Just 74 percent of Ohio's children are fully immunized. Only seven states have a lower immunization percentage.

But the Ohio Department of Health has a new Web site for health officials that may help the state reach the national goal of a 90 percent immunization rate.

The Statewide Immunization Information System is a registry that can track a patient's immunization history, as well as automatically send out reminders to parents.

``You would think in this day and age we would have a 90 percent immunization rate,'' said Chris Coenen, a nurse practitioner with the Summit County Health Department. ``But we don't.''

The national average for childhood immunizations is about 79 percent. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has set a goal of 90 percent, no states have reached that.

The immunization problem starts in the second year of a child's life, said Matt Plummer, Ohio's health planning administrator, who visited the Summit County Health Department on Thursday to train nurses on the registry.

Most babies, he said, get their early vaccinations, like those for hepatitis B, measles, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.

But when it comes time for booster shots at 12 to 24 months, he said, ``it's just not high on the priority list for a lot of parents.''

Another problem is that one in five kids has seen more than one doctor before they turn 2, ``so immunization records are scattered among different providers,'' Plummer said.

That leaves doctors asking themselves: Has a child already been immunized or should the shots be repeated just in case?

Often, the shots are repeated, wasting vaccine (some in short supply) and money (about $24 million a year).

``We have people stopping in and saying, `I need a seventh grade vaccination (for my child),' when actually they had it already and didn't realize it or forgot,'' Coenen said.

By pulling up a child's information on the registry, health professionals can tell which vaccinations he or she needs.

This is an important public health issue, Plummer said. If children are going without vaccinations, they are at risk of contracting diseases.

Just over a decade ago, the country had to deal with a measles outbreak of 55,000 cases -- more than 1,000 in Akron -- and 123 deaths.

The registry itself isn't new, Plummer said, but having it online is. This way, the information is more complete and up to date.

In the coming months, health departments statewide all should be online. The real challenge, however, will be getting doctors' offices to sign on, too.

If doctors don't participate in large numbers, Plummer said, the information is weakened.

Tracy Wheeler can be reached at 330-996-3721 or tawheeler@thebeaconjournal.com