U.S. immunization rates have hit a record high but one-fifth of American children are not receiving all the vaccinations they need, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
Because of shortages of one vaccine that protects against a range of diseases from ear infections to meningitis, only just over a third of children have received the full four doses that provide optimal protection, the CDC said.
“Among U.S. children aged 19 to 35 months, estimated coverage with recommended vaccines was greater in 2003 than in 2002 and represented all-time highs,” the CDC said in its report.
Holes remain in coverage in some areas, especially some big cities, the CDC said. “A substantial number of children in the United States still aren’t adequately protected from vaccine-preventable diseases,” CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding told a news conference.
'An unnecessary human tragedy'
“The suffering or death of even one individual from a vaccine-preventable disease is an unnecessary human tragedy.”
More than 20 percent of America’s 3-year-olds lack the full series of vaccines, the CDC said.
It found that 79.4 percent of children had received the full series of vaccines in 2003, compared to 74.8 percent in 2002 and 73.7 percent in 2001.
Four million children are born in the United States each year, and start their vaccines right away with a dose to protect them against hepatitis B.
Over the next three years they are supposed to be given four doses of the combined diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis or whooping cough vaccine, three doses of polio vaccine, one dose of measles, mumps and rubella or German measles vaccine, three doses of Haemophilus vaccine that protects against meningitis and ear infections, and two more doses of hepatitis B vaccine.
They are also supposed to get up to four doses of Prevnar pneumococcal vaccine, which protects against several strains of bacteria that cause ear infections, meningitis, pneumonia and other serious diseases.
The recommendation was cut back to two essential doses when the vaccine was in short supply but the CDC moved its guidelines back up to three earlier this month.
The CDC found that nearly 85 percent of children have received the chicken pox, or varicella vaccine, up from 80.6 percent in 2002. The vaccine protects against deadly complications from the virus and also against shingles, a painful disease, in adulthood.
“In 2003, as in previous years, urban areas reported lower immunization rates than states, mostly due to large concentrations of lower socio-economically displaced persons,” the CDC said. In Boston, nearly 89 percent of children were fully vaccinated while in Houston just 69 percent were.
Flu shots recommended
The CDC has recently added influenza to the list of vaccines advised for babies aged 6 months to two years.
Denver nurse Jodi Wild said flu nearly killed her healthy 2-year-old daughter Katie in a matter of days. Within hours of developing cold-like symptoms her lips became gray and her skin clammy, Wild told the news conference.
She rushed the child to urgent care. “She suddenly became limp in my arms,” Wild said.
It took another day for Katie to be diagnosed with influenza. “The virus had attacked her heart,” Wild said. The child ended up with hospital bills of more than $100,000 and 18 months of cardiac care. “Influenza needs to be taken seriously,” Wild said.
