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Adult vaccine coverage rates remain low
Despite some increases in coverage for some vaccines, there has been little increase in adult vaccine coverage rates, according to a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
From 2010 to 2011, there were increases in coverage with the HPV vaccine among women and the tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine among all adults. However, there was little change in coverage of vaccines for pneumonia, hepatitis A, hepatitis B and herpes zoster.
“While everyone knows about the importance of the influenza vaccine and childhood vaccines, we want people to be aware of other vaccines that protect them against serious diseases, like whooping cough and shingles,” Howard Koh, MD, MPH, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, said during a media briefing. “These data show that far too few adults are being vaccinated against these diseases, and we want to do more to change that.”
Howard Koh
Koh said vaccine-preventable diseases are critical to the future of health in the country and take a toll on society. For example, there were 37,000 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease in 2011, resulting in 4,000 deaths. In addition, provisional data indicate that there were 9,300 cases of pertussis seen in adults in 2012, and nearly 42,000 cases total. This is the highest number of cases seen in the United States since 1955.
“This is a broad public health challenge that we can’t ignore,” Koh said.
The data for the report were obtained from the 2011 National Health Interview Survey. Among adults aged 19 to 64 years at high risk, pneumococcal vaccine coverage was 20.1%, a 1.6% increase from 2010. Among adults aged at least 65 years, the coverage was 62.3%, a 2.6% increase from 2010.
For tetanus, the proportion of adults receiving any tetanus vaccine within the past 10 years was 64.5% for adults aged 19 to 49 years, 63.9% for adults aged 50 to 64 years and 54.4% for adults aged at least 65 years. These rates did not change from 2010. For Tdap vaccine specifically, the rate of coverage from 2010 increased by 4.3%.
Coverage for hepatitis A increased by 1.8% since 2010, and coverage for hepatitis B vaccine increased 2.1% among adults aged 19 to 49 years. Among adults aged at least 60 years, the rate of herpes zoster vaccination remained the same. Among women aged 19 to 26 years, HPV vaccine coverage increased to 29.5% from 20.7% in 2010.
Carolyn Bridges
“These data highlight the need for continuing efforts to increase the number of adults who get their recommended vaccines,” Carolyn Bridges, MD, associate director for adult immunizations, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases of the CDC, said during the media briefing. “Vaccines not only protect the person vaccinated, but also help protect family members and friends. Sometimes, people wait to get vaccines until they hear about outbreaks in their communities. It is important to be vaccinated before the disease arrives to get the most benefit.”