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Immunization Action Plan (IAP)
The DDC Immunization Program believes that to achieve high vaccination rates and, consequently, low vaccine-preventable disease rates, the most important work must be done at the community level. DDC thus has benefited from the many partnerships with neighborhood groups and organizations that have formed in the past decade around immunization issues. Community efforts have resulted in the raising of the vaccination rates of Philadelphia's two year olds from 34% of children fully vaccinated in 1991 to 83% fully vaccinated in 1999. The National Immunization Survey (NIS), conducted each year by the U.S. Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), also found that Philadelphia's 76 percent coverage rate for Varicella (chickenpox) vaccination among 2 year old children in 1999 was among the highest coverage in the 28 major urban areas and 50 states studied.
For more information on the IAP, please call (215) 685-6837.
Varicella (Chickenpox) Active Surveillance Project
Chickenpox is the leading cause of death in children and young adults among all vaccine-preventable diseases, accounting for over 100 deaths and 9,000 hospitalizations annually in the U.S. Philadelphia is one of two cities nationwide which the CDC has funded to research how the chickenpox vaccine (licensed in the U.S. in 1995) is affecting the number, distribution, and severity of chickenpox and zoster (shingles) cases.
For more information, please call (215) 685-6841.
Safety Net Immunization Services
The PDPH DDC Immunization Program provides public health nurses to give in-home vaccinations to families of children who cannot visit a medical provider. For more information, please call (215) 685-6466. Also, the PDPH District Health Care Centers continue to provide high-quality, comprehensive primary care and walk-in pediatric vaccination services to families who would otherwise go without medical care in today's rapidly changing health insurance and service market. |
