Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions
Vaccination Rates Top 90%, with Some Exceptions
MMWR; 2017 Nov 3; Hill, et al
For children between the ages of 19 and 35 months, vaccination coverage remains high but could be better, concludes a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- To reach that conclusion, the report used data from the 2016 National Immunization Survey-Child (NIS-Child).
- For poliovirus vaccine, coverage remained at or above 90% for 3 or more doses.
- Coverage for measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine was 91.1% for 1 or more doses.
- 90.6% of the relevant population received one or more doses of the varicella vaccine.
- 90.5% received 3 or more doses of the hepatitis B vaccine.
- On a negative note, coverage for vaccines requiring booster doses during the second year of life remained below 90%, including diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTAP) and pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV).
Citation:
Hill HA, Elam-Evans LD, Yankey D, et al. Vaccination coverage among children aged 19–35 months—United States, 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017;63:1171-1177. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6643a3.
The good news of overall stable and high vaccine coverage in this age group is reassuring. However, the data details tell a slightly different story, and identify areas for improvement. The 2016 vaccine coverage was lower among non-hispanic blacks, children in poverty and on Medicaid, and markedly lower for children without insurance. Although the VFC (Vaccines For Children) program provides free vaccines for all eligible children, the data suggest problems with knowledge of or access to this program. Work continues to identify barriers and obstacles to vaccination and find ways to improve vaccine coverage in these populations with lower vaccine rates.
-Sarah Rawstron, MB, BS, FAAP, FIDSA
Pediatric Residency Program Director, The Brooklyn Hospital Center, NY
Clinical Associate Professor, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, NY