Hepatitis a vaccination coverage among children aged 24-35 months - United States, 2006 and 2007

Abstract

During 1995-1996, hepatitis A vaccines were licensed in the United States as 2-dose regimens for children aged >or=24 months. In 1996, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended vaccinating children aged >or=24 months who lived in communities or states with high rates of hepatitis A. In 1999, ACIP updated its guidelines, recommending routine vaccination for children aged >or=24 months in areas with hepatitis A rates twice the national average, and recommending consideration of routine vaccination in areas with rates higher than the national average. However, in 2005, this regional vaccination strategy was reevaluated because national hepatitis A rates had decreased to such an extent that differences among states were no longer substantial. Additionally, in 2005, hepatitis A vaccine was licensed for children aged 12-23 months. As a result of these developments, in 2006, ACIP expanded its hepatitis A vaccination recommendation to all children in the United States and reduced the recommended age for vaccination to 12-23 months. This report updates previous findings regarding hepatitis A vaccination coverage, providing estimates based on National Immunization Survey (NIS) data for 2006 and 2007. From 2006 to 2007, estimated national hepatitis A vaccination coverage levels among children aged 24-35 months who received at least 1 dose increased from 26.3% to 47.4%. The increase in hepatitis A vaccination coverage likely is the result of the expanded 2006 ACIP recommendations; adherence to these recommendations should lead to further declines in hepatitis A incidence in the United States.