CDC: Childhood Immunizations are Up

The Centers for Disease Control report that more caretakers are having their infants and children immunized. The latest report from the CDC shows rates for most long-standing recommended vaccines are at or above 90% for children 19 – 35 months old. The 2010 National Immunization Survey included 17,000 households, and showed that immunizations are on the upswing for measles, mumps and rubella, rotavirus, pneumococcal disease, Hib, and hepatitis A. Abigail Schefer with the National Center for Immunizations at the CDC says "in Pennsylvania polio vaccinations are at nearly 95%, and for Haemophilus influenza type B – Hib – we see almost a 20% increase, and also in the vaccine series." She says when children don't get their vaccines, it is usually because of "missed opportunities" when for some reason the vaccine was not given, or the child missed an appointment at a certain age. Despite the good news, Schefer says there is always room for improvement, pointing to the recent outbreaks of measles and whooping cough. The study also found that among minority children, vaccination rates were similar to or higher than levels among white children.