Vaccine coverage examined among adolescents age 13 to 17 years

In 2021, there was an increase in receipt of some vaccinations among adolescents, according to research published in the Sept. 2 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Cassandra Pingali, M.P.H., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues estimated vaccination coverage using data for 18,002 adolescents aged 13 to 17 years from the 2021 National Immunization Survey-Teen.

The researchers found that compared with the previous year, coverage with at least one dose of the tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) and at least one dose of the quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY) remained high and stable (89.6 and 89.0 percent, respectively). From 2020 to 2021, there were increases in coverage of at least one dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (75.1 to 76.9 percent), being up to date with HPV vaccination (58.6 to 61.7 percent), and receiving at least two doses of MenACWY among those aged 17 years (54.4 to 60.0 percent). On comparison of vaccination coverage by age and birth year before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, coverage with at least one MenACWY dose by age 13 years was 5.1 percentage points lower for those who reached age 13 years in 2021 versus 2019, and coverage with at least one Tdap dose by age 12 years was 4.1 percentage points lower during versus before the pandemic. There was no difference observed in coverage with at least one HPV vaccine dose by ages 12 and 13 years before versus during the pandemic.

"To help adolescents catch up on missed vaccinations, health care providers can identify those who have fallen behind on receiving recommended vaccinations and remind families to schedule an appointment," the authors write.

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