Rates of Tdap, MenACWY, HPV vaccinations rose from 2008 to 2009; still room for improvement
FRIDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Vaccination rates in U.S. adolescents for the vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices have increased since 2008, but there is still room for improvement, according to research published in the Aug. 20 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Christina Dorell, M.D., of the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues analyzed the National Immunization Survey-Teen to estimate 2009 vaccination coverage among youths 13 to 17 years of age and compare it with 2008 coverage.
From 2008 to 2009, they found an increase in vaccination for tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap) from 40.8 to 55.6 percent; meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY) from 41.8 to 53.6 percent; human papillomavirus (HPV, one or more doses) from 37.2 to 44.3 percent; and HPV three or more doses (17.9 to 26.7 percent). Coverage varied by state, with Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island having more than 60 percent coverage for Tdap, MenACWY and HPV. The researchers concluded that, although coverage is increasing, more efforts -- including dissemination of successful state-based practices -- are necessary to ensure more adolescents are vaccinated.
"Urging the public and health care providers to view every health visit as an opportunity for vaccination will decrease missed opportunities to provide vaccines. Additionally, exploration of using nontraditional settings to increase vaccination coverage (e.g., schools) should continue," the authors conclude.
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