Vaccination Status in Pediatric Solid-Organ Transplant Recipients and Their Household Members

Vaccine-preventable diseases remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in solid-organ transplant candidates and recipients. Newer recommendations include vaccination of all household members to create a herd immunity around the transplant recipient. This study evaluated the vaccination status of pediatric solid-organ transplant recipients and their household members.

We evaluated 30 pediatric solid-organ transplant recipients (14 kidney, 13 liver, 3 heart) and their household members (26 siblings, 30 parents) at time of transplant.

Fourteen recipients (47%) received scheduled vaccinations before solid-organ transplant and were up to date for their age with their diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis; hepatitis B virus; poliomyelitis; Haemophilus influenzae type B; Streptococcus pneumoniae conjugate vaccine; and measles, mumps, and rubella vaccinations. Another 7 recipients (23%) had partially completed their schedules, only missing the second dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. Fifteen siblings (58%) had either completed (n = 13, 50%) or partially completed (n = 2, 8%) their vaccinations. All 30 parents were either unaware of their vaccination status (n = 10, 33%) or had only incomplete vaccination records (n = 20, 67%).

We found that most pediatric solid-organ transplant recipients to be appropriately vaccinated. However, vaccination status in household members, especially in parents, was disappointing.