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Published on: August 7, 2017
Routine and influenza vaccination rates in children with asthma
E K Chung1, R Casey, J A Pinto-Martin
1Division of General Pediatrics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4399, USA.
Insights
Most young children with asthma receive routine immunizations, but influenza vaccine uptake is low. Pediatricians and specialists should increase efforts to ensure asthma patients are vaccinated.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
- Vaccinology
- Public Health
Background:
- Children with asthma frequently experience illnesses leading to healthcare visits where immunizations are often overlooked.
- This presents a potential barrier to maintaining adequate vaccination schedules in pediatric asthma patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate routine and influenza vaccination rates in children with asthma.
- To identify factors associated with delayed immunizations in this population.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 117 children (6-48 months) with early-onset asthma.
- Immunization status was assessed using the 4:3:1 series (DTP, OPV, MMR) by 24 months.
- Influenza vaccine receipt was determined for eligible children with moderate to severe asthma.
Main Results:
- 80% of children had up-to-date routine immunizations by 24 months.
- Children with delayed immunizations had fewer subspecialist visits (P = .010).
- Only 25% of eligible children with moderate to severe asthma received the influenza vaccine; recipients were more likely to have been hospitalized (P = .022).
Conclusions:
- While routine immunization rates are generally high, influenza vaccination coverage remains suboptimal in children with asthma.
- Enhanced strategies are needed from pediatricians and asthma subspecialists to improve influenza vaccination rates in children with moderate to severe asthma.
Background:
Children with asthma may be at increased risk for low immunization rates given that they have recurrent illnesses that often result in acute care visits to their pediatrician, visits to the emergency room, admissions to the hospital, and visits to subspecialists, where immunizations are not routinely administered.
Objectives:
To assess immunization rates for routine and influenza vaccines in children with asthma and assess factors that may contribute to delay.
Methods:
We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 117 children aged 6 to 48 months with onset of asthma within the first 15 months of life. Subjects were recruited from an allergy and immunology clinic at an urban, tertiary care center. Those judged to have immunization delay did not have the required 4 DTP, 3 OPV, and 1 MMR vaccine by age 24 months (4:3:1 series). Receipt of influenza vaccine was determined for eligible children with moderate to severe asthma.
Results:
Seventy-four (80%) children had up-to-date immunizations at age 24 months. Those with delay had fewer visits to a subspecialist than those who were up-to-date (1 versus 2 visits P = .010). Twenty-two (25%) of 87 eligible subjects received influenza vaccine. Recipients were more likely to have been hospitalized than nonrecipients (77% versus 49%, P = .022).
Conclusions:
Though the majority of young children with asthma were up-to-date for routine immunizations, only 25% of children with moderate to severe asthma received influenza vaccine. Greater efforts must be made by pediatricians and asthma subspecialists to ensure that children with moderate to severe asthma are immunized against influenza virus.
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