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Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report | Vol:Vol. 59 | Page: 1018

By: Dorell, C. ; Stokley, S. ; Yankey, D.

08/20/2010

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended three newly licensed vaccines in recent years. These are the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY) in one dose; tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) in one dose; and the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) in three doses for girls. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has conducted the National Immunization Survey—Teen since 2006 to estimate the vaccination coverage in U.S. adolescents ages 13 to 17 years. “Vaccination coverage among adolescents increased substantially from 2008 to 2009,” the researchers report. The Healthy People 2010 target of 90 percent coverage among adolescents aged 13 to 15 years was met for one or more dose of varicella vaccine and three or more doses of HepB for the first time. Among adolescents aged 13 to 17, vaccination coverage with one or more doses of tetanus and diphtheria (Td), or Tdap after age 10 years rose from 72.2 percent to 76.2 percent. Coverage with one or more doses of Tdap increased from 40.8 percent to 55.6 percent. Among adolescent females, coverage with at least one dose of HPV vaccine increased from 37.2 percent to 44.3 percent and with at least three doses increased from 17.9 percent to 26.7 percent. In Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, coverage for three routinely administered adolescent vaccines (Tdap, HPV, and MenACWY) was more than 60 percent. HPV initiation was higher among those living below the poverty level, but full coverage with all three doses was lower among African Americans and Hispanics compared to whites. Researchers recommend that public health agencies maintain annual monitoring of adolescent vaccination coverage levels to identify trends and differences according to geographic area, race/ethnicity, and poverty status.