August is National Immunization Awareness Month
What Texas Families Need to Know for a Healthy Start
By The Save Texas Moms Team
Looking around, it’s hard to miss that August brings the rhythm of back-to-school time in Texas. The frenzied return to our school campuses is in full swing! Naturally, we wish all families a safe, fun, and productive school year.
August also represents something else that’s important to Texans: It’s National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). Vaccination is a proven way to keep Texas families and communities healthy, and we would love to talk to you about that!
Why NIAM Matters in 2025
Texas enters NIAM amid its largest measles outbreak in decades: Over 760 confirmed cases, close to 100 hospitalizations, and two pediatric deaths since January 2025—most in counties with low vaccination rates. The surge is an urgent and vital reminder that routine vaccines protect both individual children and the communities in which they live.
Pregnancy: Protecting Two at Once
A July 2025 national survey found nearly one in two first-time pregnant parents (48%) felt unsure about vaccinating the baby they’re expecting, compared with just 4% of current parents. That’s a notable and unambiguous indication of the sizable shift in people’s safety perceptions of vaccines due to the current circulation of information—often from conflicting and undocumented sources.
Public health officials across the state, recognizing this critical change, are reminding new parents that prenatal visits are the perfect window to:
Receive maternal flu, Tdap, and the new maternal RSV vaccines.
Preview the infant vaccine schedule and ask safety questions before delivery.
As a parent, having concerns for your child is natural. Those concerns are a powerful and ideal reason for keeping the door open on vaccine discussions—meet with your OBGYN, pediatrician, or public health nurse—and ask hard questions about dosing, vaccine safety, and any other related worries you have. For all of us, this is a vital part of the overall dialogue on vaccines, and frontline health providers (board-certified pediatricians, family physicians, and OB/GYNS) offer scientific and evidence-based information for guidance.
Baby’s First Year: Keeping a Routine
Only 66.8% of Texas children are fully up-to-date by 24 months, mirroring national averages but leaving one-third at risk, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) 2023 National Immunization Survey. This data was included in the Texas Health and Human Services 2024 report. Knowing this, we encourage parents to:
Combine shots in a single visit when possible.
Request a copy of your child's vaccination record by completing the linked form through ImmTrac2, Texas’s secure, opt-in registry that keeps lifelong records
If you’re uninsured or on Medicaid, ask whether your clinic participates in Texas Vaccines for Children (TVFC); more than 3,000 providers statewide do participate, according to Texas Health and Human Services.
School and Childcare Requirements
Texas schools verify vaccine records at kindergarten, seventh grade, and college entry. State law allows for exemptions to immunization requirements if students are in the U.S. military, if their healthcare provider deems it’s not safe for them to get certain vaccines, and for reasons of conscientious objections, including religious or personal beliefs. Conscientious-exemption filings for kindergartners—almost entirely from non-medical exemption affidavits—climbed to 3-4 % statewide for 2024-25, the highest on record, as noted in the Texas Department of State Health Services Annual Report of Immunization Status of Students. Did you know? Children with exemptions can be kept out of class during outbreaks. Studies and statewide experiences during COVID have shown that excessive absences in earlier grades lead to a significant loss in foundational learning—another reason to stay current.
Data Tells the Real Story: Combating Myths with Facts
MYTH: “Vaccines cause autism.”
FACT: A 1998 study that sparked this claim was retracted, and its author lost his medical license. Extensive research shows no link between vaccines (including MMR) and autism. You can learn more about the facts through the Mayo Clinic Health System.
MYTH: “Natural immunity is safer.”
FACT: Measles hospitalizations in Texas and two recent child deaths show the real risk of relying on “natural” infection, as detailed in The Texas Tribune.
MYTH: “The registry shares my data.”
FACT: ImmTrac2 is confidential and governed by state law; only authorized providers can view records. Learn more about it through Texas Health and Human Services.
Why the myth won’t die: Even high-profile officials have floated these debunked claims. To combat unilateral changes to vaccine policy, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and other public health groups sued the U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., after he announced studies into the “autism–vaccine link” despite consensus evidence to the contrary.
