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Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD)

Florida Health

Disease Control

Vaccine Preventable Disease Surveillance Report April 2023

Hepatitis A

A graph showing hepatitis A activity has fluctuated each month from May 2022 – April 2023. In April, 13 cases were reported.
  • Hepatitis A activity decreased from last month and was below the previous 5-year average.
  • 13 cases were reported in April.

Pertussis

A graph showing pertussis activity has fluctuated each month from May 2022 – April 2023. In April, 7 cases were reported.
  • Pertussis activity increased from last month and was below the previous 5-year average.
  • 7 cases were reported in April.

Meningococcal Disease

A graph showing meningococcal disease activity has fluctuated each month from May 2022 – April 2023. In April, 2 cases were reported.
  • Meningococcal disease activity decreased from last month and was below the previous 5-year average.
  • 2 cases were reported in April.

Varicella

A graph showing varicella activity has fluctuated each month from May 2022 – April 2023. In April, 46 cases were reported.
  • Varicella activity decreased from last month and was below the previous 5-year average.
  • 46 cases were reported in April.

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 April 30, 2023. Counties with a proportion of 0.9%–2.5% are: Gadsden Liberty Hardee Hendry Hamilton Jackson Calhoun Taylor Bradford Dixie Glades DeSoto Franklin Baker Washington Putnam Madison Counties with a proportion of 2.6%–4.1% are: Okeechobee Union Wakulla Levy Lafayette Gilchrist Holmes Leon Miami Dade Jefferson Gulf Nassau Sumter Hillsborough Polk Highlands Bay Counties with a proportion of 4.2%–5.5% are: Orange Clay Suwannee Lake Escambia Duval Indian River St Lucie Citrus Alachua Marion Palm Beach Broward Pasco Manatee Osceola Columbia Counties with a proportion of 5.6%–11.0% are: Volusia Seminole Santa Rosa Lee Brevard Charlotte Hernando Pinellas 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 4.9% with individual counties ranging from 0.9– 11.0%. In April 2022, the statewide prevalence was 4.4%, 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 April 30, 2023.

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