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Kindergarten vaccine coverage remained stable past 2 school years
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Vaccination coverage for kindergartners remained high for the 2012-2013 school year compared with 2011-2012, according to a recent report.
“Assessing and reporting school vaccination coverage at the local level is critical for state education and health departments to protect kindergartners and the community from vaccine-preventable diseases,” researchers wrote. “Among the 50 states and [District of Columbia], a total of 11 awardees reported local-level data online, ensuring that local level data are widely available.”
According to the report, 48 states and Washington, D.C., reported vaccination coverage, with medians of 94.5% for two doses of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine; 95.1% for local requirements for diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccination; and 93.8% for two doses of varicella vaccine among awardees with a two-dose requirement.
There was a median exemption rate of 1.8% for 49 states and Washington, D.C., which remained stable from 2011-2012 to 2012-2013. Types of exemptions varied by each awardee and included: medical, religious and philosophic. Mississippi and West Virginia did not allow exemptions for philosophic or religious reasons.
Forty-three awardees used an immunization information system as at least one source of data for school assessment. The assessments provide information to state and local immunization programs about coverage, exemptions and clustering of unvaccinated children, causing an increased risk of disease transmission.
“Health departments can access and use local school vaccination assessment date to target areas for vaccination interventions during outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease,” researchers wrote. “This information can also be used by health departments and schools to develop evidence-based health communication strategies and other interventions that protect kindergartners and the community against vaccine-preventable diseases.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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