Childhood And Adolescent Immunizations Decline In Michigan, Study Shows

Routine puerility and teen immunizations declined successful Michigan betwixt 2017 and 2023, peculiarly among counties pinch little family income and higher uninsurance rates, a caller study suggests.

For galore cardinal pediatric vaccines, completion rates dropped sharply during nan COVID-19 pandemic and person not yet recovered, according to Michigan Medicine led findings successful Pediatrics.  

"Our findings show that advancement towards expanding puerility and teen immunizations is stalling successful Michigan, expanding nan consequence of vaccine-preventable diseases," said elder writer Kao-Ping Chua, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatrician and interrogator astatine University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and nan head of nan Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Center.

Researchers analyzed county-level information from Michigan's immunization registry betwixt 2017 and 2023. During nan study period, completion rates of a recommended group of puerility immunizations among toddlers (including vaccines for pertussis, polio, and measles-mumps-rubella among others) fell from astir 76% to 67%.

Meanwhile, completion rates of a recommended group of vaccinations among adolescents (including vaccines for meningitis, pertussis, and tetanus) declined from astir 81% to 75%.

The study besides assessed teen completion rates of nan quality papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination bid – which tin forestall respective types of cancers, including cervical and pharynx cancer. Although completion rates roseate modestly - from 35% to 42% for males and 43% to 45% for females - nan increases were smaller than expected based connected pre-pandemic trends, successful portion because nan complaint of summation slowed aft nan COVID-19 pandemic began.

Our findings propose that nan pandemic interrupted nan advancement that was being made successful expanding HPV vaccination rates successful adolescents."  

Kao-Ping Chua, M.D., Ph.D., pediatrician and interrogator at University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital 

The researchers examined trends successful immunization completion rates by region socioeconomic factors, including income and security coverage. The diminution successful nan completion rates of nan recommended group of puerility and teen immunizations was greater successful counties pinch little income and higher uninsurance, while nan summation successful nan complaint of nan antheral HPV vaccination bid was slower.

"These changes often resulted successful nan creation of caller gaps successful immunization completion rates by region income aliases uninsurance complaint aliases nan widening of pre-existing gaps", said Chua, who notes that this is 1 of nan first studies to analyse caller changes successful puerility and teen immunizations by region characteristics.

Vaccines person agelong been 1 of nan astir effective devices successful nationalist health. In 2019, puerility immunizations were estimated to forestall complete 24 cardinal cases of vaccine-preventable diseases nationwide. Yet successful 2025, nan U.S. reported its highest number of bales cases successful 33 years - a illness that had been declared eliminated successful nan state successful 2000.

Michigan besides saw a spike successful bales pinch much than a twelve cases reported successful 2025 arsenic good arsenic pertussis (whooping cough), pinch 855 cases reported nan aforesaid year, including 152 successful children nether two.

"Reversing nan declines successful puerility and teen immunizations is important to forestall further outbreaks of bales and pertussis, some successful Michigan and successful nan U.S. much broadly," Chua said.

"To execute this goal, broad-based efforts to summation immunization rates successful each counties should beryllium coupled pinch targeted efforts focused connected counties pinch little income and higher uninsurance rates."