Norwalk reports high childhood vaccination rates; health staff warn of rising respiratory viruses and West Nile activity

Norwalk Health Department staff reported on immunization coverage, respiratory-virus trends and vector-borne activity at a Board of Health special meeting on Oct. 7, 2025, and announced upcoming flu clinics and funding updates.

At the meeting, Pam Bates, leader of Norwalk's Immunization Action Plan, summarized recent calculations drawn from CT WiZ, Connecticut's immunization information system. "CT WiZ is, as we know, Connecticut's immunization information system, and it just celebrated its seventh birthday," Bates said. She told the board the statewide registry now contains about 4,000,000 patients and more than 9,700,000 recorded doses.

The Norwalk Immunization Action Plan area ranked among the highest in the state for the combined seven-vaccine series for children born in the 2020'to'2 cohort, Bates said. She cited a Connecticut Department of Public Health report showing Connecticut kindergartners had a 98.3 percent two-dose MMR coverage for the 2024'25 school year.

Why it matters: High, accurate immunization records let local public-health staff identify children who are overdue for vaccines, target reminder/recall outreach and connect families without a medical home to providers. Bates described outreach methods the Norwalk team uses, including monthly reminder-recall reports from CT WiZ, phone and internet follow-up, and home visits when needed. She said the department has achieved a 100 percent outreach efficacy rate for connecting children without a medical home to care.

Epidemiology update: Brian Week, epidemiology staff, briefed the board on respiratory viruses and environmental surveillance. Week said emergency-department visits for COVID-19 and influenza are low but showing an upward trend; wastewater monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 remains at "very high." "We have COVID-nineteen at very high," Week said, and he urged standard precautions: vaccination where appropriate, hand hygiene, air filtration, testing and staying home when ill.

Vector-borne and environmental health: Week said mosquito surveillance this season detected multiple West Nile virus'positive mosquito pools, with the highest density in Lower Fairfield County. He reported two human West Nile cases so far this season and said mosquito detections this year exceeded the 19-year weekly average. Week reiterated standard mosquito-prevention guidance and noted Norwalk's air-quality index was in the "good" range at the time of the meeting, with ragweed and sagebrush pollen levels at low-to-moderate levels.

Immunization policy notes: Bates summarized recent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) actions discussed by the Connecticut DPH. She said ACIP voted to recommend COVID-19 vaccination using shared clinical decision-making for people 6 months and older; a proposal to change the hepatitis B first dose from birth to 1 month was tabled; ACIP reiterated universal hepatitis B screening for pregnant women; and ACIP limited routine use of the combined MMRV (ProQuad) formulation to children older than 4 because of a slightly increased febrile-seizure risk in younger children. Bates said Connecticut providers were notified they may begin ordering COVID-19 vaccine for patients 6 months through 18 years on an allocation basis.

Local clinics and outreach: The department said its next community flu clinics will be held on Thursday evenings in October (the meeting announced clinics the week of Oct. 7, with a session scheduled for Oct. 16), with appointments requested to speed patient flow and some walk-in capacity available. Board members who helped promote the first clinic were acknowledged.

Funding and operations: The director's report noted state support to continue WIC services amid a federal budget pause, Connecticut's receipt of preparedness funding through June 30 of the fiscal year, and a planned one-year extension of a suicide-prevention grant through a subcontract with the United Way. The department also said it has expanded internship and fellowship opportunities with local universities and the state health department.

Public comment and board response: Diane Loracella, identifying herself as an environmental-health professional, urged the board and staff to make public outreach about epidemiology and immunization a regular agenda item and to hold occasional evening meetings to increase public participation. "I have, an over 30 year, professional background in environmental health and, hazardous materials management and waste management as well as good governance," Loracella said. Board members responded by noting the department already conducts outreach through providers and the department's immunization-action work and said they would consider her suggestions.

Votes at a glance: The board approved acceptance of the minutes from the July 24, 2025 regular meeting. A motion to accept the minutes was made by Norman Weinberger and seconded by Joan McNeil; the chair called for the vote and the motion passed.

What's next: Staff said they will continue CT WiZ-based reminder/recall work with providers, monitor wastewater and ED trends for respiratory viruses, finish the mosquito season surveillance, run the October flu clinics and finalize the suicide-prevention contract extension with the United Way. The board will meet again in October for its regular meeting cycle.