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Vaccine Preventable Diseases

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Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD)

Florida Health

Disease Control

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting health care seeking behavior, which may be impacting the diagnosis and reporting of hepatitis A, pertussis, and varicella cases that are shown in this report. For more information on the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida, please visit FloridaHealthCOCVID-19.gov.

Vaccine Preventable Disease Surveillance Report August 2020

Hepatitis A

A graph showing hepatitis A activity has fluctuated each month from August 2019 – August 2020. In August, 43 cases were reported.
  • Hepatitis A activity increased from last month and was below the previous 5-year average.
  • 43 cases were reported in August.
  • Incidence remained highest among adults 30-39 years old.
  • Since January 2018, 93% of cases were not up to date on hepatitis A vaccinations.

Pertussis

A graph showing pertussis activity has fluctuated each month from August 2019 – August 2020. In August, 1 case was reported.
  • Pertussis activity decreased from last month and was below the previous 5-year average.
  • There was a 56% decrease in reported cases when comparing cases from March-August 2019 to March-Augus 2020
  • 4 cases and no outbreaks were reported.
  • The average incidence rate for <1 year olds from March to August 2020 was roughly 3 times lower than from March to August 2019

Varicella

A graph showing varicella activity has fluctuated each month from August 2019 – August 2020. In August, 8 cases were reported
  • Varicella activity decreased from last month and was below the previous 5-year average.
  • There was an 81% decrease in reported cases when comparing cases from March-August 2019 to March-August 2020
  • The average incidence rate for <1 year olds from March to August 2020 was roughly 4 times lower than from March to August 2019

For all vaccine-preventable diseases, timely and complete vaccination is the best way to prevent infection. Although vaccinated individuals can still become infected with diseases like pertussis or varicella, in general, those who have received at least 1 dose of vaccine have less severe outcomes than those who have never been vaccinated for the disease.

A map showing the proportion of children ages 4–18 years with religious exemptions by county as of August 31, 2020. Counties with a proportion of 0.5%–1.5% are: Bradford, Calhoun, Desoto, Dixie, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Jackson, Lafayette, Levy, Liberty, Taylor, Union, Washington Counties with a proportion of 1.5%–2.9% are: Baker, Franklin, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jefferson, Lake, Leon, Madison, Nassau, Okeechobee, Polk, Putnam, Sumter, Suwannee, Wakulla Counties with a proportion of 2.9%–4.1% are: Alachua, Bay, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Duval, Escambia, Gulf, Indian River, Manatee, Marion, Orange, Palm Beach, Pasco, Santa Rosa, St. Lucie Counties with a proportion of 4.1%–7.6% are: Brevard, Collier, Columbia, Flagler, Hernando, Lee, Martin, Monroe, Okaloosa, Osceola, Pinellas, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Volusia, Walton

Unvaccinated children are at increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, pertussis, and varicella. Communities with a higher proportion of religious exemptions (REs) to vaccination are at increased risk of vaccine-preventable disease transmission.

The proportion of children age 4–18 years with new REs is increasing each month. Statewide, the estimated prevalence of REs among children age 4–18 years old is 3.5% with individual counties ranging from 0.5– 7.6%. In August 2019, the statewide prevalence was 3.2%, and the prevalence has gradually increased each month since.

To learn more about REs at the local level, please visit www.flhealth.gov/REmap.

All REs are required to be entered into Florida SHOTS (State Health Online Tracking System), Florida’s statewide immunization registry. The map above includes REs registered in Florida SHOTS through June 30, 2020.

 

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