Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases recognized Connecticut for achieving the greatest increase in teen vaccination coverage rate in the nation at a ceremony today at the National Immunization Conference in Washington, D.C.
Connecticut’s teen vaccination rate rose 16% from 2008 to 2009 for three vaccines that have been recommended for adolescents to protect children from serious diseases such as meningitis, cervical cancer, and pertussis (Whooping Cough). Connecticut was also among the top states in the country for overall teen vaccination coverage with an average coverage rate of 73 percent Connecticut’s immunization coverage rate was third only to Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and well above the national average of 58 percent.
Connecticut is recognized as a national leader in childhood immunization, and officials said the state’s success is due in large part to the efforts of many professional, community-based, and private organizations that have worked diligently with the Department of Public Health to raise awareness of how vaccines help prevent diseases and save lives. These organizations include the Connecticut chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Connecticut Association of Directors of Health, the state Department of Social Services, and the Connecticut Commission on Children.
“We are very proud of the work that healthcare providers and organizations around the state have done to educate parents and raise awareness about the importance of childhood immunization,” stated Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Jewel Mullen. “Childhood immunizations are an important way to protect our children from preventable diseases and keep them healthy.”
The Connecticut Department of Public Health is the state’s leader in public health policy and advocacy with a mission to protect and promote the health and safety of the people of our state. To contact the department, please visit its website at www.ct.gov/dph or call (860) 509-7270.
