The County of San Diego Health and
Human Services Agency's Immunization Program conducts
periodic Random Digit Dialing (RDD) telephone surveys.
Interviewers make phone calls to randomly selected phone
numbers to assess immunization coverage rates for San
Diego County residents.
Surveys provide valuable data to
determine what proportions of infants, children, adults
and seniors living in San Diego County are fully
immunized. The information collected helps us plan
programs to do a better job of protecting all San Diegans
from vaccine preventable diseases.
We measure our progress against the
immunization component of the Healthy People objectives
set by the federal Department of Health and Human
Services. The objectives are science-based, 10-year
national objectives for improving the health of all
Americans. It is important to note that these goals are
reviewed regularly and changed to reflect the latest
immunization recommendations.
Vaccine
Coverage Statistics: A Work in Progress
At the time of the last local survey (2016-2017) we found that we had met the 2020 goal of 80% of San Diego preschool children getting the following vaccines: four doses of DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis), three doses of polio, one dose of MMR (mumps, measles, and rubella), three doses of hepatitis B, three doses of Hib (Haemophilus influenzae B), one dose of varicella (chickenpox) and 4 doses of pneumococcal pneumonia (PCV). The graph below shows the trend of immunization coverage nationally and in California as well as San Diego County from 2009-2017. (click on image below to enlarge)
As noted earlier, the Healthy People goals are adjusted as immunization recommendations change, based on the latest science available. The 2020 goal added 4 doses of the PCV vaccine to the coverage measurements. This vaccine, which protects against certain types of pneumococcal disease is recommended for children at 2, 4, 6, and 12-15 months of age.
The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency’s Immunization Program continues to work with its community partners, both organizations and individuals, to improve immunization rates in the County. Staff and partners are always looking for new and innovative ways to increase the effectiveness of immunization promotion and education efforts. Those efforts never cease; every year there is always a new population of babies who need immunizations to protect them from serious, vaccine-preventable diseases.
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