(a)Definitions. For the purposes of this Section: "Committee" means the Immunization Advisory Committee. "Immunization" means the treatment of an individual with any vaccine or immunologic drug licensed, approved, or authorized for use by the United States Food and Drug Administration, including emergency use authorization agents, or meeting World Health Organization requirements, and designed for the purpose of producing or enhancing an immune response against a vaccine-preventable disease. "Medical countermeasures" means products regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration that may be used in a public health emergency, stemming from a terrorist attack or accidental release of a biological, chemical, or radiological/nuclear agent or a naturally occurring emerging infectio
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(a) Definitions. For the purposes of this Section: "Committee" means the Immunization Advisory Committee. "Immunization" means the treatment of an individual with any vaccine or immunologic drug licensed, approved, or authorized for use by the United States Food and Drug Administration, including emergency use authorization agents, or meeting World Health Organization requirements, and designed for the purpose of producing or enhancing an immune response against a vaccine-preventable disease. "Medical countermeasures" means products regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration that may be used in a public health emergency, stemming from a terrorist attack or accidental release of a biological, chemical, or radiological/nuclear agent or a naturally occurring emerging infectious disease. (b) The Director of Public Health shall appoint an Immunization Advisory Committee to advise the Director on immunization issues, including: (1) The control of diseases for which an immunization or medical countermeasure is licensed or regulated in the United States by the United States Food and Drug Administration. The advice shall address the use of immunizations or medical countermeasures shown to be effective in controlling a disease for which an immunization is available. Advice for the use of unlicensed but regulated immunizations or medical countermeasures may be provided based on medical and scientific evidence, if circumstances warrant. For each immunization or medical countermeasure, the Committee shall advise on population groups or circumstances in which it is recommended. The Committee shall also provide recommendations on contraindications and precautions for the use of the immunization or medical countermeasures and provide information on recognized adverse events. The Committee may provide recommendations that address the general use of immunizations or medical countermeasures and special situations or populations that may warrant modification of the routine recommendations. (2) The use of immunizations or medical countermeasures to control disease in Illinois, which shall include consideration of disease epidemiology and burden of disease, immunization or medical countermeasure safety, immunization or medical countermeasure efficacy and effectiveness, the quality of evidence reviewed, economic analyses, and implementation issues. The Committee may revise or withdraw its recommendations regarding a particular immunization or medical countermeasure as new information on disease epidemiology, vaccine effectiveness or safety, economic considerations, or other data become available. (3) The Department of Public Health shall publish any recommendations issued by the Immunization Advisory Committee on the Department's website. (c) The Director shall take into consideration any comments or recommendations made by the Immunization Advisory Committee. (d) The Immunization Advisory Committee shall be composed of no more than 21 members with knowledge of immunization issues. Members shall serve for terms totaling 6 years for a maximum of 2 terms. On the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly, existing members and any members appointed after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly shall be assigned equally into one of 3 classes. Members of the first class shall vacate their seats after 2 years; the second class shall vacate their seats after 4 years; and the third class shall vacate their seats after 6 years so that one-third of members may be appointed every 2 years. Any members serving on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly shall continue as members for whatever remainder of time left for the class they are assigned until the completion of that class's term. Members serving on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly may serve 2 terms after their current term expires. Members of the Immunization Advisory Committee appointed after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly shall include: (i) the Medical Director of the Department of Public Health or the Medical Director's delegate, (ii) a representative from an Illinois local health department, (iii) a certified school nurse or a registered nurse working in a public school, (iv) a public health officer or administrator, (v) a representative of an immunization advocacy organization, (vi) a representative from the State Board of Education, and (vii) licensed health care professionals with knowledge of immunization issues in good standing with the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, including, but not limited to, a pediatrician, a family physician, an internal medicine physician, an obstetrician-gynecologist, a pharmacist, an academic infectious disease clinician, a public health medical provider, and at least one registered nurse. Physician members must be licensed to practice medicine in all its branches. The Department of Public Health may adopt rules and bylaws, as necessary, on membership eligibility, voting procedures, and other administrative matters for the Immunization Advisory Committee in accordance with the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act and any other applicable laws. The Director shall designate one of the Advisory Committee members with a degree of doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathy to serve as the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee. (e) If, in the opinion of the Chairperson of the Immunization Advisory Committee, the Director of Public Health does not adequately consider the recommendations of the Immunization Advisory Committee in issuing the State Guidelines for Communicable Disease Prevention pursuant to Section 1.2 of the Communicable Disease Prevention Act, the Chairperson may call for an override vote. If two-thirds of the Immunization Advisory Committee vote to override the Director's published State Guidelines for Communicable Disease Prevention, the Immunization Advisory Committee may republish recommendations to serve as the State Guidelines for Communicable Disease Prevention. These recommendations shall serve as the State Guidelines for Communicable Disease Prevention for not less than 6 months.