|
The County of San Diego Health and
Human Services Agency's Immunization Branch 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
We still have a way to go to meet the
Healthy People 2020 goal of 80% of San Diego County
preschool children getting all the standard vaccines. At
the time of the last local survey (2009) the standard
vaccines included: 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), and one dose of varicella
(chickenpox). Prior to 2009, we achieved and maintained a
rate of higher than 80%, which was also the Healthy People
2010 goal. However, the rate dropped in 2008-2009 because
of a shortage of Hib vaccine.
Also, as noted above, the Healthy
People goals are adjusted as immunization recommendations
change, based on the latest science available. The latest
revision one of the immunization goals adds another
vaccine to be included in 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. Since this is a new
measurement, it will take a while before enough data on
this vaccine is available to calculate a coverage rate.
Then, that coverage rate can be included in the rates for
other vaccines in order to determine progress towards the
Healthy People 2020 objectives.
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.
|
|
