15.4 Percent of 0- to 35-Month-Olds Receive Invalid Vaccine Dose

FRIDAY, Jan. 10, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Overall, 15.4 percent of children aged 0 to 35 months receive an invalid vaccine dose, receiving a vaccine earlier or later than recommended, according to a study published online Jan. 10 in Pediatrics.

Alexandria N. Albers, M.P.H., from the University of Montana in Missoula, and colleagues analyzed provider-verified vaccination records from the 2011 to 2020 National Immunization Survey-Child to quantify the prevalence of invalid doses among U.S. children aged 0 to 35 months. Invalid doses are those provided outside the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for minimum and maximum ages of vaccination and minimum intervals between doses.

The researchers found that 22,209 of 161,187 children (weighted percent, 15.4 percent) had an invalid vaccine dose. Overall, 44.9 percent of children with a minimum age or minimum interval invalid dose received extra doses and completed the series. The highest prevalence of invalid doses was seen for the three-dose rotavirus (4.4 percent), with 3.1 percent having the first dose administered after the maximum age. From 2011 to 2020, there was a decrease seen in the percentage of children with an invalid dose (16.9 to 12.5 percent). The odds of an invalid dose were higher for children who moved across state lines versus those who did not (adjusted odds ratio, 1.5).

“To reduce invalid vaccine administration overall, equity-based national and state investments in immunization information systems and clinical support tools that help providers make accurate recommendations are needed in all settings where children receive vaccinations,” the authors write.

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