A message Dr. Michelle Fiscus, Medical Director of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and Immunization Program at the Tennessee Department of Health
Colleagues,
Please see the attached report, “Results of the 2020 Immunization Status Survey of 24-Month Old Children in Tennessee,” which was shared with the Tennessee State Legislature on Monday, March 15, 2021.
I’m pleased to report that in 2020 Tennessee achieved the highest immunization coverage rate among 24 month old children in recent history, with 78.2% of children fully immunized prior to their second birthday. This report also highlights a 5-year low in immunization declinations by parents of 24 month old children, with just 2.7% of parents declining some or all immunizations.
While these finding are a cause for celebration, we know that COVID-19 has had a devastating impact upon immunization rates among Tennessee’s children, which has resulted in tens of thousands of children missing vaccinations that are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Vaccinations among children ages 0-18 years remain 20% or more below the number of vaccinations given during the same month in 2019, with some months lagging by more than 40%. In 2020, the only month to see some measure of catch-up was September, with 4% more vaccinations given than in September 2019.
Together we MUST work urgently to vaccinate children who missed these opportunities before vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks begin to emerge.
The 2020 report also highlights a growing disparity between vaccinations administered to white children and those given to Black children. Black children were less likely to be fully immunized for all twelve recommended vaccinations and were statistically significantly less likely to receive vaccinations against diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis, Haemophilus influenza, seasonal influenza, hepatitis A, and rotavirus compared to their white peers. This underscores the urgent need to work with communities of color to provide vaccine education and access to vaccinations before these communities fall victim to vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.
The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the ability of medical providers to administer childhood immunizations, and we are not yet seeing much-needed recovery. The number of vaccinations administered to Tennessee’s children each month continues to lag behind 2019 values by as much as 70%. With the decline in new COVID-19 cases it is imperative that we are able to turn our attention to recalling children who have fallen behind on recommended vaccinations before vaccine-preventable diseases have the opportunity to further burden the residents of Tennessee.
Thank you for all you have done to fight the pandemic over the past year! As we get to the other side, let’s work together to ensure our youngest Tennesseans are protected against all of the other diseases we can prevent.
Please feel free to share this report with partners who may have interest.
Michelle Fiscus, MD FAAP