Most early childhood vaccines require three or four doses for best protection, but more than 1 in 6 toddlers aren’t getting them all, leaving them vulnerable to potentially deadly infections, a new study finds.
There are many reasons that kids aren’t completing their vaccine series, according to researchers. Some families may have moved across state lines and others may lack health insurance, they say.
For the study, a team led by the University of Montana’s Sarah Michels examined immunization rates for the series of seven vaccines that protects against diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis b, Haemophilus influenzae type b, varicella and pneumococcal infections.
