August 30, 2007 4:00 PM
- Text
Immunization Rates High For U.S. Kids
- Adele's Grammy Comeback After Vocal Cord Surgery
- Treating Sleep Apnea in Kids Improves Behavior, Quality of Life
- Chemo May Not Harm Unborn Baby
- C-Sections Not Always Best for Small Babies
- CDC: Doctors Increasingly Prescribe Exercise
- Osteoporosis Medication Linked to Unusual Thigh Fractures
- More from WebMD »
Health Watch, Vaccines, Immunization (CBS/The Early Show)
(WebMD)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that U.S. immunization rates for young kids remain at or above record highs, but teens need to get up to speed on their vaccinations.
"We're doing well in the childhood program but we've still got a ways to go with adolescents," Melinda Wharton, M.D., deputy director of the CDC's National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases, said at a news conference.
The CDC's latest immunization statistics report covers 2006 vaccinations for kids aged 19-35 months and teens aged 13-17.
The report shows that in 2006, more than three-quarters - 77 percent - of U.S. children aged 19-35 months in 2006 got all of the recommended doses of six childhood vaccines that target 10 diseases. Those children got four doses of the diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine; three doses of the polio vaccine; one or more doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine; three doses of the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine; three doses of the hepatitis B vaccine; and one or more doses of the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine.
The percentage of children aged 19-35 months who got all recommended doses of those six vaccines is similar to the 2005 percentage. But that percentage is still below the government's 2010 goal to have at least 90 percent of U.S. kids in that group get all recommended doses of their vaccines.
Children's immunization rates varied among states. Here are the top five states, along with the percentage of children aged 19-35 months who got all recommended doses of their vaccines:
Massachusetts: 83.6 percent
Connecticut: 82 percent
North Carolina: 81.5 percent
Georgia: 81.4 percent
Pennsylvania: 80.8 percent
The five states at the bottom of the immunization list are:
West Virginia: 68.4 percent
Alaska: 67.3 percent
Montana: 65.6 percent
Wyoming: 63.5 percent
Nebraska: 59.5 percent
Among children aged 19-35 months, nearly 78 percent of whites had gotten the complete vaccination series, compared with about 74 percent of African-American children. That gap is tied to socioeconomic status, says Wharton.
The figures are based on nationwide telephone interviews with the parents of more than 21,000 U.S. children aged 19-35 months.
For the first time, the CDC also interviewed the parents of more than 2,800 teens aged 13-17. Those interviews show that some teens aren't up to date on their vaccinations.
For instance, the government wants at least 90 percent of teens aged 13-15 to get the recommended doses of the hepatitis B vaccine and the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine.
In 2006, between 84 percent and 88 percent of teens in that age range had gotten the recommended doses of those vaccines. But teens were especially behind on newer vaccines. For instance, only about 12 percent of 13-17-year-olds had received the new meningococcal conjugate vaccine and only about 11 percent had gotten the combined tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough vaccine.
The CDC's immunization figures appear in tomorrow's edition of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang, M.D.
By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang, M.D.
©2007 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved
"We're doing well in the childhood program but we've still got a ways to go with adolescents," Melinda Wharton, M.D., deputy director of the CDC's National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases, said at a news conference.
The CDC's latest immunization statistics report covers 2006 vaccinations for kids aged 19-35 months and teens aged 13-17.
The report shows that in 2006, more than three-quarters - 77 percent - of U.S. children aged 19-35 months in 2006 got all of the recommended doses of six childhood vaccines that target 10 diseases. Those children got four doses of the diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine; three doses of the polio vaccine; one or more doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine; three doses of the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine; three doses of the hepatitis B vaccine; and one or more doses of the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine.
The percentage of children aged 19-35 months who got all recommended doses of those six vaccines is similar to the 2005 percentage. But that percentage is still below the government's 2010 goal to have at least 90 percent of U.S. kids in that group get all recommended doses of their vaccines.
Children's immunization rates varied among states. Here are the top five states, along with the percentage of children aged 19-35 months who got all recommended doses of their vaccines:
The five states at the bottom of the immunization list are:
Among children aged 19-35 months, nearly 78 percent of whites had gotten the complete vaccination series, compared with about 74 percent of African-American children. That gap is tied to socioeconomic status, says Wharton.
The figures are based on nationwide telephone interviews with the parents of more than 21,000 U.S. children aged 19-35 months.
For the first time, the CDC also interviewed the parents of more than 2,800 teens aged 13-17. Those interviews show that some teens aren't up to date on their vaccinations.
For instance, the government wants at least 90 percent of teens aged 13-15 to get the recommended doses of the hepatitis B vaccine and the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine.
In 2006, between 84 percent and 88 percent of teens in that age range had gotten the recommended doses of those vaccines. But teens were especially behind on newer vaccines. For instance, only about 12 percent of 13-17-year-olds had received the new meningococcal conjugate vaccine and only about 11 percent had gotten the combined tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough vaccine.
The CDC's immunization figures appear in tomorrow's edition of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang, M.D.
By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang, M.D.
©2007 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved
Popular Now in Health
- Cancer drug reverses Alzheimer's in mice: Study
- Norovirus outbreak hits Rider University in N.J
- Marijuana-smoking motorists twice as likely to crash
- Electric shocks to brain may boost memory: Study
- Chinese mom gives birth to 15-pound baby
- America's pets also have an obesity epidemic
- Measles patient at Super Bowl prompts health alert
- America's sodium problem: Not from salty snacks?
- Caffeine inhalers - the next club drug?
- Skin cancer self-exam: What to look for (PHOTOS)
- 4.5 million Americans over 50 have artificial knees
- Things You Didn't Know About Your Penis
- PICTURES: 15 Shocking Sexual Fetishes
- Let's Move! campaign turns 2 today: Is it working?
- Drinking soda raises risk for asthma, COPD: Study
- Christina Hendricks: Too Big for Hollywood?
- Woman spotlights uterus didelphys on talk show
Latest CBS News Headlines
on Facebook
on CBS News
- Jason Wu revisits Chinese roots at Fashion Week
- How Jason Wu picks models, tweaks looks for runway
- Libertine Fashion Week show big on embellishment
- Libertine Fashion Week show big on embellishment
on Facebook
- Adele sings a cappella for Anderson Cooper
- Adele sings a cappella for Anderson Cooper
- Beyonce and Jay-Z post first photos of Blue Ivy Carter
on CBS News






