Low child vaccination rates in Fresno

Due to the pandemic, vaccination rates among children in Fresno, California, have declined, but not only protection against COVID-19 but also against other diseases such as measles, human papillomavirus (HPV), influenza, and rotavirus. Daniela Rodríguez, reporter for Radio Bilingüe and fellow at the University of Berkeley, presents this report.

In Fresno County, the childhood vaccination rate has fallen between 2% and 3% since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leticia Berber, a health educator with the county’s Department of Public Health, tells us what is behind this decline.

These children probably missed the opportunity to get those vaccines, so if we look at a low percentage of the vaccines that are required when children start school.

Leticia says that many of these children do not have certain vaccines required by schools because they were born during the pandemic.

 The first thing we did was close public places. And doctors’ offices were among those places that closed as well. And children born during that time missed the opportunity to be vaccinated on time.

It is also likely that many children did not receive vaccines beyond those required by the school, such as the rotavirus vaccine, which is very important, Leticia explains.

That vaccine is only given in the first eight months of a child’s life. So if this baby didn’t go to his physical check-ups in the first six months, eight months, because the pandemic closed his pediatrician’s office, then that vaccine was never given to the child. It’s a very important vaccine, but it’s not required for school.

In Fresno County, we are not seeing parents refusing to vaccinate their children with the vaccines required by schools. But Leticia points out that the vaccines that are not mandatory in California schools are precisely the ones that many parents are not seeking for their children.

These are the COVID vaccine, the flu vaccine, and the vaccine against a type of cancer called the HPV vaccine.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic is not the only cause of the decline in childhood vaccinations. In immigrant communities in Fresno County, many families also face difficulties in vaccinating their children due to job mobility and lack of access to transportation in rural areas.

 And right now, that’s the problem we have here in Fresno County. It’s transportation for families to the clinic. The local health department offers free vaccinations for children under 18, but we’re in the city of Fresno, and this family that lives far from the city of Fresno probably doesn’t have the opportunity because they don’t have transportation or don’t have the money to come on the bus that’s offered.

This difficulty in accessing transportation is something that is often seen in immigrant and farmworker families in the region. And, given the recent measles outbreaks in different parts of the country, Leticia assures us that Fresno County is prepared to respond to any virus. Recently, two members of the same family contracted measles, and the county acted immediately with investigations and medical care.

Right now, the Fresno County Department of Public Health is prepared with the resources needed to respond to cases like these.

In addition, Leticia emphasizes that vaccines are important not only to protect families but also to protect their communities.

And we must not give these diseases the opportunity to return. Your family’s health begins with vaccinations.

But Leticia also warns that, with the new presidential administration, there are fears of a setback in public health.

It seems like we are going backwards with this new administration we have. They are going to stop certain vaccinations, or they probably won’t give us funds to continue vaccinating our children for free.

Finally, she recommends that if you cannot afford vaccines or attend vaccination appointments, talk to your insurance provider or call the Fresno County Immunization Program at 559-600-3550, where they can guide you and find options to help you.

Many thanks to Daniela Rodriguez, reporter for Radio Bilingüe and fellow at the University of Berkeley.

This is part of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.