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Have you heard of Immunization Information System (IIS)? More and more babies born today in the U.S. are having their immunization records uploaded to this database. According to statistics, participation has gone up from 56% in 2005, to 65% in 2006.

It’s a wonderful way for immunizations to be tracked no matter where the child moves in the U.S. I know when my parents moved us from Canada to the U.S. they had a hard time proving we had already received many of the required immunizations. A system like this, a global one, would have been a godsend to them.

Right now, it is only available in the U.S. (although other countries may have their own systems). My other concern would be, who is this information going to? Ideally, it should be protected by the Medical Privacy Act and not just available to anybody. I sure would not want junk mail for Baby Tylenol sent to me around the time of my baby’s vaccinations!

For parents of newborns, think about registering your child to the system. Weigh the pros and cons. You could always use the many tools available out there for a personalized immunization calendar.

More info can be found here.

Tags: immunization