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Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD)

Florida Health

Disease Control

Vaccine Preventable Disease Surveillance Report October 2023

Hepatitis A

A graph showing hepatitis A activity has fluctuated each month from November 2022 – October 2023. In October, 4 cases were reported.
  • Hepatitis A activity decreased from last month and was below the previous 5-year average.
  • 4 cases were reported in September.

Pertussis

A graph showing pertussis activity has fluctuated each month from November 2022 – October 2023. In October, 3 cases were reported.
  • Pertussis activity decreased from last month and was below the previous 5-year average.
  • 3 cases were reported in September.

Meningococcal Disease

A graph showing meningococcal disease activity has fluctuated each month from November 2022 – October 2023. In October, 3 cases were reported.
  • Meningococcal disease activity increased from last month and was above the previous 5-year average.
  • 3 cases were reported in September.

Varicella

A graph showing varicella activity has fluctuated each month from November 2022 – October 2023. In October, 63 cases were reported.
  • Varicella activity increased from last month and was above the previous 5-year average.
  • 63 cases were reported in September.

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 October 31, 2023. Counties with a proportion of 1.0%–2.9% are: Gadsden Hardee Liberty Hendry Jackson Calhoun Hamilton Taylor DeSoto Bradford Glades Franklin Baker Putnam Union Madison Okeechobee Counties with a proportion of 3.0%–4.6% are: Dixie Wakulla Lafayette Levy Washington Leon Gilchrist Miami_Dade Jefferson Gulf Holmes Hillsborough Polk Highlands Bay Orange Nassau Counties with a proportion of 4.7%–6.0% are: Sumter Clay Lake Escambia Suwannee Duval Indian_River Alachua St_Lucie Marion Palm_Beach Columbia Broward Citrus Pasco Osceola Volusia Counties with a proportion of 6.1%–12.2% are: Manatee Seminole Lee Brevard Santa_Rosa Hernando Pinellas Charlotte Collier Martin Monroe Okaloosa St_Johns Flagler Walton Sarasota.

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 are increasing each month. Statewide, the estimated prevalence of REs among children age 4–18 years old is 5.3% with individual counties ranging from 1.0– 12.2%. In October 2022, the statewide prevalence was 4.7%, and the prevalence has gradually increased each month since.

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

The rate of religious exemptions is likely higher than the rate presented in this report. This is due to eligible persons with religious exemptions who have opted out of Florida SHOTS and persons who have had their religious exemptions processed outside of the Florida SHOTS system. The map above includes REs registered in Florida SHOTS through October 31, 2023.

*Note: This page contains materials in the Portable Document Format (PDF). The free Acrobat Reader may be required to view these files.