News Release
August 27, 2009

Texas Ranks 12th with Slight Increase in Immunization Rate

Texas’ childhood immunization rate increased from 77.3 percent in 2007 to 77.8 percent in 2008, according to survey results released today by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The results put Texas 12th highest among all states, up from 22nd in 2007.

The 2008 rate is an all-time high for Texas and continues an overall upward trend since 2002 when the rate was 65 percent.

CDC’s annual National Immunization Survey measures vaccination coverage among children 19 months through 35 months of age.

The survey assesses coverage levels for six vaccine series: diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis (4 doses), polio (3), measles/mumps/rubella (1), hepatitis B (3), Haemophilus influenzae type b (3) and varicella (1).

DSHS officials note that the 77.8 percentage does not mean the other 22.2 percent of young children in Texas are totally unvaccinated, but rather that they are missing at least one dose of a measured vaccine.

Nationally, the average rate in 2008 was 76.1.

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(News Media Contact: Doug McBride, DSHS Press Officer, 512-458-7524.)