Arizona ranked sixth-least vaccinated state in the nation
Oct 4, 2019, 4:15 AM
(AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
(AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
PHOENIX — Arizona was named the sixth-least vaccinated state in a personal finance website’s recent ranking.
The Grand Canyon State came in at No. 46 out of 50 states and the District of Columbia.
WalletHub evaluated the states on 18 metrics broken down into three categories.
Arizona ranked 49th in two of those categories: children and teenagers’ immunization rates, and immunization uptake disparities and influencing factors.
Is your child up to date on their #vaccines? See the states that #vaccinate the most here: https://t.co/s1tt8Je7yi pic.twitter.com/9fHyxrBSMc
— WalletHub (@wallethub) October 2, 2019
The state ranked 33rd in the third category, adult and elderly vaccination ranks.
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“Arizona is a destination for retirees, for snowbirds,” Wallethub analyst Jill Gonzalez told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
“The adult and elderly vaccination rates could also be better there.”
Arizona ranked in the bottom 10 for share of civilian population without health insurance coverage and flu vaccination rate for children ages 6 months to 17 years old.
It also came in at No. 40 for share of adults with a tetanus vaccination.
Health officials have voiced concern over Arizona’s relatively low vaccination rates for years.
The Phoenix metro area has been designated as a high-risk area for a measles outbreak, in part due to immunization rates, every year since 2011.
Indiana, Georgia, Florida, Texas and Mississippi came in below Arizona in the ranking.
The three most-vaccinated states were Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Taylor Kinnerup contributed to this report.
