Kosciusko County Health Department was recognized at the 2007 Indiana Immunization Conference for outstanding efforts in immunizing young children in the county.
A total of 89 public providers and 32 private providers were recognized by the Indiana State Department of Health Immunization Program.Criteria for the award include the rate of immunization among children receiving care at the county clinic and the standard of excellence in immunization practices at the site. The Indiana State Health Department monitors the number of children who have been fully immunized by age 2. Starting when they are about 2 months old, children receive shots to immunize them against diseases like tetanus, polio, pneumonia, measles and chicken pox.
Kosciusko County Public Health Nurse Deborah Frank said, by this year, her department fully immunized 531 of the county's children born in 2005. Frank said some children who start the immunization process move away or simply do not complete the immunizations, but the 531 counted this year completed the entire series of immunizations.
A high immunization rate, Frank said, holds great benefits for the county. She said, in recent years, the occurrence of some diseases like whooping cough and measles has become rare in Kosciusko County.
"The absence of disease is a wonderful thing," she said.
The Indiana State Department of Health Immunization Program and the Indiana Immunization Coalition held the conference Oct. 16-17 at the Adam's Mark Hotel, Indianapolis International Airport. Frank attended the conference. She said the Kosciusko County Health Department ranks within the top 10 in the state for the success of its immunization program.
Frank said she estimates the county clinic administers about 90 percent of the vaccinations in the county. Vaccinations at the clinic are free and available to any county resident.
For more information on the county's vaccination program, call the clinic at 574-267-7028.
