommended
vaccination schedule. Pneumococcal
disease kills about 200 children under five each year in the U.S., and
Hepatitis A attacks 48 out of every 100,000 people in Arizona. The Hepatitis A vaccine is already provided
for children two through five years of age.
The federal government, through the Vaccines for Children program,
allocated money to the states for these new vaccines, however, current state
funding of $1.9 million is no longer adequate to cover these vaccinations for underinsured
children. S. B. 1206 provides
additional state monies to cover the costs of these vaccinations to
underinsured children that are not covered with current funds.
Provisions
1. Appropriates $500,000 in FY 2000-2001 from the medically needy account to DHS for emergency vaccines.
2. Exempts the appropriation from lapsing.
1. Becomes effective on signature of the Governor.
Amendments
Adopted by Appropriations Committee
Makes the appropriation a supplemental appropriation for FY 2000-2001.
Senate Action
HEALTH 2/20/01 DP 8-0
APPROP 2/20/01 DPA 10-0-2
Prepared by Senate Staff
February 16, 2001