For Immediate Release
April 24, 2006

Contact: Howard Sutter
 (714) 834-2178

Immunizing Children Protects the Community

(Santa Ana) – Ensuring that children are properly vaccinated protects not only the child, but others in the family and the community in general from communicable diseases.

The Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA) will celebrate National Infant Immunization Week, April 22-29, with a special event on Wednesday, April 26th from 10-11 a.m. at the Public Health Immunization Clinic, 1725 W. 17th Street, Santa Ana. The event will include a magic show, story and music time and a review of children’s immunization records to make sure they have received all recommended shots. Parents will also have the opportunity to have their children receive any needed vaccinations free of charge. “Community Immunity” is the theme for this year’s observance in California, recognizing the importance of immunization in preventing the spread of diseases to others.

“The recent outbreak of mumps cases in the Midwest and chickenpox cases reported in Orange County this year show that proper immunization is very important to protecting everyone’s health,” said Troy Jacobs, M.D., HCA’s Family Health Medical Director. “Vaccines available today greatly reduce the risk that your child or others they are in close contact with will contract these illnesses.”

Another vaccine preventable illness on the rise in California is pertussis, or whooping cough. In 2005, 120 whooping cough cases were reported in Orange County, an 8% increase over the previous year. Statewide, whooping cough cases increased more than 200% last year, and seven children in California died of the illness.

Orange County health care providers also have a new tool to track immunizations through a computerized immunization registry implemented in March 2005. In the past year, the immunization records of almost 55,000 people have been entered into the registry. The system allows providers easy access to the latest immunization records for children and adults and helps them determine when vaccinations are needed or prevent the over-vaccination of children. It also helps to prevent the loss of paper-based immunization records and will be of great benefit to both parents and health care providers in the coming years. Orange County is part of a regional immunization registry also serving Los Angeles County.

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