Coverage of recommended vaccines in children at 7-8 years of age in Flanders, Belgium.
OBJECTIVE
Evaluation of the coverage of primary diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP), poliomyelitis, hepatitis B (HBV) and measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine doses recommended before the age of 18 months in 7-year-old school children in Flanders, Belgium. Meningococcal serogroup C and DT-polio vaccines offered respectively as catch-up and booster vaccinations were also evaluated.


METHODS
Parents of 792 children born in Flanders in 1997 and selected by cluster sampling were interviewed at home in 2005. Vaccination data since infancy were collected retrospectively from vaccination documents and school health records.


RESULTS
Coverage rates were 88.0% for the first dose of MMR, and 72.0%, 84.2% and 91.4% for the recommended HBV, DTP and poliomyelitis primary vaccine doses, respectively. These rates included catch-up of missed infant MMR (4.9%) and HBV (6.4%) vaccinations. In addition, 88.3% of the target group received the DT-polio booster dose recommended at 6 years of age and 83.1% a meningococcal C vaccine dose. Preventive public health services as well as private physicians were involved to a varying extent. A lower socioeconomic status of the family was associated with a higher risk of nonvaccination.


CONCLUSIONS
Vaccinators in Flanders reach children relatively well during infancy and at school age, but catch-up of missed infant vaccine doses, especially MMR, should be optimized.
Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium. heidi.theeten@ua.ac.be
Heidi
H
Theeten
Corinne
C
Vandermeulen
Mathieu
M
Roelants
Karel
K
Hoppenbrouwers
Anne-Marie
AM
Depoorter
Pierre
P
Van Damme
D001530:Belgium; D002648:Child; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D015721:Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D007117:Immunization, Secondary / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007223:Infant; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D022542:Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010349:Patient Compliance; D023321:Poliovirus Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D015721:Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D022542:Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines; D023321:Poliovirus Vaccines