From 2005 through 2007, three vaccines were added to the list of immunizations recommended for adolescents: the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY), the acellular pertussis, tetanus and diphtheria vaccine (Tdap), and for girls, the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV).
A study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the December 2011 Pediatrics tracked how many adolescents received these vaccines between 2006 and 2009. The study, “Adolescent Vaccination-Coverage Levels in the United States: 2006-2009,” published online Nov. 14, found vaccination coverage for each vaccine increased steadily over time.
During the study period, coverage of Tdap increased from 11 percent to 56 percent; coverage of MenACWY increased from 12 percent to 54 percent, and coverage of at least one dose of HPV among girls increased from 25 percent to 44 percent. Coverage of three doses of HPV among girls increased from 18 percent to 27 percent. The proportion of adolescents who were up-to-date for all routinely recommended vaccines also increased from 10 percent in 2006 to 41.8 percent in 2009. Wide variation in coverage rates was found between states.
Study authors found that more than three-quarters of adolescents could have been up-to-date if health care providers administered all indicated vaccines during the same visit.
