In El Paso County, as many as one in four children entering school lack state-required immunizations to prevent serious, vaccine-preventable diseases. County health officials say low child immunization rates translate into higher risks for catching and spreading diseases.

Jill Law, R.N. and clinical services division director with the El Paso County Health Department, says by getting your children vaccinated, you're protecting them, other families and the community.

According to a 2007-2008 school-based immunization audit, the percentage of El Paso County kindergarten students up-to-date on all state-required vaccines is less than 70 percent — well below the Department of Health and Human Services’ “Healthy People 2010” goal of 95 percent.

The purpose of immunizations is to protect students and those they come into contact with from contagious and potentially life-threatening diseases. That is why State law requires that children entering school be immunized.

School settings allow for frequent and close contact between children of many ages. Diseases such as chickenpox and whooping cough are among the prevalent diseases in El Paso County and are particularly high-risk in school settings. In order to prevent widespread infection with these types of diseases, immunization rates must be high among all students.

In 2007, El Paso County had three whooping cough outbreaks involving schools.

The current U.S. measles outbreak serves as a strong caution to parents about the importance of vaccinations to protect their children from highly-infectious diseases that can quickly escalate into an outbreak.

El Paso County’s low school immunization rates place our children at risk. Measles vaccine coverage is only 85 percent, well below what is necessary to prevent an outbreak. Keep in mind that one student infected with measles can spread the disease to as many as 95 percent of unvaccinated students he/she is exposed to.

So far in 2008, the Health Department has dispensed over 8,400 vaccinations to children to help protect our community from infectious diseases.

According to the health department, immunizations are a core protection service of the agency. They say health officials must share the responsibility with the community and that keeping kids immunized serves the common good for the health and well-being of every one in the community.

From January through August 2008, El Paso County reported 73 cases of chickenpox, compared to 57 reported cases during the same time period for 2007. Over three-quarters of these chickenpox cases occurred in school-age children, 5-14 years.

State-required child vaccines include:
-Series of diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis
-Series of polio
-Series of measles/mumps/rubella
-Series of hepatitis B
-Chickenpox
-Haemophilus influenzae type b
-Pneumococcal disease

For more information on immunizations, click on link below to visit the health department's website.