Dallas County health officials report falling childhood vaccination rates, expand outreach and wastewater surveillance
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Summary
Dallas County Health and Human Services reported a decline in childhood vaccination coverage and rising influenza and RSV activity, and said it will expand outreach, maintain vaccine availability in clinics and increase wastewater monitoring ahead of large events.
Dallas County Health and Human Services briefed commissioners on Jan. 6 about vaccine trends, rising influenza activity and plans for community outreach and surveillance.
Dr. Huang, representing Dallas County HHS, said kindergarten immunization coverage fell from about 94% to about 89% year over year and that administered vaccine counts in August dropped "from 16,000 something down to 9,000" in the most recent August. "We're seeing an impact," Dr. Huang said, attributing declines in part to shifting federal recommendations and community concerns.
HHS staff described continued availability of routine vaccines in county clinics and said the department is trying to maintain supplies for COVID, flu and other vaccines using charity‑care funds when insurance coverage is unavailable. HHS also reported wastewater surveillance for respiratory viruses and noted that influenza and RSV percent‑positive test rates were approaching levels seen in prior peaks; HHS noted influenza percent positive at nearly 13 percent and RSV at nearly 13 percent.
County staff said Polk Street clinic substantial completion is projected soon but that new hires will require roughly two months of training before the facility opens for full services.
In response to commissioners' questions, HHS described the department's immunization partnership calls with federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), Parkland Health, pharmacies and community partners to coordinate messaging and outreach. The department said it is updating web resources and planning additional outreach events, including county blood drives and senior‑center vaccination clinics.
Dallas County community outreach manager (named in remarks) noted that the county hosts two blood drives per year and encouraged residents to attend upcoming drives, including a sickle‑cell blood drive scheduled for Martin Luther King Day at the South Dallas Cultural Center.
Ending: Commissioners directed HHS to improve communication with community providers and to return with more granular data on FQHC participation and outreach metrics.
