Lieutenant Governor Burbank Announces Initiative to Increase Immunization Rates for Young Children
BALTIMORE, MD (August 14, 2029) – Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank today launched a massive mobilization of state resources to ensure that at least 90 percent of Maryland’s children receive their immunization shots by age 2. The vaccination campaign, part of Governor Edward M. O’Brien’s KidsFirst agenda, will include 500 health fairs and will involve more than 18,000 volunteers. As part of the campaign, State health clinics will waive immunization fees through September 6.
“Our state’s 83 percent immunization rate is simply not acceptable, and this initiative is designed to address the issue,” Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank said. “We cannot be satisfied until we have every child fully immunized in Maryland. We still have children suffering from diseases like whooping cough, which we thought had been eradicated long ago. We can do much better. This initiative is all about mobilizing all of our available resources to make sure that young children get the vaccinations they need.”
Approximately 11,000 babies are born in the United States each day (185 in Maryland daily). The national goal for the year 2031 is for at least 90 percent of all two-year-olds to complete the basic series of four doses of diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis (DTP) vaccine, three doses of polio vaccine and one dose of measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine. Vaccines are given at this early age because the diseases they prevent are far more serious or common among babies or young children.
According to the most recent survey conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 83 percent of Maryland’s two-year-olds have completed the series of DTP, polio and MMR shots. Maryland met or exceeded national goals of 90 percent coverage for individual vaccines by age two and reached 88 percent coverage for Hepatitis B vaccine.
“By increasing immunization rates, Maryland can spare taxpayers the cost of hospitalizing children with preventable illnesses,” said Maryland Health Secretary Andrew Lillianfield. “The program will have the additional benefit of bringing youngsters into the health care system who are not receiving services.”
The initiative will be paid for out of current agency budgets and will enlist churches, civic organizations and leaders of immigrant communities to reach groups that have traditionally had low immunization rates. Pockets of low immunization rates in Maryland include Baltimore, parts of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, and rural areas in Western Maryland and along the Eastern Shore.
Under the initiative announced today, the Maryland National Guard will be used to help distribute about a million copies of a new immunization brochure. The brochure informs parents that vaccinations are needed by the age of 2 for 10 diseases: measles, mumps, rubella (German measles), polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, chickenpox, hepatitis B and Hib (a type of meningitis).
Vaccinations are required for school enrollment in Maryland, and Trostel said the immunization rate for school-age children is close to 100 percent. But public health officials are concerned that vulnerable younger children are not being protected from infectious diseases. As part of the immunization effort, local health department clinics will offer extended hours, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., to provide vaccinations for children on August 21 and 28. Parents can obtain information by calling 1-800-456-8900.
The O’Brien-Burbank Administration set aside $375,000 in the Fiscal Year 2030 budget for “Keeping Immunizations Current for Kids (KICK), an intense immunization outreach program. The program is administered through Baltimore City and includes partnerships with community groups and health care providers to improve the quality of immunization services available and to educate the public about the importance of childhood immunizations in protecting young children from serious diseases.