Vaccines for Children Program Has Increased Coverage, but Gaps Remain
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14, 2024 -- The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, which provides recommended vaccines at no cost to eligible children, has increased childhood vaccination coverage, but coverage is still lower than among non-VFC-eligible children, according to a Vital Signs report published Aug. 13 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Madeleine R. Valier, M.P.H., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues analyzed data from the 2012 to 2022 National Immunization Survey-Child to assess trends in vaccination coverage with one or more doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR), two to three doses of the rotavirus vaccine, and a combined seven-vaccine series by VFC program eligibility status.
About 52.2 percent of U.S. children were VFC-eligible. The researchers found that for VFC-eligible children born during 2011 to 2020, by 24 months, coverage was stable for at least one MMR dose (88.0 to 89.9 percent) and for the combined seven-vaccine series (61.4 to 65.3 percent). By age 8 months, rotavirus vaccination coverage was 64.8 to 71.1 percent and increased by an average of 0.7 percent annually. Compared with non-VFC-eligible children, VFC-eligible children had lower coverage for at least one MMR dose, two to three doses of rotavirus vaccine, and the combined seven-vaccine series (3.8, 11.5, and 13.8 percentage points lower, respectively) among all children born in 2020.
"The data presented in this report demonstrate long-term program results for multiple birth cohorts of children," the authors write. "As new vaccines are added and immunization schedules become increasingly complex, maintenance and evolution of the VFC program could help sustain and further increase vaccination coverage."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted August 2024
Read this next
Breast Cancer Screening Attendance Helps Boost Other Cancer Screenings
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14, 2024 -- Offering self-sampling kits to women overdue for cervical cancer (CC) or colorectal cancer (CRC) screening when they attend breast cancer (BC)...
CDC Warns of Resurgence of Parvovirus B19
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14, 2024 -- In a health alert issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency said it has received reports of higher test positivity...
Most Patients With MS Have No Risk for Relapse After COVID-19 Vaccination
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14, 2024 -- For most patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), there is no increased risk for relapse after COVID-19 vaccination, according to a study published...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.