Vaccination rate low

Published 9:00 pm Monday, February 9, 2004

Washington’s recent ranking in the bottom 10 states for childhood immunizations is attributed in part to children not getting the fourth and final shot for whooping cough on time, state health officials said Tuesday.

In Washington, 69.2 percent of children have the recommended shots. The state with the lowest immunization rate was Colorado, at 62.7 percent, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Immunization rates for some diseases, such as polio or measles, mumps and rubella are generally in the 80 percent to 90 percent range for 2-year olds, said Richelle Peterson, who works in the state health department’s immunization program.

“It’s that fourth DTP shot -enough are missing the fourth one that it makes the combination of all recommended vaccines … drop by 10 percentage points or more,” she said. “That’s been true for three years or more.”

A series of four combination shots immunizes children against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, also known as whooping cough. It is administered at 2, 4 and 6 months with the final shot given between 15 and 18 months. “Don’t forget that last one,” Peterson said. “That disease is still circulating.”

A surge in whooping cough cases last year underscores the importance of the shot.

In Snohomish County, 100 whooping cough cases were reported last year, the most since 1992, when the annual cases totaled 83, according to the Snohomish Health District. Preliminary statewide figures show there were 801 cases last year, the most since 1996, when 836 cases were reported.

State officials have been trying to learn why children aren’t getting the fourth shot on time.

The three states with the best immunization rates, according to the National Immunization Survey released Monday, were: Massachusetts, 86.2 percent; Rhode Island, 84.5 percent; and New Hampshire, 83.5 percent.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.