Health department interventions aimed at improving immunization rate

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- The Oklahoma State Department of Health says outreach and monitoring efforts have helped improve vaccination compliance in state child care centers.<br/><br/>Health officials say

Tuesday, June 29th 2004, 4:35 pm

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- The Oklahoma State Department of Health says outreach and monitoring efforts have helped improve vaccination compliance in state child care centers.

Health officials say all but 16 of the state's 118 child care centers have at least 80 percent of their children with vaccinations up-to-date.

In a review last June, nearly two-thirds of the centers were below the 80 percent compliance level.

When centers fall below the level, the health department intervenes to improve the rate.

Don Blose is chief of the health department's Immunization Service. He says the interventions are part of an ongoing process to improve immunization coverage of Oklahoma children.

A state health report issued earlier this year ranked Oklahoma 48th in the country in the percentage of children with updated immunizations.