Infant immunization: Moments of angst, years of protection

Immunizations protect babies from a range of serious childhood illnesses and their complications 鈥� deafness, paralysis, neurological problems, liver and lung damage, and other lasting effects.

“These aren鈥檛 minor ailments like colds. These are potentially deadly diseases,” said Dr. Drew Fillipo, medical director of pediatrics at Northwest Hospital, a part of 91探花Medicine. “Parents sometimes get lulled into a sense of complacency because not too many people get these diseases.”

Read more about infant vaccinations on .

91探花observes state’s job-related deaths in Workers鈥� Memorial Day Ceremony

UW’s聽Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences held a memorial on campus April 25 to observe Workers’ Memorial Day. They honored 64 workers, including soldiers, who died in 2013 from a job-related illness or injury. Photographer Sarah Fish captured the event in a . More coverage of the event is on .

Malaria: Major progress and continuing vulnerabilities

Major progress has been made in the last decade against malaria, a tropical parasitic disease. 91探花graduate Robert Newman, who directed the WHO’s Global Malaria Programme, is hopeful for the disease’s eradication.

“From 2000 to 2014, there was a 50 percent drop in mortality,” he said. Yet a lot of work remains. According to WHO estimates, last year malaria killed more than half a million people.” Learn more on .

Alaska reinstates AirCare membership program

Alaska聽Gov. Sean Parnell聽signed a bill into law to聽allow Airlift Northwest to reinstate its AirCare program for the state’s residents. The annual-subscription covers deductibles and coinsurance fees for emergency air medical transport not covered by insurance.

Details are on .

Beginning May 1, Airlift Northwest will station a Turbo Commander aircraft in Juneau to allow the medical transport service to reach more people living in outlying rural communities in Southeast Alaska.

Airlift has served Southeast Alaska for over 30 years transporting critically ill or injured patients to specialty care in Anchorage or Seattle, and will continue this service. Airlift currently operates a Learjet, which has limitations landing in smaller communities due to shorter airport runways.

The Turbo Commander is better suited to land on shorter runways allowing improved access to the smaller community airports based in Gustavas, Haines, Hoonah, Kake, Prince of Wales Island and Skagway.

鈥淎irlift Northwest is dedicated to saving lives by providing pre-hospital emergency treatment on the ground and in the air,鈥� said Chris Martin, executive director. 鈥淚n response to requests for improved access to medical transport from providers in Southeast Alaska, we are pleased to offer this new service.鈥�

鈥淭he turboprop will allow us to access patients who, in the past, have had to make their way to an area where we could get them in the Learjet. Now we won鈥檛 see that delay,鈥� said Dr. Richard Utarnachitt, medical director for Airlift.

Patient care will be provided by two critical care nurses with current certifications in advanced skills for cardiac life support, pediatric life support, neonatal resuscitation and trauma care.

Airlift Northwest, an entity of 91探花Medicine, provides medical transport to critically ill and injured adults and children throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. It operates six bases in Washington and Alaska.

Airlift also announced recently that it will permanently base a Turbo Commander aircraft in Yakima to provide communities in Central Washington with improved access to urgent medical transport. Communities served by the Yakima-based crew include Wenatchee, Ellensburg, Omak, Moses Lake, the Tri-Cities, Sunnyside, Toppenish and other Central Washington locations.