Oregon officials challenge low vaccination rate ranking

PORTLAND – Officials disagree with a federal report which says Oregon has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only 83 percent of Oregon adolescents have received the tetanus diphtheria and acellular pertussis booster, or Tdap. The CDC says Oregon has the seventh lowest vaccination rate in the country based on their findings gathered through random phone calls to families across the U.S.

State officials say the report is misleading because it is based off a small sample. Oregon Public Health Epidemiologist Steve Robison says school data shows 95 percent of adolescents have received the Tdap booster. He also argues rates for vaccinations against four common strains of the meningococcal disease and human papillomavirus are slightly higher than the CDC’s report indicates.