Immunizations Up in Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — State health officials say Oklahoma’s immunization rate for children ages 19 to 35 months is at its highest ever.

A 2007 survey by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked Oklahoma 15th, officials said Tuesday. The state Health Department credited physicians’ increased emphasis, using the simplified OK BY ONE immunization schedule and county health departments’ outreach.

The CDC survey said 78.5 percent of Oklahoma children in that age group were fully immunized in 2007, up from 77.6 percent in 2006.

From 2002 to 2004, the state ranked 48th, compared with 77.6 percent in 2006, when the state ranked 22nd.

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