Health officials are celebrating high measles vaccination rates among participants in the Vaccine for Children (VFC) program, while pushing for increased coverage with other routine childhood vaccines.
“This program serves as one of the nation’s most important contributors to health equity,” CDC Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, M.D., M.P.H. said at a press conference Tuesday. “It helps all children have a better chance of getting their recommended vaccinations on schedule. Vaccinating on time means healthier children, families and communities.”
The VFC program, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, provides free vaccines to children who are Medicaid-eligible, uninsured, underinsured, American Indian or Alaska Native. Just over half of U.S. children are eligible, and the program distributed about 74 million pediatric vaccine doses in 2023.
As the VFC program celebrates its 30th anniversary, CDC researchers analyzed data from the National Immunization Survey-Child to look at its impact. They published their findings Tuesday in a new Vital Signs report.
One of the big wins authors saw in the data was that coverage with at least one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine was at about 88%-90% among VFC-eligible children born in 2011-’20. They did not see differences based on race/ethnicity, poverty status or urban/rural residency. Among children born in 2020, coverage was slightly below 90% for those who were VFC-eligible compared to just over 93% for those who were not eligible.
“These new data show the VFC has helped ensure all children receive lifesaving vaccines,” said co-author Georgina Peacock, M.D., M.P.H., director of the CDC’s Immunization Services Division.
The findings come as measles cases have risen to 211 nationally this year compared to 59 in all of 2023. An ongoing outbreak in Oregon has grown to 28 cases in three counties, mostly among unvaccinated children and teens.
While MMR coverage was high among VFC-eligible children, other vaccines showed room for improvement. Coverage for rotavirus vaccination by 8 months of age was 71% for VFC-eligible children born in 2020 and has been increasing annually. However, it lags behind the 83% coverage rate for non-eligible children.
The team also looked at coverage by 24 months with the combined seven-vaccine series that includes diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis, poliovirus, measles-containing, Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate, hepatitis B, varicella and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. Coverage has been relatively stable and was just over 61% among VFC-eligible children born in 2020 compared to 75% for non-eligible children.
The data showed coverage was lower for vaccines requiring multiple doses and return visits after 12 months of age. In addition, uninsured children had lower coverage rates than those with Medicaid. Children below the federal poverty level had lower rates of rotavirus and combined vaccine series coverage than those at or above the poverty level and may face additional barriers to vaccination.
The CDC is recommending health care providers take the following steps to help increase vaccination rates.
- Offer accurate information on vaccination benefits.
- Assess for needed vaccines and give catch-up vaccines.
- Strengthen relationships with families.
- Use reminder/recall systems to inform parents of upcoming or missed shots.
An Aug. 8 CDC report found routine childhood vaccinations prevented about 508 million illnesses, 32 million hospitalizations and 1.13 million deaths for children born in 1994-2023.
“Together we can increase the number of children receiving recommended vaccinations and help protect children from illness and severe disease,” Dr. Peacock said.
Resources
- Immunization schedule for children and adolescents
- AAP immunization resources
- AAP clinical report Strategies for Improving Vaccine Communication and Uptake
- CDC Routine Immunizations on Schedule for Everyone initiative
- Information for parents from HealthyChildren.org on recommended childhood immunizations
