FRIDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Immunization rates continue to be at near-record levels for U.S. children aged 19 months to 35 months, but are falling short for children aged 13 to 17 years, according to 2006 estimates released Aug. 30 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An estimated 77 percent of children aged 19 months to 35 months received the recommended series of childhood vaccines in 2006 compared to 76.1 percent in 2005.
But children aged 13 to 15 years fell short of the Healthy People 2010 goal of 90 percent coverage for the recommended three doses of hepatitis B vaccine; two doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine; one dose of either tetanus-diphtheria or tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis vaccine; and one dose of varicella vaccine for those who have not previously had chickenpox, with rates ranging from 84.3 to 88.6 percent. About 60 percent of 13 to 17 year olds received tetanus-diphtheria or tetanus, or reduced diphtheria and acellular pertussis vaccination since age 10, but only 10.8 percent received tetanus, reduced diphtheria and acellular pertussis alone, and only 11.7 percent received a meningococcal conjugate vaccine.
"The new survey information shows we have more work to do to protect older children from vaccine-preventable diseases," stated Melinda Wharton, M.D., deputy director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
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