Moderator 00:00
Brittany, welcome and thank you all for standing by at this time. I would like to inform all participants that your lines have been placed on a listen only mode until the question and answer session of today's call. Today's call is also being recorded. If you do have any objections, you may disconnect at this time, and I will now turn the call over to Brittany, Manchester. Thank you. You may begin.
Brittney Manchester 00:23
Thank you Sue and thank you all for joining us today as we release a new CDC vital signs. We are joined today by our two speakers, Dr Deborah Houry, CDC chief medical officer and Dr Georgina Peacock, Director of CDC immunization Services Division, this briefing is embargoed until 1pm eastern today, when our vital signs will go live on the CDC website. I'll now turn the call over to Dr alrey.
Dr. Debra Houry 00:55
Routine vaccinations are our best defense against illnesses that can make kids seriously ill, a key tool that can keep kids healthy in school and ready to learn. Vaccines have saved lives for over 100 years, but serious disease is still a major threat to those unvaccinated. Getting vaccinated on time is essential throughout childhood and with back to school around the corner. Now is a great time for families to check if your child is up to date with their routine health care. Today, in this vital signs report, we report data on a landmark program started in 1994 by Congress, the Vaccines for Children, or VFC program. Congress established this program to provide routine vaccines at no cost to eligible children. Since the introduction of the VFC program, routine vaccination of children born during 1994 to 2023 will have prevented 508 million illnesses saved over 1 million lives, saving nearly 2.7 trillion in societal costs. This means that every dollar spent on childhood immunizations results in a savings of approximately $11 in 2023 VFC distributed over 74 million doses of pediatric vaccines to participating healthcare providers, anyone ages 18 or younger who is Medicaid eligible, uninsured, underinsured or American Indian or Alaska Native can receive vaccines from VFC program providers at no cost. CDC currently funds 61 state, local and territorial immunization programs to implement the VFC program at over 37,000 enrolled locations, providing all recommended childhood vaccinations against 19 different diseases. Supporting young families is a priority for CDC public health efforts. This program serves as one of the nation's most important contributors to health equity. It helps all children have a better chance of getting their recommended vaccinations on schedule. Vaccinating on time means healthier children, families and communities. Now I will turn it over to Dr Georgina Peacock, who will highlight the findings of today's vital signs report.
Dr. Georgina Peacock 03:22
Thank you. Dr Houry, today's vital signs highlights the historic success of the Vaccines for Children program and how we can further reduce gaps in vaccination coverage for eligible children. Vaccination coverage is the estimated percentage of people who have received specific vaccines. The vital signs report found that almost 90% of VFC eligible children born in 2020 received the measles, mumps and rubella or MMR vaccine with no differences in coverage by race and ethnicity, poverty status or living in urban versus rural areas. These new data shows the VFC program has helped ensure that all children can receive life saving vaccine. There are still opportunities to increase coverage with recommended vaccines for VFC eligible children. Vaccination coverage among VFC eligible children born in 2011 through 2020 was lower than that among children not eligible for VFC who were born in those same years. For children born in 2020, vaccination coverage was lower among VFC eligible children who were uninsured compared to those who were enrolled in Medicaid. Coverage was also lower for those living below versus at or above the poverty level, except for the MMR vaccine. Although the VFC program provides recommended childhood vaccine at no cost, uninsured children and children living in poverty may face other barriers to vaccination. The. Combined coverage for the seven selected vaccines known as the combined seven series, was just over 61% for VFC eligible children born in 2020 for individual vaccines in these series, uptake was highest around 90% for the first doses of vaccines and vaccines given earlier in life, vaccination coverage was lowest for vaccines that require multiple doses with at least one dose given after 12 months of age. This suggests children face challenges to receiving vaccines that require multiple doses as well as doses in the second year of life. For the rotavirus vaccine, which was not included in the combined seven series, vaccination coverage by eight months among VFC eligible children was up to 71% increasing modestly each year. Healthcare providers can help increase vaccination coverage by strongly recommending vaccines and assessing the needs for vaccines at every visit, together, we can increase the number of children receiving recommended vaccinations and help protect children from illness and severe disease.
Dr. Debra Houry 06:12
