Vaccines teach the immune system how to recognize and fight bacteria and viruses before an infection can occur. Vaccines provide protection without a child experiencing the complications of a disease. Some vaccines require only one dose, while others require several doses to provide complete protection.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) develops written recommendations for the routine administration of vaccines, along with schedules regarding the appropriate timing, dosage, and contraindications.

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Childhood Immunizations

Child immunization data includes the percent of children that received the recommended doses of 4 DTaP, 3 Polio, 1 MMR, 3 Hib, 3 Hepatitis B, 1 Varicella and 4 PCV vaccines and the 4:3:1:3:3:1:4 series by age 24 months (2 years old). Iowa immunization data and rates are available in interactive maps and tables by single antigen and the completed series. These data provide immunization rates based upon a recommended vaccination series identified by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These data can identify trends and patterns in immunization coverage over time and in different geographic areas.

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2023 Data Summary: 2023 Childhood Immunizations Data Summary 

The Immunization Program uses data from the Immunization Registry Information System (IRIS) to calculate county and state immunization rates for 2-year-old children. The data includes patients served by both public and private health care providers with a record in IRIS that have a zip code and are an ā€œactiveā€ patient within a health care provider organization. The Year selected in the visualization will include children turning 2 years-old in that year. For example, the 2019 results include children born between 01/01/2017 - 12/31/2017.

Measure Description:

  • Number of Immunized Patients: The number of Iowa residents recorded in IRIS that have received a dose or completed a specific vaccine series.
  • Patients in IRIS: The number of patient records in IRIS.
  • County 2 Year Old Census Population: The Number of 2 Year Olds in the County, based on census estimates.

Measure Calculations:

  • Rate of Immunization by Children in IRIS: The Number of Immunized Patients divided by the number of same-aged children and geographic area recorded in IRIS.
  • Rate of Immunization by County Population: The Number of Immunized Patients divided by the County 2 Year Old Population.
  • Census Population with IRIS Record: The percent of the Census population with patient record in IRIS, calculated as the number of patient records in IRIS divided by the county Census population. This measure demonstrates the completeness of IRIS data and representation of the county population in IRIS.

Data Note

  • Childhood immunization data from 2017-2019 were updated to include individuals with unknown genders in IRIS in June 2021 in order to represent all patients reported in IRIS. This method change may impact rates at the state and county level.
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County Immunization Report

The county immunization report provides a snapshot of immunization data and allows users to filter data based on county and year of interest. Users also have the ability to download the report to PDF. Currently, childhood, adolescent, HPV, and adult immunization county reports are available for download.

To access and download a specific county report, select the following link and select the County and Year from the drop-down. Download the PDF using the button on the bottom right of the report.

Childhood Immunization Report

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Other Immunization Content

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