[Insufficient vaccination status of children with a chronic disease].

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether the vaccination status of children with a chronic disease in adequate, what amount of delay occurs and whether vaccination opportunities are missed.

DESIGN

Retrospective descriptive.

SETTING

Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital, Groningen, the Netherlands.

METHODS

Vaccination data of all 79 children with chronic diseases admitted to the infant and toddler ward of the Beatrix Children's Hospital between January 1 and December 31 1993 were obtained through review of hospital admission charts and local Vaccination Administration records, as well as through telephone contacts with the parents. The data of 71 children were complete; these were compared with the vaccination guidelines with respect to diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-poliomyelitis (DTPP) vaccination and mumps-measles-rubella (MMR) vaccination.

RESULTS

Vaccination coverage for DTPP reached over 90% although for DTPP 3 and 4 with a delay of more than 3 months. MMR vaccination coverage was 86%. Only 21% of the patients received all vaccinations within a period of 1 month after the recommended age. Among the remaining 79% of children 56 opportunities were missed to administer vaccines during admission. Twenty-one times the possibility to administer DTPP and MMR simultaneously was missed.

CONCLUSION

Children with a chronic disease run a high risk of incomplete and delayed immunization.