Funding shortages, fear lead to vaccine gaps for kids

The immunization supply line is believed shaky, despite its valuable product.

By Susan J. Landers, amednews staff. Oct. 25, 2004.

Washington -- Although 95% of the nation's school-age children have received their recommended vaccinations, 20% of preschoolers, or 2.1 million very young children, have not, according to a new report released at a Sept. 27 Capitol Hill briefing.

Underfunded immunization programs, underutilized vaccine registries and public misperception about the importance and safety of vaccines contribute to this shortfall, according to "Closing the Vaccination Gap: A Shot in the Arm for Childhood Immunization Programs."

The report was written by the Trust for America's Health, an advocacy group, and Every Child By Two, a campaign to promote early immunization begun by former first lady Rosalynn Carter and Betty Bumpers, wife of former Sen. Dale Bumpers (D, Ark.).

Vaccines are a public health success story, but the infrastructure that has supported their development and production for more than 50 years is crumbling, said Paul Offit, MD, who spoke at the briefing. Dr. Offit is director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital in Pennsylvania.

In the 1950s, 26 companies developed and manufactured vaccines; today there are only four, he said. Dependence on so few manufacturers has meant that a production problem for even one can result in a severe shortage of a vaccine. Since 1998, nine vaccines have been in short supply at various times, resulting in numerous children missing shots, and physicians scrambling to maintain accurate callback records when supplies return to normal.

[...]

Full text of American Medical News content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.

Access details

Join the AMA