Immunisation coverage in children with cerebral palsy compared with the general population.
OBJECTIVE
To compare immunisation coverage of a cerebral palsy (CP) cohort with the known general population vaccination coverage statistics.


METHODS
A cohort of children with CP aged less than 7 years was extracted from the Victorian Cerebral Palsy Register. The vaccination status of these children was compared with the general population using the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR). Details that were audited included overall 'up-to-date' status of immunisations and individual vaccines missed.


RESULTS
The CP cohort consisted of 449 children. Eighty-six or 19.2% (95% confidence intervals 15.6-23.1%) of these children were not 'up to date' (NUTD) with the Australian immunisation schedule at the time of the ACIR data link (13 March 2009). This NUTD result is well above the general population percentage (range 6.4-8%). This group was divided into subgroups based on age, with all groups having significantly lower rates of immunisation, varying from 100% NUTD in the youngest subgroup to 18.6% in the oldest subgroup. The most common vaccine NUTD was MMR (measles, mumps and rubella), followed by polio and DTaP (diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis).


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that children with CP are at high risk of incomplete and delayed immunisation, a significant problem given the increased health-care needs of this patient group and their increased vulnerability to the complications of vaccine-preventable diseases.
Department of Developmental Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. victoria_greenwood2004@yahoo.com.au
Victoria J
VJ
Greenwood
Nigel W
NW
Crawford
Janet E
JE
Walstab
Dinah S
DS
Reddihough
D002547:Cerebral Palsy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D022681:Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D022542:Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011051:Poliomyelitis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014739:Victoria
D022681:Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis Vaccines; D022542:Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine