The National Immunization Surveys (NIS), sponsored by CDC, are a group of surveys used to monitor immunization coverage across the country. The Child National Immunization Survey assesses data for children, ages 19-35 months of age. Data from 2015 were released earlier this month.
For 2015, the NIS shows that Arizona has reached the Healthy People20/20 target for polio, hepatitis B, MMR, and chickenpox vaccines. This is an improvement over last year’s NIS data! Arizona’s coverage levels continue to improve and are similar to the national coverage levels for most vaccines. Arizona coverage for Hib, hep B birth dose, chickenpox, rotavirus, and the 4:3:1:3:3:1:4 series exceed national coverage levels. Hepatitis A and pneumococcal conjugate vaccine are not state-required vaccinations, which may explain why the coverage rates for these fall further from the HP2020 goals.
The NIS paints part of the coverage picture in Arizona. It is a relatively small sample size, typically less than 500 children. Our Immunization Program Office collects data from others sources as well. Every year, state and local public health staff work with schools to gather immunization coverage reports for children enrolled in childcare, kindergarten, and sixth grade so we can see how protected our communities are against vaccine-preventable diseases. While we’re encouraged by these results, we know there is always more work to do to make sure our Arizona children are vaccinated against serious, preventable diseases.
