Chicago Area Immunization Campaign
SUMMARY
Why are Immunization Rates So Low?
A project of the Illinois Maternal & Child Health Coalition, the Chicago Area Immunization Campaign (CAIC) is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 public and private sector agencies and organizations. The campaign was organized in 1991 in response to the 1990 measles epidemic and the low immunization rates for young children in the Chicagoland area.
The CAIC's successful advocacy and educational efforts have been a major contributor in raising immunization rates from below 30% in 1991 to over 70% today. However, large pockets of under-immunized children in Chicago and the surrounding counties still remain. The CAIC has developed an agenda that addresses these at-risk populations in these major program areas.
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n |
Measles infected 4 million children. |
| n | Polio paralyzed 10,000 children. |
| n | Rubella caused birth defects in 20,000 babies. |
| n | Diphtheria was one of the most common causes of death among school aged-children. |
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According to the 1999 - 2002 National Immunization Survey |
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| n Chicago ranks 59th out of 64 states and cities for immunization completion for 2 -year olds. | |
| n One of 3 African American children in Chicago have not received all of the recommended shots. | |
| n Immunization series completion rate is only 65% for all children in Chicago. | |
| n | Vaccine preventable diseases are at an all time low- complacency. |
| n | Growing anti-vaccine movements- causing fear and confusion among parents. |
| n | Increasingly complex immunization schedule - 25 shots before the age of 2. |
| n | Few providers use reminder-recall cards. |