Immunization Program

Agency of Human Services, Department of Health, Division of Health Surveillance

The nation’s first polio outbreak was in the Rutland area in 1894. Sixty years later a nationwide immunization program was in place. The widespread use of the polio vaccine has all but eradicated the disease in the U.S.; the last known Vermont case was in 1963. 

The mission of the Immunization Program is to eliminate or minimize vaccine-preventable disease in Vermont. The program administers federal grants for vaccine purchases, manages distribution to health care providers, and ensures that vaccines are stored, handled, and documented in accordance with federal requirements.

Two federal grants provide funding for childhood vaccines: Vaccines for Children (VFC) and Section 317 Immunization Grants. Each has eligibility guidelines, but the two, plus state funds, allow all Vermont children from birth through age 18 to be immunized at little or no cost.

In 2008 the Immunization Program:
• distributed 270,727 doses to 238 provider offices throughout the state
• provided vaccines for an estimated 156,548 Vermont children
• protected Vermonters against 17 diseases
• started Vaccines for Adults, which immunized 11,400 adults against shingles 

Employees: 13.6 FTE statewide

Fiscal Year 2008 estimated expenditures: $12,867,791
(87 percent vaccine purchase, 10 percent personal services, 3 percent operating expenses)

Fiscal Year 2008 estimated revenues: $12,867,791
(69 percent federal funds, 31 percent General Fund) 

Source: Immunization Program

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