US CDC report: vacc levels at record highs

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published an analysis of child immunization levels, recording variations by age and geography. The federal agency found that young children are at record immunization levels but these lag behind government targets. The full report was published in the September 1 edition of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

In 2006, the CDC states that 77% of US children aged 19-35 months received six vaccines against 10 diseases: diphteria; tetanus; pertussis; polio; measles; mumps; rubella; hemophilius; hepatitis B; and chickenpox. However, the level is well below the target set for 2010 of achieving 90% coverage in this age group and is similar to the proportion recorded in a 2005 survey.

The highest ranked states tended to be along the eastern seaboard, with Massachusetts seeing 83.6% of young children receiving all six courses of immunization. Apart from West Virginia (68.4%), one of the poorest states, the lowest coverage rates were found to the west of the Mississippi river, with Nebraska (59.5%) trailing behind the second-lowest performer, Wyoming (63.5%), by some distance.