Sec. 161.0101. INCREASE IMMUNIZATION AWARENESS. (a) The department shall develop new public-private partnerships and work with existing public-private partnership programs, including the Seniors and Volunteers Program For Childhood Immunization, to increase public and private awareness of and support for early childhood immunizations.

(b) The department shall work with the Texas Education Agency to increase immunization awareness and participation among parents of preschool and school-age children by:

(1) jointly applying for federal funds for immunization awareness and vaccination programs; and

(2) creating partnerships with public and private health, service, and education organizations, including parent-teacher associations, the United Way, schools, local businesses, community-based organizations, chambers of commerce, and athletic booster clubs, to increase awareness and participation in the state's early childhood vaccination program.

(c) The department shall work to increase immunization awareness and participation among parents of children in child-care facilities, as defined by Section 42.002, Human Resources Code, in the state's early childhood vaccination program by publishing on the department's website information about the benefits of annual immunization against influenza for children aged six months to five years. The department shall work with the Department of Family and Protective Services and with child-care facilities to ensure that the information is annually distributed to parents in August or September.

Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 844, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.

Renumbered from Health and Safety Code, Section 161.010 by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 728 (H.B. 2018), Sec. 23.001(44), eff. September 1, 2005.

Amended by:

Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 922 (H.B. 3184), Sec. 1, eff. June 15, 2007.

Sec. 161.0102. VACCINES FOR CHILDREN PROGRAM; INFLUENZA VACCINES. (a) In this section, "vaccines for children program" means the program operated by the department under authority of 42 U.S.C. Section 1396s, as amended.

(b) The department shall allow each health care provider participating in the vaccines for children program to:

(1) select influenza vaccines from the list of all influenza vaccines that:

(A) are approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and recommended by the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; and

(B) are either:

(i) within the limits of the vaccines annually allocated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States Public Health Service to the department for the vaccines for children program; or

(ii) not offered in the annual allocation under Subparagraph (i), but are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States Public Health Service and for which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awards to the department additional funds; and

(2) use both inactivated influenza vaccines and live, attenuated influenza vaccines.

Added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 397 (S.B. 811), Sec. 1, eff. June 15, 2007.