Keeping Nevadans safe from infectious diseases requires buy-in from everyone, and a new UNLV-backed initiative is on a mission to increase the vaccine rate throughout the state. NVax: Nevada’s Immunization Coalition will bring together patients, parents, providers, and partner organizations to protect Silver State residents against preventable diseases through a coordinated community education and training campaign.

NVax will focus on educating the public, supplying healthcare providers with clinical guidance and resources, evaluating data to inform decision-making, sponsoring and hosting community events, and advocating for science-based policies and laws. 

The coalition — led by the UNLV School of Public Health — was founded by professor and infectious disease epidemiologist Brian Labus with a roughly $123,000 grant from the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health. 

“It’s not a secret that Nevada regularly finds its way to the bottom of good lists and the top of bad lists when it comes to health, education, access to healthcare, and immunization rates,” said Labus, adding that misinformation is the greatest threat to creating community immunity within the state.

“We want to see everyone vaccinated, regardless of who they are, where they live, or what challenges they face,” Labus said. “For those that can’t get vaccinated, we want them to live in a community that protects them from vaccine-preventable diseases.”

Children in Nevada have some of the lowest rates of on-time immunization in the country, and by the time they enter school, they have some of the highest rates of non-medical vaccine exemptions, according to Labus. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows that the Silver State ranks 40th out of 50 states in childhood inoculations against pertussis, 36th for the hepatitis B birth dose, and 42nd for babies who receive the full three-dose hepatitis B series by age 6 months. And during the 2024-25 school year, roughly 7% of Nevada kindergartners were unvaccinated, placing the state in a three-way tie alongside North and South Dakota for the 4th worst exemption rate.

Additionally, Labus said, adults in Nevada have some of the lowest rates of influenza vaccinations, with only 31% of residents age 18 and up receiving the immunization — ranking the state as third worst behind Idaho and Michigan. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nevada ranked in the lowest third of states for vaccination, with about 13% of adults receiving a booster in the last year.

NVax will host its first community meeting at 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 23. This meeting is free to attend and open to the public. For more information about the meeting or coalition, contact NVax at https://nvax.org/contact/.