Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
www.cdc.gov/mmwr
Weekly July 3, 2009 / Vol. 58 / No. 25
Hepatitis A Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 24–35 Months —
United States, 2006 and 2007
During 1995–1996, hepatitis A vaccines were licensed in timely estimates of vaccination coverage rates for all childhood
the United States as 2-dose regimens for children aged >24 vaccinations recommended by ACIP.* Data are weighted to
months. In 1996, the Advisory Committee on Immunization adjust for households with multiple telephone lines, household
Practices (ACIP) recommended vaccinating children aged >24 nonresponse, and exclusion of households without landline
months who lived in communities or states with high rates of telephones. The 2006 NIS interviews were conducted dur-
hepatitis A (1). In 1999, ACIP updated its guidelines, recom- ing January 2006–February 2007 and included children who
mending routine vaccination for children aged >24 months were born during January 2003–July 2005. The 2007 NIS
in areas with hepatitis A rates twice the national average, and interviews were conducted during January 2007–February
recommending consideration of routine vaccination in areas 2008 and included children who were born during January
with rates higher than the national average (2). However, 2004–July 2006. In 2006, the survey was conducted in all 50
in 2005, this regional vaccination strategy was reevaluated states and 30 local areas.† In 2007, the number of local areas
because national hepatitis A rates had decreased to such an
extent that differences among states were no longer substantial * Additional information available at http://www.cdc.gov/nis.
(3). Additionally, in 2005, hepatitis A vaccine was licensed for † The 30 local areas sampled separately for the 2006 NIS included six areas that
receive federal immunization grant funds and have been included in the NIS
children aged 12–23 months. As a result of these developments, every year since its inception in 1994 (District of Columbia; Chicago, Illinois;
in 2006, ACIP expanded its hepatitis A vaccination recom- New York, New York; Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; Bexar County, Texas;
mendation to all children in the United States and reduced and Houston, Texas). Also included were 18 areas that had been included each
year during 1994–2004 (Maricopa County, Arizona; Los Angeles County,
the recommended age for vaccination to 12–23 months (4). California; San Diego County, California; Santa Clara County, California;
This report updates previous findings regarding hepatitis A Duval County, Florida; Miami-Dade County, Florida; Fulton and DeKalb
vaccination coverage, providing estimates based on National counties, Georgia; Marion County, Indiana; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston,
Massachusetts; Detroit, Michigan; Newark, New Jersey; Cuyahoga County,
Immunization Survey (NIS) data for 2006 and 2007. From Ohio; Shelby County, Tennessee; Dallas County, Texas; El Paso County, Texas;
2006 to 2007, estimated national hepatitis A vaccination cov- King County, Washington; and Milwaukee County, Wisconsin). Also included
were six areas sampled for the first time (northern California counties; Fresno
erage levels among children aged 24–35 months who received County, California; eastern Kansas counties; southern New Mexico counties;
at least 1 dose increased from 26.3% to 47.4%. The increase Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; and eastern Washington counties).
in hepatitis A vaccination coverage likely is the result of the
expanded 2006 ACIP recommendations; adherence to these
recommendations should lead to further declines in hepatitis INSIDE
A incidence in the United States.
694 Recurring Norovirus Outbreaks in a Long-Term Residential
NIS is an ongoing, random-digit–dialed survey of households Treatment Facility — Oregon, 2007
with children aged 19–35 months at the time of interview, fol- 699 QuickStats
lowed by a mail survey of each child’s vaccination provider to
obtain vaccination data (5). Data from NIS are used to produce
department of health and human services
Centers for disease Control and Prevention
690 MMWR July 3, 2009
The MMWR series of publications is published by the Coordinating
was reduced to 14.§ The NIS household survey response rate
Center for Health Information and Service, Centers for Disease