Carbon County is doing well with making sure children who are entering the school system are up-to-date on their vaccines, officials report.

Cindy Findley, director of the division of immunization with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, told various county agencies last week during the ninth annual Human Services Priorities Breakfast that Carbon County’s rate of kindergartner immunizations was 93.1 percent for the 2016-17 school year, which is the most recent data the state has. This figure is just under the statewide average of 93.7 percent.

The figures are through the Pennsylvania School Immunization Law, which aims to keep disease outbreaks at bay by requiring children to be vaccinated before they can attend school.

Findley said that in March 2017, the department shortened the provisional period that children have to get all their vaccinations once the school year begins to five days from the original eight months.

She explained that vaccinations are important at keeping disease outbreaks from occurring, noting that in the late ’80s and early ’90s, there were 55,000 cases of the measles, which caused the federal government to look at why children weren’t immunized. It was learned that some children weren’t getting their vaccinations because providers were trying to figure out a better way for them to receive them when they couldn’t afford them or didn’t have health insurance to cover the cost.

Because of this, the federally funded Vaccines for Children program was developed and allows children to get the vaccines they need even if they don’t have insurance that covers the vaccines.

Currently, there are 11 Vaccines for Children providers in Carbon County.

Findley said this program helped prevent an estimated 332 million illnesses between 1994 and 2013, 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths in children.