Nation's Childhood Immunization Rates Remain High
Vaccination is one of the most important things parents can do to protect their children's health.
The nation's childhood immunization rates remain stable at high levels for routinely recommended vaccines, according to 2008 estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to the CDC's annual National Immunization Survey (NIS), the percentage of U.S. children 19 to 35 months of age who have received the recommended series of childhood vaccines was 76.1 percent in 2008, statistically similar to the 77.4 percent in 2007. (The survey included children born during January 2005–June 2007.)
Vaccines in the recommended series (4:3:1:3:3:1) are:
- Four or more doses of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine (DtaP)
- Three or more doses of polio vaccine
- One or more doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR)
- Three or more doses of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine (Hib)
- Three or more doses of hepatitis B vaccine
- One or more doses of varicella (chickenpox) vaccine
"Vaccination is one of the most important things parents can do to protect their children's health," said Dr. Melinda Wharton, deputy director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. "Thanks to the hard work of doctors and nurses and other immunization providers and the commitment of parents, rates are still high, but we must all continue to work hard to reach those children who are not fully vaccinated."
According to the recently published 2008 NIS article, there was a small but statistically significant decrease nationally for coverage with the Hib vaccine. In 2007, coverage with three or more doses of Hib was 92.6 percent and in 2008 coverage was 90.9 percent. This decrease is likely due to a shortage of the vaccine that began in December 2007 and a temporary recommendation to defer the booster dose. At least 8 percent of the children in the survey were likely impacted by this recommendation. More vaccine became available in the summer of 2009, and the booster dose is again recommended for children at age 12—15 months.
As in previous years, estimated vaccination coverage levels varied substantially among states and local areas. 4:3:1:3:3:1 state coverage ranged from 82.3 percent in Massachusetts to 59.2 percent in Montana. Coverage also varied among the 17 local areas surveyed, from 80.9 percent in Santa Clara County, California, to 68.5 percent in Northern California.
Among racial/ethnic groups, little variation in coverage was observed. Coverage for most vaccines remained lower for children living below poverty than children living at or above poverty. Sustaining high coverage levels and finding effective methods of reducing disparities across states/local areas and income groups remains a priority to fully protect children and limit the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States.
The following picture shows estimated vaccination coverage levels by state during 2008 for the 4:3:1:3:3:1 series among children aged 19-35 months.
Data Source: CDC. National, State, and Local Area Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 19-35 Months—United States, 2008. MMWR 58(33);921-926.
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