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August
1, 2001 |
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CDC:
Toddler Vaccinations Dip
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WASHINGTON -- Slightly fewer toddlers appear to have gotten some
standard vaccinations on time last year, after years of improvement in
immunization rates, new government data show.
In 2000, 77.6 percent of toddlers had received all the recommended doses of
vaccine against seven diseases -- polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis,
measles, mumps and rubella.
That's a slight drop from 1999, when 79.9 percent of toddlers had received
those vaccinations, says the study by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Vaccination coverage varies widely in different states, meaning "a
substantial number of children are not fully protected in every
community," Dr. Walter Orenstein, CDC's immunization chief, said
Wednesday.
A draft of state data, which the CDC is to publish Thursday, shows North
Carolina had the highest vaccination rate for those diseases, 87.6 percent.
Texas had the lowest, 69.5 percent.
"Reduced vaccination coverage may be the result of missed opportunities to
vaccinate and from incomplete or scattered vaccination records," Orenstein
said. He urged health workers to "vaccinate at every opportunity."
However, the CDC also found more toddlers getting vaccinated against chickenpox
-- 67.8 percent in 2000, up from 57.5 percent the previous year -- and
hepatitis B -- 90.3 percent in 2000, up from 88.1 percent.
Government health officials recommend that by age 2, children receive about 20
doses of vaccine against 11 diseases.
Copyright
2001 Associated Press
ALL
INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR
GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE
KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED
AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO
VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU
ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.