Park County Wyoming Health Officer

02/07/2026

A new review by the Vaccine Integrity Project of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy confirms that there is no benefit of delaying the hepatitis B vaccine birth dose. The report also shows significant reduction in infections for those vaccinated.

Researchers state that recent changes to U.S. vaccine policies were not supported by any analysis on the possible risks of delaying hepatitis B vaccination. Decades of evidence have shown the hepatitis B vaccine is critical for helping to protect children from developing chronic hepatitis B.

02/07/2026

🌡️Looking ahead to next week, outside of Alaska and the West Coast, the rest of the U.S. will likely see Above Normal Temperatures for mid February.
NOAA NWS Climate Prediction Center

http://weather.gov

02/07/2026

SURGICAL GENDER AFFIRMING CARE FOR MINORS

Recently, both the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the American Medical Association (AMA) backtracked on their positions concerning surgical gender affirming care for minors with gender confusion.

Both organizations point to a reanalysis of the medical evidence. If the medical evidence has not changed (only the analysis), then it appears this was always largely based on ideology rather than medical evidence.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11930-023-00358-x?s=08

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/26344041241269298

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/two-medical-associations-recommendations-gender-012831754.html

The recommendations are not establishing new clinical practice guidelines for gender-affirming care, one organization said.

02/07/2026

The dry start to February might be coming to an end as a more active pattern is looking favorable for next week (February 10-14).

02/06/2026

PEDIATRIC INFLUENZA DEATH IN FREMONT COUNTY

There have been 52 pediatric influenza deaths in the US so far during the 2025-2026 season (90% were not vaccinated against influenza).

https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2026-week-03.html #:~:text=The%20weekly%20influenza%2Dassociated%20hospitalization,not%20fully%20vaccinated%20against%20influenza.

A recently reported flu-related death of a Fremont County child is a sad reminder that influenza can be a serious disease and should not be overlooked, according to a Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) official. Dr. Alexia Harrist, State Health Officer with WDH, said, “Unfortunately, the death of ...

02/01/2026

Where can I find reliable information about vaccines?

Click the link below for this informative article from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA):

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2844709?guestAccessKey=89f0a7c5-a546-484f-89b0-489110bdc29f&utm_medium=email&utm_source=postup_jn&utm_campaign=article_alert-jamainternalmedicine&utm_content=olf-tfl_&utm_term=013026

01/28/2026

SHARED CLINICAL DECISION MAKING

The phrases "shared clinical decision making" (SCDM) and "individual choice" have been used a lot lately in relation to childhood immunizations. Here's a chart that helps differentiate what phrases like this actually mean and how they have been used.

01/27/2026

01/22/2026

REPORTABLE DISEASES

The Wyoming Department of Health has updated its list of reportable diseases.

Additions:
Oropouche virus
Pediatric COVID-19 deaths
Carbapenemase-producing organisms
HIV viral loads

Deletions:
Acute Flaccid Myelitis and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

https://alertsenseadmin.blob.core.windows.net/wyoming-department-of-health-attachments/b912485f-eb1f-43d8-afde-c066c1d8c35c/2026-Reportable-Disease-List.pdf?sv=2014-02-14&sr=b&sig=E0vJZKiEHmXnDa3Ss52xmz0GPh%2BERoqzlYCQgLtkchc%3D&se=2026-01-29T21%3A05%3A39Z&sp=r

01/22/2026

TRENDS IN NONMEDICAL CHILDHOOD VACCINATION EXEMPTIONS OVER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

This study was published January 14, 2026 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. County-level data indicate a sharp rise in nonmedical childhood vaccination exemptions in the US from 2010 to 2024, with post-pandemic rates highest in Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Arizona.

The graph shows that in the US, nonmedical exemptions increased while medical exemptions decreased over the study period. The COVID-19 pandemic was from March 2020 to May 2023.

The maps show how Wyoming and Park County fared in this analysis.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2843870?guestAccessKey=6f7a1992-cd74-409d-8861-0f61d774197e&utm_source=fbpage&utm_medium=social_jama&utm_term=19309055909&utm_campaign=article_alert&linkId=899368969&fbclid=IwY2xjawPegstleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFJR0FJR3RjclFTZVVDUHUyc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHmivI0Auw-Bwq0VxfaLz670LU6eHgf6unccz6WApuQF5nh_VXzhFuybvAV_E_aem_SIdAmphHNZrjlRsMS-uXzA

01/21/2026

MEASLES OUTBREAK IN SOUTH CAROLINA

As of yesterday, the measles outbreak in upstate South Carolina is up to 646 cases. 538 individuals are in quarantine, and 33 are in isolation. This outbreak, like others, has been linked to declining vaccination rates.

https://dph.sc.gov/news/tuesday-measles-update-dph-reports-88-new-measles-cases-upstate-bringing-outbreak-total-646

Quarantine - For measles, quarantine is for those with a significant exposure, no symptoms, who are unvaccinated, and lasts 21 days. Those who are willing/able to get the 1st dose of MMR within 72 hours after exposure can avoid quarantine.

Isolation - Isolation is for those with confirmed or highly suspected measles. In measles, an individual is contagious from 4 days before until 4 days after the rash appears.

Herd Immunity - The measles vaccine is highly effective (97%) at preventing symptomatic infection. The CDC has determined that a 95% vaccination rate is the threshold for herd immunity against measles. When herd immunity is achieved, outbreaks are unlikely to occur, and those with bona fide religious objections and medical contraindication to vaccination are protected. Also protected are infants too young to be immunized and individuals with compromised immune systems.

https://www.bridgeportct.gov/news/what-herd-immunity-and-why-its-essential-preventing-measles #:~:text=Measles%20is%20one%20of%20the,%5BWHO%5D%2C%202023).

01/19/2026

BREAKING: NOAA has issued a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch for January 20th in response to the large solar flare and CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) Sunday. While exact timing is always tricky, the current expectation would be for this to play out late TONIGHT into early Tuesday morning.

At G4, the northern lights can become visible into southern latitudes of the United States. The map below offers a loose representation of view line potential during a Severe G4 event.