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The use of combination vaccines has improved timeliness of vaccination in children

Helen Kalies1, Veit Grote, Thomas Verstraeten

  • 1Department of Pediatric Epidemiology, Institute for Social Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine of Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany. kalies@uni-muenchen.de

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|May 30, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Combination vaccines significantly improved timely infant immunizations in Germany. The use of higher-valent vaccines, like the hexavalent vaccine, led to earlier and more complete vaccinations for Haemophilus influenzae type b, polio, and hepatitis B.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Vaccinology
  • Public Health Policy
  • Immunization Programs

Background:

  • Germany utilizes combination vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), polio, and hepatitis B (HBV).
  • The study investigates the impact of these combination vaccines on vaccination timeliness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if the introduction of combination vaccines in Germany has improved the timeliness of infant immunizations.
  • To compare vaccination schedules and completion rates associated with different valencies of combination vaccines.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of vaccination data from 2701 children born between 1996-2003 in Germany via nationwide telephone interviews.
  • Assessment of up-to-date vaccination status at 3, 5, and 15 months for different vaccine types.
  • Comparison of median ages for vaccination initiation and completion across monovalent and various multivalent combination vaccines.

Main Results:

  • Transition from monovalent to higher-valent combination vaccines (4-, 5-, and 6-valent) correlated with increased up-to-date vaccination rates for Hib, polio, and HBV.
  • Significant improvements in median age for first dose and full immunization were observed with hexavalent vaccines compared to monovalent vaccines.
  • Intermediate improvements were noted with 4- and 5-valent vaccines, with differences remaining significant across birth cohorts.

Conclusions:

  • Combination vaccines, beyond reducing injection numbers, have demonstrably enhanced the timeliness of infant immunizations in Germany.
  • The findings support the adoption of higher-valent combination vaccines for improved public health outcomes in pediatric vaccination schedules.
Abstract

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