Mississippi § 41-88-3 - Administration of child vaccination program by State Department of Health; duties; responsibilities.

§ 41-88-3. Administration of child vaccination program by State Department of Health; duties; responsibilities.

The State Department of Health is responsible for assuring that all children in the state are appropriately immunized against vaccine-preventable diseases. In order to improve the state’s immunization levels in children, the State Department of Health shall enhance current immunization activities and focus on children receiving all recommended immunizations by twenty-four (24) months of age. The immunizations shall be administered according to the recommendations of the national Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The administration of vaccine shall not be delayed due to a reluctance of the health-care provider to administer multiple immunizations in a visit. The department shall improve parent compliance and provide more timely scheduling, recall and follow-up in order to achieve national and state immunization level goals. The State Department of Health shall establish a statewide childhood immunization registry to which all health-care providers will report the administration of childhood immunizations. The State Board of Health will promulgate rules and regulations needed to implement this section. The department shall make information regarding the immunization status of children in the registry available to the parents/guardians of the child, health-care providers and individuals or organizations that are required to report on the immunizations status of children in their care.