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Children at day care centers appear more up-to-date with immunizations

WASHINGTON — Children who attend licensed day care centers that require immunizations appear to be more up to date than children who do not attend a day care facility.

Ayaan Gedi, MPH,City Research Scientist/Unit Chief, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and colleagues from New York City identified licensed day care centers in the target areas registered with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Bureau of Immunization (DOHMH). Centers with children enrolled at the time of assessment were included in the study. Records for all children aged younger than 6 years were assessed.

The investigators reviewed records for four doses of diphtheria-tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) at 2 years of age among children aged at least 2 years and for the 4:3:1:3:3:1 series for children aged 19 to 35 months. The recommended immunization schedule for children aged 19 to 35 months includes four-dose DTaP, three doses of polio, one dose of measles- mumps-rubella, three doses of Haemophilus influenzae type b, and three doses of hepatitis B vaccine. This is referred to as the 4:3:1:3:3.

Rates of the children attending day care were then compared with the citywide rates for the 2009 National Immunization Survey.

Of the 7,751 records reviewed at 216 day care centers, 80% of children were up-to-date at the time of the of assessment. Four-dose DTaP coverage for children aged 2 years was 76%, and 75.5% of children aged 19 to 35 months were up to date for the 4:3:1:3:3:1 series. The median age of the children was 3.5 years (range, 1-71 months).

In 2008, the New York City DOHMH identified 10 target areas with the lowest four-dose DTaP coverage among children aged 2 years. Four-dose DTaP coverage in 2008 in those targeted areas was 71% compared with the citywide average of 74%. The city average for the 4:3:1:3:3:1 series, according to the 2009 National Immunization Survey, was 71.7 ± 6.9.

For more information:

• Gedi A. #25530. Presented at: The 45th Annual National Immunization Conference; March 28-31, 2011; Washington, D.C.

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