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Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD)

Florida Health

Disease Control

Vaccine Preventable Disease Surveillance Report March 2024

Hepatitis A

A graph showing hepatitis A activity has fluctuated each month from April 2023 – March 2024. In March, 11 cases were reported.
  • Hepatitis A activity decreased from last month and was below the previous 5-year average.
  • 11 cases were reported in March.

Pertussis

A graph showing pertussis activity has fluctuated each month from April 2023 – March 2024. In March, 24 cases were reported.
  • Pertussis activity increased from last month and was above the previous 5-year average.
  • 24 cases were reported in March.

Meningococcal Disease

A graph showing meningococcal disease activity has fluctuated each month from March 2023 – March 2024. In March , 3 cases were reported.
  • Meningococcal disease activity increased from last month and was above the previous 5-year average.
  • 6 cases were reported in March.

Varicella

A graph showing varicella activity has fluctuated each month from March 2023 – April 2024. In March, 106 cases were reported.
  • Varicella activity increased from last month and was above the previous 5-year average.
  • 106 cases were reported in March.

For all vaccine-preventable diseases, timely and complete vaccination is the best way to prevent infection. Although vaccinated individuals can still become infected with diseases like pertussis or varicella, in general, those who have received at least 1 dose of vaccine have less severe outcomes than those who have never been vaccinated for the disease.

A map showing the proportion of children ages 4–18 years with religious exemptions by county as of March 31, 2024. Counties with a proportion of 1.0%–3.0% are: Gadsden Hardee Liberty Hendry Jackson Calhoun Hamilton Taylor DeSoto Bradford Glades Franklin Baker Putnam Okeechobee Madison Union Counties with a proportion of 3.1%–4.7% are: Wakulla Dixie Lafayette Gilchrist Levy Leon Washington Miami_Dade Gulf Jefferson Holmes Hillsborough Polk Highlands Bay Nassau Orange Counties with a proportion of 4.8%–6.2% are: Sumter Clay Lake Escambia Suwannee Duval Indian_River Alachua St_Lucie Columbia Marion Palm_Beach Broward Citrus Manatee Pasco Osceola Counties with a proportion of 6.3%–12.5% are: Seminole Volusia Lee Brevard Santa_Rosa Hernando Pinellas Collier Charlotte Martin Monroe Okaloosa St_Johns Flagler Walton Sarasota

Unvaccinated children are at increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, pertussis, and varicella. Communities with a higher proportion of religious exemptions (REs) to vaccination are at increased risk of vaccine-preventable disease transmission.

The proportion of children age 4–18 years with new REs are increasing each month. Statewide, the estimated prevalence of REs among children age 4–18 years old is 5.5% with individual counties ranging from 1.0– 12.5%. In March 2023, the statewide prevalence was 4.9%, and the prevalence has gradually increased since.

To learn more about REs at the local level, please visit FloridaHealth.gov/REmap.

The rate of religious exemptions is likely higher than the rate presented in this report. This is due to eligible persons with religious exemptions who have opted out of Florida SHOTS and persons who have had their religious exemptions processed outside of the Florida SHOTS system. The map above includes REs registered in Florida SHOTS through March 31, 2024.

*Note: This page contains materials in the Portable Document Format (PDF). The free Acrobat Reader may be required to view these files.