PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 533 - 28 Jul 2007

Infant vax coverage rates high inBelgium

Infant vaccination coverage rates in Flanders are high,report researchers from Belgium.

They conducted an EPI*-based, two-stage clustersurvey of 125 clusters among 107 municipalities. Dataobtained from interviews and vaccination records forrecommended vaccines were evaluated for 1349 infantsaged 18–24 months.

The coverage rate for each of four doses of inactivatedpolio vaccine ranged between 93.1% and 99.0%. For thediphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, coverage ratesranged between 93.1% and 98.7%. Vaccinationcoverage for the Haemophilus influenzae type b andhepatitis B vaccines were 92.6%-98.1% and92.2%-96.9%, respectively. The vaccination coveragerates for the single-dose measles, mumps and rubellaand meningococcal conjugated serogroup C vaccineswere 94.0% and 94.1%, respectively. The majority ofinfants received the vaccines in well baby clinics (80.9%)or day-care centres (2.3%); the proportion of infantswho received vaccination by a paediatrician or a generalpractitioner were 10.9% and 5.3%, respectively.

The factors which were significantly predictive ofinfants receiving the complete vaccination scheduleincluded vaccination by a paediatrician, having a fulltimeworking mother and higher family income.* Expanded Program on Immunization

Theeten H, et al. Infant vaccination coverage in 2005 and predictive factors forcomplete or valid vaccination in Flanders, Belgium: an EPI-survey. Vaccine 25:4940-4948, No. 26, 21 Jun 2007 801058358

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PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 28 Jul 2007 No. 5331173-5503/10/0533-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved