IMMUNIZATIONS

This indicator reports the percent of children who received all of the doses of specific vaccines recommended by their 2nd birthday and required at kindergarten entry. Data at the 2nd birthday are based upon annual retrospective reviews of a sample of randomly selected schools’ kindergarten immunization records and therefore represent vaccination trends three years prior.

The widespread use of safe, effective childhood vaccinations has been one of the most successful and cost-effective public health interventions in the U.S. and globally. Many serious and once-common childhood infections have been dramatically reduced through routine immunizations. The success of immunization programs depends upon appropriate timing and on a high rate of vaccine acceptance, particularly among parents of young children. Over the past decade, increasing numbers of children with delayed or refused vaccinations have led to reduced levels of vaccine coverage. Studies have found that children whose parents delay or refuse vaccines are more likely to be White and reside in well-educated, higher income areas.1 On the population level, success depends on a community achieving a threshold level of immunity and many communities are below the protective level needed to prevent the spread of disease.2

• In 2015, 75.5% of Orange County children entering kindergarten had been adequately immunized (4:3:1 schedule)3 at age two, lower than the rate of 78.1% in 2011.

• In 2015, 92.5% of Orange County kindergartners had up-to-date immunizations, an increase from the 10 year low at 88.7% in 2013 and similar to the high of 92.1% in 2006.

• These percents and trends are similar to those among kindergartners throughout California at 92.9% and similar to the high of 92.7% in 2006.4

• Two school districts had 85% or fewer of their kindergartners with up-to-date immunization levels, including Laguna Beach Unified and Capistrano Unified. This correlates with higher percents of personal belief exemptions and conditional enrollments.5

• Up-To-Date at Kindergarten Entry California

• Up-To-Date at Kindergarten Entry Orange County

• Up-To-Date at 2nd Birthday Orange County

• Up-To-Date at 2nd Birthday California

Notes: After 2010, California data is no longer being collected for percent of up-to-date immunized children after their 2nd birthday. 2006 to 2010 Orange County data includes other Southern California counties (Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego). 2011-2014 data include a small, random sample of schools for Orange County only.

Note: *In order to be considered adequately immunized by age two, children need to have at least the 4:3:1 immunization series, which includes: four or more doses of diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis (DTaP) vaccine, three or more doses of poliovirus vaccine and one or more doses of measles/ mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine. (Wei, F., Mullooly, J.P., Goodman, M. et al., 2009. 2 Hussain, H. et al., 2011). Source: Orange County Health Care Agency