CDC: More Young Children Vaccinated; Adolescents Way Behind

The latest news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is mostly good news. Their latest report shows that the rates of childhood immunization is at or near record levels.

This is an annual survey and this years results continue the upward trend of recent years and reflects the figures from 2006. It shows that 77% of children between 19 and 35 months old have received the entire recommended series of vaccines. In 2005, the total was 76.1%. The immunizations in the series include four doses of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine plus, three doses of polio vaccine, one or more doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, three doses of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine (Hib), three doses of hepatitis B vaccine and one or more doses of varicella or chickenpox vaccine. The immunization begins right after birth and continues until the child is 2 years old.

The highest increases were in the number children who received the chicken pox and polio vaccines in 2006 as compared to those who received them in 2005. The number of children who received three doses of the chicken pox vaccine increase for 82.8% to 87% and from 53.7% to 68.4% for those who got four doses. The number of children who got the polio vaccine increased from 91.7% to 92.9% in the same period of time.

Some states are doing much better than others in getting the recommended number of vaccinations done. The state with the highest number is Massachusetts coming in with 86% and the state with the lowest number is Nevada coming in with 59.5%. The city with the best numbers is Boston Massachusetts with 81.4% and the city with the worse numbers is Detroit Michigan with 62.5%.

They also took a look at the figures from different demographic standpoints. The results show that children in the group who live at or below the poverty level are less likely to get all their vaccinations. The same results showed for black children.

This is the first year that the study included children in the 13 to 17-year-old age group. There are vaccinations for this age group that were only approved last year and they are tetanus, reduced diphtheria and acellular pertussis and meningococcal conjugate vaccines.

They have goals set for this age group to meet by the year 2010 and those are for them to come in with 90% who have had three doses of Hepatitis B vaccine, two doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, one dose of either tetanus-diphtheria or tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis vaccine, and one dose of varicella vaccine for those who have not previously had chickenpox.

The figures from last year for these vaccinations show that none of them are at the hoped for levels and 2010 is not that far away. In this age group, 88.5 % received two or more doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. When it comes to hepatitis B, 84.3% received three doses of the vaccines. These vaccinations have been given for many years and their figures are not good, but with the new ones, the results are worse. With the tetanus-diphtheria or tetanus, reduced diphtheria and acellular pertussis vaccination 60% of this group had received the vaccines since they turned 10 years old. But separating the two types of these vaccinations, only 10.8% received the tetanus, reduced diphtheria and acellular pertussis alone and only 11.7% received a meningococcal conjugate vaccine vaccination

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/