1990. Evaluating the Impact of Directed Provider Outreach Urging Polio Vaccination During a Polio Outbreak – Rockland County New York, 2022

Abstract

Abstract Background On July 18, 2022, a case of paralytic polio was reported in a person from Rockland County, New York. In August 2022, the proportion of children in Rockland County with 3 doses of polio vaccine by age two was 60.3%. That month, Rockland County, New York State, and CDC initiated a campaign to conduct physician-mediated patient outreach to improve Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) coverage in Rockland County. Methods We contacted 38 Vaccines for Children enrolled providers, serving patients aged 3-60 months who were overdue for polio vaccinations, to send reminders to parents. Providers contacted parents by phone, text message, or mailed personalized letter. To assess success of the intervention on vaccine uptake, we retrospectively identified cohorts of patients missing >1 dose of polio vaccine in the New York State Immunization Information System as of August 9, for baseline years 2017 and 2018, and for intervention year 2022. We used logistic regression to compare the odds of receiving polio vaccine among under-vaccinated cohorts during August 15–October 31 of the baseline and intervention years. Results Thirty providers conducted patient outreach using phone calls (19 providers), text messages (4 providers), and letters (14 providers). At the outset, 4,887 patients aged 3-60 months were missing 1 or more recommended doses of polio vaccine. During the 10 weeks following initiation of outreach, 1,292 (26.4%) of these patients received an IPV dose; 7.1% were 3-6 months old, 17.9% 7-11 months, 27.9% 1 year, 47.1% 2-5 years. Of the IPV doses received, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd doses accounted for 7.5%, 33.1% and 59.4%, respectively. The odds of an un- or under-vaccinated patient receiving a dose of polio vaccine during the 10-week analysis period were significantly higher in 2022 compared to 2017 (OR=1.41, 95% CI [1.27-1.56]) and 2018 (OR=1.46, 95% CI [1.32-1.62]). Conclusion Following physician-mediated patient outreach urging vaccination among under-immunized children in August 2022, 26% of undervaccinated children received polio vaccine in the 10 weeks after outreach. This reflected an increased odds of vaccination by 40% compared to baseline years 2017 and 2018, highlighting the positive impact of conducting this type of outreach during a polio outbreak in an area with low vaccine coverage. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures