Contra Costa County Officials Promote Infant Immunization

Although immunization rates in Contra Costa County have risen in recent years, nearly one-third of area children are still not fully immunized, the Contra Costa Times reports. The immunization rate for county children was 71% last year, compared with 53% in 1993. The immunization rates among black children and children in low-income communities are lower than those of children in other ethnic and socioeconomic groups. While 86% of black infants receive their first set of immunizations by the age of two months, only 31% receive their second set of shots at four months of age, as recommended. At a press conference held Tuesday to mark National Infant Immunization Week, leaders of local cities and health officials urged parents to make sure that they adhere to immunization schedules. "Many people think that a child is protected with one shot against a disease -- this is not so. It takes several shots against the same disease to provide the protection that children need," Yvonne Beals-Rogers, vice mayor of Pittsburg, said. Victoria Alvarado, media coordinator for Contra Costa County's communicable disease programs, added, "If a child is not fully immunized, there is a threat to become seriously sick or lose a life" (Lyons, Contra Costa Times, 4/18).