Immunize to Prevent Infectious Diseases

Control and eradication of many infectious diseases is considered one of the top 10 public health achievements in the United States.
Rural and urban areas have seen improvements in meeting the Healthy People 2010’s immunization goals. However, a survey conducted by researchers at the Southwest Rural Health Research Center at the School of Rural Public Health found that immunizations and infectious diseases were the 13th highest ranking rural health concern out of 28 health focus areas.
While both rural and urban school-age children exceed the nation’s goal for immunizations, infants and toddlers fell below the goal of 90 percent immunization. Rural children lag behind urban and suburban children in immunization rates for the chicken pox and pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, which protects against bacterial infections such as meningitis.
For information about immunization, contact the Texas Department of Health’s Immunization Division at “http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/immunize/”:http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/immunize/ or talk to your child’s doctor.