Percentage of U.S. Kindergarten Children Receiving Routine Vaccines to Protect Against Diseases Like measles, whooping coughand polio have declined for the second year in a row, a new study finds.
Low vaccination coverage leaves communities vulnerable to epidemics of vaccine-preventable diseases. What happened in 2022public health officials said.
measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR); diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP).poliovirus (polio); and Chickenpox (chickenpox) – about 95% of kindergarteners in 2019-2020.
rate dropped to 94% following year.
For the 2021-2022 school year, coverage dropped another one point to 93%, according to the report. publish online January 12th Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
Although vaccination coverage remains high overall, researchers estimate that about 250,000 kindergarten students may be unprotected from measles. Highly contagious measles serious illness and even death For children who have not been vaccinated against the virus.
“In 2022, two communities in the United States have responded. measles epidemic Georgina Peacock, M.P.H., M.P.H., director of immunization services at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said at a media briefing on the report. A case of paralytic polio in people who have not been vaccinated. These outbreaks were preventable. Vaccination is the best way to prevent these diseases and their devastating effects on children. “
Exemptions Steadily
In a new study, Ranee Seither, M.D., of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and her colleagues analyzed data reported by states to estimate the national coverage of the four routine vaccines. .
The number of exempted students remained low at 2.6%, but another 3.9% who were not exempted were not up-to-date with the MMR vaccine, researchers report.
of another study, researchers found that vaccination coverage among 2-year-olds has increased. About 70% of children had received 7 doses of vaccine by 24 months of age. Coverage was higher for children born between 2018 and her 2019 than for children born between 2016 and 2017.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic was not associated with lower immunization coverage across this younger age group, studies show that 4-5 percent of children living below the poverty level or living in rural areas are immunized. decreased.
In addition, researchers found that uninsured children were eight times more likely to have not been vaccinated by their second birthday than privately insured children.
Strategies to increase immunization coverage include making immunization mandatory in schools and holding immunization clinics in schools, the CDC said.
“Healthcare providers should review children’s medical histories, recommend necessary vaccinations at each clinical visit, address parental hesitation to reduce disparities, and ensure that every child is free from vaccine-preventable diseases. We need to make sure we are protected,” the official said.
To that end, the agency this week launched an initiative called Let’s Rise (Routine Immunization for All) Provides clinicians with resources to keep patients on track with immunizations.
Hundreds of thousands unprotected
MMR vaccination coverage among kindergarteners is the lowest in more than a decade, Peacock said. The reduction in insurance coverage for kindergarteners may be related to pandemic-related disruptions in health systems and schools, she said. , and may be less focused on routine immunization paperwork.
Hesitancy towards COVID vaccines may affect routine immunizations. “That’s something we’re watching very closely,” Peacock said.
A two-point drop in vaccination coverage has led to “hundreds of thousands of children entering school without full protection” against preventable diseases that can easily spread in classrooms. said Sean O’Leary, MD, Chairman of the Board of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Infection said.
Despite the reduced coverage, O’Leary said there are encouraging signs in the data. Non-medical exemptions for kindergarten students have not increased. And the majority of parents still get their children vaccinated.At the same time, the report stresses the need to address child poverty and improve access to vaccines in rural areas. he said.
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