Ohio logs better-than-average childhood vaccination rates

CLEVELAND (AP) — The percentage of children receiving the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine on time has increased in Ohio, and a state official said a measles outbreak might have helped raise awareness.

Nearly 96 percent of children between the ages of 19 months and 35 months got at least one dose of the MMR vaccine last year, The Plain Dealer in Cleveland reported Thursday. That’s up from 86 percent the previous year, and it topped the national rate of 91.5 percent.

New statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate Ohio also outpaces the national average on most childhood vaccinations, the newspaper said.

Dr. Mary DiOrio, the Ohio Department of Health’s medical director, said one factor in the increase might have been outbreaks, including a measles outbreak in an Amish community that infected about 375 people.