Immunisation status of children adopted from China

Many children adopted from China have antibody titres that do not correlate with those expected from their medical records. We have compared the concentrations of antibodies to poliomyelitis, diphtheria, and tetanus in children adopted from China, those adopted from other countries, and those vaccinated in the Netherlands and the UK. About 30% of children adopted from China did not have adequate protection from tetanus, diphtheria, or poliomyelitis, despite having complete vaccination recorded in their vaccination documents. These children, unlike those adopted from other countries who have documented evidence of adequate vaccination status, should be tested for antibody concentrations or reimmunised.