Hispanic children more likely overvaccinated
In the United States, Hispanic children are more likely to be overvaccinated than white or black children according to a study by pediatricians from MUSC and the Mayo Clinic.
Dr.
Paul Darden
Paul Darden, M.D., professor of pediatrics at MUSC, presented results of a study he conducted with Robert Jacobson, M.D, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., at the annual meeting of Pediatric Academic Societies held in Seattle May 3 - 6.
“Vaccines are effective and cost-effective. Vaccines have had more beneficial effects on the health of children than anything else doctors do,” said Darden. “But we want to do enough—not too much.”
The researchers looked at the public use files of the 1999 National Immunization Survey, a national, validated survey of the immunization status of children from 19 to 35 months of age. They looked at how likely different racial groups were to receive more vaccines than recommended. The races examined were white, black, Hispanic and others. The overall rate of overvaccination was 6 percent. Minority children were almost a third more likely to be overimmunized than were white children.
Black children, despite the likelihood of not being up to date with all immunizations, were no more or less likely to be overvaccinated than were white children.
Hispanic children were 50 percent more likely to be overimmunized than were white children. The overimmunization for Hispanic children seemed to be a result of language and communication problems. They, in fact, found the people most likely to be overvaccinated were those who filled out the survey in Spanish and those who received immunizations from multiple providers.
“Children receiving too many vaccines are not likely to have their health suffer,” said Darden, “but there is always the possibility of a bad event such as an allergic reaction to the immunization. The consequences are not profound, but we prefer to give the right amount of vaccines rather than expose a child to risk, albeit a small risk, for no additional benefit.”
There is also an unnecessary cost involved in overvacccination—both the cost of delivering the immunization, and the cost to the parent related to getting the child to the vaccination site, such as transportation and time off from work.
While the rate of overvaccination for Hispanic children exceed that of other children, the problem does exist for all children.
Families change providers, physicians retire or go out of business. The solution, according to Darden, lies in having a regional immunization registry. All states are working on immunization registries but most only cover a small proportion of children.
In South Carolina, for example, there is a registry, but most vaccinations included are those given by the health department while most provided in doctors' offices are not included. He envisions a statewide registry that when a child is born, he or she would be entered in the registry and any immunization given from any source would immediately be entered into the central database.
Given the fact that this type of registry does not exist in South Carolina
and in most states at this time, Darden recommends that parents keep careful
written records of their children’s vaccinations. Immunization schedules
change, and it is important that future health care providers know what
immunizations have been given. Most people will have to produce records,
whether upon entering schools or the military, and good record keeping
will avoid unnecessary duplication of vaccinations.
Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as
needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations
for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South
Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107
or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst
Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu
or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community
Press at 849-1778.