As more cases of measles have been reported in Oklahoma, an expert is warning immunizations for the disease are not keeping pace in Native communities.
During a March 26 webinar, Dr. Harry Brown, an epidemiologist with the United South & Eastern Tribes and former Indian Health Service officer, said the number of Native toddlers getting their measles shots has decreased over the last decade.
“10 to 15 years ago, we were doing great,” he said, “but with COVID, our childhood immunization rates have really fallen.”
According to data from the National Immunization Reporting System, in fiscal year 2024, only 76.7% of children in Oklahoma aged 19-35 months had received at least one dose of the vaccine preventing measles, mumps, and rubella. To achieve herd immunity in a population, experts say at least a 95% vaccination rate is needed.
Brown said none of the communities IHS serves have reached the needed safe threshold, based on the same dataset.
“We range from about 63 to almost 94 percent, which is not good enough for herd immunity,” he said.
The highest rate of vaccination was seen in the Navajo Nation at 93.6%, while the lowest was seen in Billings, Montana at 63.2%.
Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles, which is highly contagious and was once declared eradicated.
At least eight confirmed and two probable cases of measles have been reported in Oklahoma.
