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Adult vaccination rates remain low
Vaccine coverage rates among adults in the United States for most vaccines did not improve in 2013 compared with 2012, CDC researchers have found.
There were modest increases in the rate of Tdap vaccination for all adults aged 19 years and older, herpes zoster vaccination among adults aged 60 years and older and HPV vaccination among males aged 19 to 26 years. In addition, there were racial/ethnic disparities for all vaccines analyzed, with the gap increasing for Tdap and herpes zoster.
“Vaccination coverage levels among adults are low,” the researchers wrote in MMWR. “Improvement in adult vaccination is needed to reduce the health consequences of vaccine-preventable diseases among adults.”
The researchers evaluated vaccination coverage in adults by analyzing data from the 2013 National Health Interview Survey. The vaccines included pneumococcal, tetanus toxoid-containing, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, herpes zoster and HPV. Influenza vaccination coverage is calculated and published separately.
Tdap vaccination coverage increased 2.9 percentage points to 17.2% in adults aged 19 years and older. Vaccination coverage rates for herpes zoster among adults aged 60 years and older increased by 4.1 percentage points to 24.2%. The last increase was in HPV vaccination among males aged 19 to 26 years, a 3.6 percentage point increase to 5.9%.
For pneumococcal vaccine, the coverage among adults aged 65 years and older was 59.7%, reflecting no change from 2012. Coverage was higher among whites vs. blacks, Hispanics and Asians. Among adults aged 19 to 64 years at high risk, the coverage was 21.2%, also no change. Hepatitis A vaccination coverage was 9% for adults aged 19 years and older, no change from 2012. The rate of hepatitis B vaccination coverage was 25% among adults aged 19 years and older, a 2.1 percentage point decrease from 2012.
“Health care provider recommendations for vaccination are associated with patients’ receipt of vaccines,” the researchers wrote. “Routine assessment of adult patient vaccination needs, recommendation and offer of needed vaccinations for adults should be incorporated into routine clinical care of adults.”