One-Fourth of Toddlers Not Fully Vaccinated, CDC Survey Finds
Nearly 1.4 million children between 19 months and 35 months old -- about 25% of U.S. toddlers -- have not received all or any of their recommended vaccines, CDC officials announced Monday, USA Today reports. About 1.4 million toddlers have received some but not all of the recommended immunization vaccines, and 18,000 toddlers have not received any of the vaccines, according to the results of a CDC survey presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics meeting in New Orleans. Ninety-eight percent of children are fully vaccinated by the time they begin school. Children who do not receive all of their vaccinations are often uninsured or underinsured, according to USA Today. By comparison, children who receive no vaccinations typically come from "white, well-educated and affluent" families who question the safety of vaccines, USA Today reports. According to Philip Smith, epidemiologist at the CDC's National Immunization Program, low vaccination rates can create a potential public health problem if serious diseases break out. Dr. Samuel Katz, a Duke University pediatrician who works with the National Network for Immunization Information, said that more than 50% of 2-year-olds qualify for free vaccines under federal programs and some states -- including most in New England and North Carolina -- provide free vaccines to all children. Katz also said that parents' safety concerns "should have been eased" by recent federal reports finding no evidence that vaccines contribute to diabetes, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, USA Today reports (Elias, USA Today, 11/4).
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