5 hours Ago By Noah Losing
FARGO — Health professionals are urging the public to keep up to date on vaccinations for infants. Since the COVID pandemic, the tide has turned widely for those giving their infants the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella), DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) vaccines, as well as varicella vaccines. As of the third quarter of 2024, Cass County has a 68% immunization coverage rate for infants 19 through 35 months of age, officials said.
The state of North Dakota rate is at 65%. "We really want those numbers to be like 95% to 100%, because we know that some of the most dangerous diseases, like measles and pertussis, will spread really rapidly when coverage drops below 95% or 90%," Danni Pinnick, the immunization surveillance coordinator for North Dakota's Department of Human Services, said. Resources for receiving vaccinations for infants can be found on the department's website .
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