Dickinson-Iron County Critical Health Indicators

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Childhood Immunizations                                                                                           

What Is It?

Immunization is the process by which a person is rendered immune or resistant to a specific disease. Childhood immunizations provide protection against: varicella (chicken pox); diphtheria; Haemophilus influenzae; hepatitis B; measles; mumps; polio; rubella; tetanus; pneumococcal disease; and pertussis (whooping cough). These diseases are serious and may even be life threatening in very young children. Therefore, most of these vaccines should be administered in the first two years of life.

How are Dickinson and Iron Counties doing?

The October 2001 Immunization Coverage Level Report indicated that 86percent of Dickinson's 19-35 month old children and 82 percent of Iron's who received at least one immunization at DIDHD were up-to-date on their immunizations. There has been a steady improvement since 1996, when only 77 percent in Dickinson and 75 percent in Iron of these two-year-old were immunized. We have recently acquired the ability to assess the immunization status of all 19-35 month old children residing in our health district utilizing the Michigan Childhood Immunization Registry (MCIR). Although the MCIR is a relatively new system and all records for children in this age group are not recorded, immunization rates show an increase in a relatively short period of time, going from 58 percent in October 1999 to 74 percent in October 2001. This is the second highest community wide immunization rate in Michigan.

How is the State of Michigan doing?

Source: National Immunization Survey, CDC *1991 data is from a retrospective study by MDCH

Immunization levels in Michigan have improved dramatically over the last decade.

How do Dickinson and Iron Counties compare with Michigan and the U.S.?

Dickinson and Iron County's immunization rates have also improved over the last few years. Our rate of 85 % in the year 2001 is similar to the U.S. rate of 84 percent recorded in 1998.

What other information is important to know?

As a direct consequence of successful immunization, vaccine-preventable diseases have become less common. Major barriers to infant and childhood immunization have been identified including: 1) low public awareness and lack of public demand for immunization, 2) inadequate access to immunization services, and 3) missed opportunities to administer vaccines.

Of particular concern are missed opportunities, when a child could have received an immunization but did not, often because the child's immunization status was not reviewed. On average, children visit a health care provider 10 times by their second birthday. It takes only five visits to administer the recommended vaccines.

What are the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department and the Michigan Department of Community Health doing to affect this indicator?

Dickinson and Iron County immunization providers are actively working to increase childhood immunization rates. The federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program and the state based MI-VFC program make vaccines available to children from low-income families. This eliminates the major financial barrier to children being vaccinated. In 1999/00 7,114 total vaccine doses were administered, 5,155 in Dickinson and 1,959 in Iron County. And in 2000/01, the total increased to 7,422 doses, 5,602 in Dickinson and 1,820 in Iron County. Incentives are provided for Medicaid managed care plans that have children appropriately immunized.

The DIDHD receives assistance from both the Dickinson and Iron County Multipurpose Collaborative Boards to assure that on-site school clinics are held to provide senior class students with the 3 series Hepatitis B Vaccine.

The Michigan Childhood Immunization Registry (MCIR) is a statewide registry of immunizations administered to children that can be accessed by approved users anywhere in the state to reduce missed opportunities. In addition to maintaining an immunization record for each child, MCIR generates reminder cards that are sent to parents when their children are due for immunizations and recall cards for children who have fallen behind on their immunizations. Providers and local health departments can generate profiles of the immunization levels in their clinic or community to determine if additional interventions should be developed. MCIR contains over 11 million records on 1.6 million children in the state. As of July1, 2000, there are 123 registered users of MCIR in the Upper Peninsula and 64,340 U.P. children registered in MCIR.

It is important for parents to receive accurate information about vaccines so they can make informed decisions about their children's health. Vaccine Information Statements are given to the parent(s) to read prior to any immunization of their children. In addition, there are a variety of informational pamphlets on immunization and specific vaccines available to parents and providers. Information on new vaccines and vaccine schedules as well as the results of studies on the delivery and handling of vaccines are made available to providers through newsletters, seminars, conferences, and video conferences. Immunization providers encourage immunization services as part of routine maternal and child health services.

MDCH provides testing services for the diagnosis of vaccine-preventable diseases. This is essential in assessing vaccine failure and disease control in unvaccinated populations.