December 18, 2006 -- Immunization Registries Help Schools Verify Vaccination

A computerized information system that stores immunization records provided voluntarily by health care providers is aiding schools to comply with school-entry vaccination requirements, according to a progress report issued today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Grantees in 50 states, five cities, and the District of Columbia currently receive funding under section 317b of the Public Health Service Act to compile data from immunization programs managers, which is then made available to health insurance providers, health department clinics, Medicaid, and schools. The CDC reports that in 2005, approximately 56 percent of children six year of age and older participated in an Immunization Information System (IIS), an increase over the previous years level of 48 percent. Participation is defined as having two or more vaccinations recorded in an IIS. IISs are being used increasingly as a decision-making tool for immunization programs and health-care providers to generate patient reminders and recalls, perform vaccine inventory management and distribution tasks, conduct routine public health surveillance, conduct school assessments, and identify clusters of undervaccinated children, the CDC said. The report, Immunization Information Systems Progress United States, 2005 appears in the December 15, 2006, issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, at www.cdc.gov/mmwr.