New Mexico is ranked No. 31 nationwide for immunization rates among toddlers in the year of 2007, according to state health officials.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention said last year that the state immunized 76 percent of children who were between 19 and 35 months old. The previous year’s rate was just over 71 percent, according to the health department, and the state ranked 40th nationwide.

There are new plans at the department to launch a strategy to immunize children in communities that tend to have the lowest immunization rates. Health officials will use the women, infant and children program as a way of reaching children who need to get their shots.