PORTLAND (AP) – A coalition of public health groups says Maine’s immunization rates in 2007 fell to a new low, 82 percent.

Members of the Maine Medical Association and other groups point to figures from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that say Maine has the lowest immunization rates for children 19-35 months of age of the New England States.

Kevin Lewis of the Maine Primary Care Association says a loss of federal funding and the rise of vaccine costs without any state response has eroded of the state’s ability to deliver vaccines universally.

The Maine Immunization Coalition plans a news conference in Portland on Thursday.