Influenza vaccination of children aged 6–23 months remains low, with only 21% of children in this age group being fully vaccinated against influenza during the 2005–2006 season, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The vaccination rate was similar for the 24–59 months group—recently added to groups officially recommended to receive influenza vaccine—in preliminary data from the 2006–2007 season.
Results from the 2006 National Immunization Survey found that 32% of children aged 6–23 months received at least one dose of the vaccine in the 2005–2006 season and 21% were fully vaccinated in accordance with recommendations from the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
The data reflect vaccination uptake in the second season since ACIP began recommending annual influenza immunization for children aged 6–23 months in 2004.
The results are based on a sample of 13,546 children from across the country (MMWR 2007;56:959-63).
The 2005–2006 coverage levels were similar to those reported during the previous influenza season. The national estimate for fully vaccinated children increased from 18% in 2004–2005 to 21% in 2005–2006. For children who received at least one dose of the vaccine, the rate fell from 33% in 2004–2005 to 32% in 2005–2006.
“The results underscore the need to continue to monitor influenza vaccination coverage among young children, develop systems to provide childhood influenza vaccination services more efficiently, and increase awareness among health care providers and caregivers about the effectiveness of influenza vaccination among young children,” the CDC researchers wrote.
In addition to the national figures, the CDC also analyzed state vaccination rates and found significant variation.
For example, the percentage of children who received at least one dose of influenza vaccine ranged from a low of 8% in Mississippi to a high of 53% in Connecticut. No state had more than 40% of children fully vaccinated, according to the study.
CDC researchers also took an early look at influenza vaccination rates for the 2006–2007 season using data from six immunization information system sentinel sites, located in Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, and the District of Columbia.
Researchers used the data from the sentinel sites to gauge compliance with a June 2006 ACIP recommendation, which called for routine influenza vaccination among children aged 6–59 months. The early data revealed that at all six sites less than 30% of children aged 6–23 months had been fully vaccinated and less than 20% of children aged 24–59 months were fully vaccinated against influenza during the 2006–2007 season (MMWR 2007;56:963-5).
The low rate of vaccination among children aged 24–59 months was expected because the ACIP recommendations are so new, the researchers wrote.
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