Still Behind or Unsure? Here is Your Catch-up Plan
Call ahead to verify walk-in or evening “back-to-school” hours.
Bring paper records so the clinic can upload them to ImmTrac2.
Ask about Texas Vaccines for Children (TVFC) or local health department vouchers if cost is a barrier.
Check out Save Texas Moms’ other resources so you can stress less: We will connect you to your nearest Food Bank or Diaper Bank. We can also guide you to other supportive services—right where you live and work.
Final Step: Take Action on this NIAM
Vaccines are still the safest, most effective way to protect you and your family (and those living around you) from preventable diseases. The goals are worth it—healthy pregnancies, thriving babies, and strong communities.
Pregnant mom? Add flu, Tdap, and RSV vaccines to your third-trimester checklist.
Parents of babies/toddlers? Book 2-, 4-, 6-, and 12-month visits now.
School-age kids? Review 2024-25 requirements and update ASAP.
All Texans: Opt in to ImmTrac2 and follow @SaveTexasMoms for more myth-busting posts and maternal health information.
Need help finding a TVFC clinic or mobile vaccine unit? Contact us, and our team will connect you.
With gratitude for keeping Texas families healthy,
—The Save Texas Moms Team
Community Immunity: Yes, It Matters
Community Immunity: Every rolled-up sleeve shields elders—and pregnant moms across Texas. It’s true. One shot, many lives.
Community-Protection Target—a.k.a. “Community or Herd Immunity”
Imagine a contagious disease as a spark trying to jump from person to person. When most folks in town are already fire-proof—thanks to vaccines (or, less reliably, past infection)—the spark keeps hitting “fire breaks” and dies out before it can become a blaze. Public-health teams set a coverage goal high enough that these fire breaks are everywhere, making sustained outbreaks nearly impossible. That threshold is what CDC calls community (or herd) immunity: reaching the point where there simply aren’t enough susceptible people left for germs to keep spreading.
The vaccination coverage level a community aims to reach so person-to-person spread becomes unlikely ( i.e., enough people are immune via vaccination and/or prior infection) that outbreaks can’t sustain themselves. CDC defines “community immunity” as having a sufficient proportion of immunity so that the spread is unlikely.
It’s important to note that community-immunity thresholds vary by disease. For example, measles typically requires 95% vaccination coverage, whereas RSV and other infections have lower or variable targets.
Why It Matters
Prevents sustained outbreaks by keeping the effective spread of a disease below replacement; for highly contagious measles, this typically means ~95% 2-dose MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) coverage (the Healthy People 2030 target used by the CDC for kindergartners).
High vaccination rates create a safety net (through indirect protection) for newborns, immune-compromised neighbors, and expectant moms.
Reduces cluster risk: When coverage falls—or is uneven—pockets of under-vaccination can seed outbreaks even if the overall average looks high.
“For highly contagious measles, this typically means ~95% 2-dose MMR coverage.”
Strong Moms, Safer Newborns: Prenatal vaccines build your baby’s first shield.
Vaccinations in Texas—What’s Happening Now
A Disturbing Trend: Texas just made it easier to skip school vaccines—HB 1586 (signed into law, effective Sept. 2025) lets parents download exemption forms online, even as the state issued hundreds of thousands of exemptions affidavits in FY2024.
Did You Know?
Texas is in its largest measles outbreak since 1992—more than 760 confirmed cases since late January 2025, and the numbers are increasing.
Among Texas kindergartners in 2023-24, MMR coverage was 94.35% (below the 95% community-protection target), and 118,572 K-12 students had conscientious exemptions on file.
In Texas, doctors recommend Tdap and flu vaccinations during every pregnancy, and as soon as possible; Tdap will protect your child from whooping cough, and the flu vaccine will protect your baby up to six months after birth. A win-win!
Medical Disclaimer: Information is for educational purposes and not a substitute for professional medical advice.
Do you have an amazing story to share? Please contact us so we can feature your incredible pregnancy or parenting story in a future blog. Your words bring us closer to a safer, healthier Texas for moms and babies.
