Adult vaccination coverage--United States, 2010

Immunizations are recommended throughout life to prevent infectious diseases and their sequelae. Adult coverage, however, remains low for most routinely recommended vaccines and well below Healthy People 2020 targets. In October 2011, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) approved the adult immunization schedule for 2012. Apart from influenza vaccination, which is now recommended for all adults, other adult vaccines target different populations based on age, certain medical conditions, behavioral risk factors (e.g., injection drug use), occupation, travel, and other indications. To assess adult (≥19 years) vaccination coverage for select vaccines, CDC analyzed data from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). This report summarizes the results of that analysis for pneumococcal, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, herpes zoster (shingles), and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, as well as tetanus antigen-containing vaccines (including tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccine [Tdap]), by selected characteristics (age, vaccination target group status, and race/ethnicity). Influenza vaccination coverage estimates for the 2010-11 influenza season have been published separately. Compared with results of the 2009 NHIS survey, increases in coverage were observed only for Tdap vaccination for persons aged 19-64 years (1.6 percentage point increase to 8.2%), zoster vaccination among persons aged ≥60 years (4.4 percentage point increase to 14.4%), and ≥1 dose HPV vaccination in women aged 19-26 years (3.6 percentage point increase to 20.7%); coverage for the other vaccines was unchanged at <70%. These data indicate only limited recent improvements in vaccination coverage among adults in the United States. Substantial increases are needed to reduce the occurrence of vaccine-preventable diseases among adults.