FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 26, 2006

COUNTY OBSERVES NATIONAL INFANT IMMUNIZATION WEEK, APRIL 22 – 29

One in five children nationwide not fully protected against childhood disease

During National Infant Immunization week, county health officials are urging parents to make sure young children are up-to-date with childhood immunizations.

“One in five children nationwide is not fully protected against childhood diseases, ” stated Westchester County Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Lipsman. “Parents should use this week as a time to check their child’s immunization record to be sure their child is fully protected. If not, this is a great time to make an appointment with their healthcare provider to get the child’s shots up-to-date.”

Currently, there are 10 separate vaccines on the recommended childhood immunization schedule. Infants need up to 22 shots by 24 months of age, including an annual influenza shot in order to be fully protected against all vaccine-preventable diseases.

Childhood immunizations protect individual children and protect entire communities by preventing and reducing the spread of potentially life-threatening childhood diseases. Diseases that were once common place such as polio, measles, mumps, whooping cough, diphtheria, and rubella, still have the potential to cause suffering, disabilities and premature deaths if childhood immunizations are not kept up-to-date.

Keeping track of immunizations can be a challenge. To ease the burden, some health care providers belong to the New York State’s "HealthyShot" program, a confidential, computerized registry that keeps track of a child’s immunizations. Parents may want to encourage health care providers to join this free registry.

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Page 2 National Infant Immunization Week

For parents, the registry creates a reliable, confidential and secure record of a child's shots. It is free of charge, generates free copies of a child's immunization record, and assists in making sure a child's shots are up-to-date. Records produced by the registry are accepted by day cares, schools and camps.

For providers, the registry reduces paperwork, provides access 24/7, saves time searching for records from other providers, manages vaccine inventory and generates lists of under-immunized children and the shots they need.

For schools, the registry provides quick and reliable access to student's immunization records, saves time tracking down records, prevents over-immunization due to lost records and assists in identifying students who are behind in their shots. Schools will become eligible to join the registry as soon as enough providers in Westchester County begin to participate.

For students, it provides life-long availability of vaccination records for college, the military, foreign travel and future job requirements, eliminates the need to repeat shots due to lost records, and provides official proof of having met New York State school immunization requirements.

For more information on childhood immunizations, visit www.westchestergov.com/health. Health care providers who wish to schedule an in-office demonstration of the immunization registry may contact the Health Department at (914) 813-5263.

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