Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Establishing an Immunization Platform for 16-Year-Olds in the United States

National and State-Level Composite Completion of Recommended Vaccines Among Adolescents in the United States, 2015-2018

BACKGROUND

Routine adolescent vaccination recommendations in the United States include tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis, quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine, and human papillomavirus vaccines. Although coverage for these individual vaccines is known, limited data are available on composite completion for all three vaccines.

METHODS

This cross-sectional analysis of pooled 2015-2018 National Immunization Survey-Teen data used logistic regression to estimate model-adjusted composite vaccination completion nationally and by state among United States adolescents aged 17 years. National Immunization Survey-Teen data were combined with state-level data to estimate a multilevel model identifying factors associated with composite vaccination completion.

RESULTS

The pooled model-adjusted composite vaccination completion was 30.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 30.13%-31.04%) nationally, varying from 11.3% in Idaho (6.91%-17.95%) to 56.4% (49.81%-62.82%) in Rhode Island. Individual-level factors with the greatest impact on composite completion were having a provider's recommendation for human papillomavirus vaccination (odds ratio, 3.24; 95% CI, 2.76-3.80) and a check-up visit at age 16-17 years (odds ratio, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.80-3.07), with other individual-level factors associated with completion including being Medicaid insured, female, Hispanic, or non-Hispanic black. State-level quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccination mandates were also associated with an increased likelihood of composite vaccination completion (odds ratio, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.16-2.33).

CONCLUSIONS

Fewer than one-third of 17-year-old individuals have completed all three recommended vaccines, with rates varying by state. Although this study identified implementable strategies to improve composite completion, additional research is needed to further understand factors associated with adolescent vaccination completion.

Experts' opinion for improving global adolescent vaccination rates: a call to action

Worldwide, lifestyle and resource disparities among adolescents contribute to unmet health needs, which have crucial present and future public health implications for both adolescents and broader communities. Risk of infection among adolescents is amplified by biological, behavioral, and environmental factors; however, infectious diseases to which adolescents are susceptible are often preventable with vaccines. Beyond these concerns, there is a lack of knowledge regarding adolescent vaccination and disease risk among parents and adolescents, which can contribute to low vaccine uptake. Promising efforts have been made to improve adolescent vaccination by programs with motivational drivers and comprehensive communication with the public. In May 2017, a multidisciplinary group of experts met in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to discuss adolescent vaccine uptake, as part of an educational initiative called the Advancing Adolescent Health Spring Forum. This article presents consensus opinions resulting from the meeting, which pertain to the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases among adolescents, reasons for low vaccine uptake, and common characteristics of successful strategies for improving adolescent vaccination.Conclusion: There is an urgent "call to action," particularly targeting healthcare providers and public health authorities, for the prioritization of adolescent vaccination as a necessary element of preventive healthcare in this age group.What is Known:• Despite increased risk of certain infectious diseases, adolescent vaccination uptake remains low.What is New:• Barriers to adolescent vaccine uptake include lack of information regarding vaccines and disease risk, health system inadequacies, and insufficient healthcare follow-up.• Successful efforts to improve adolescent vaccine uptake need cohesive leadership and involvement of multiple stakeholders, as well as youth-friendly messaging; healthcare providers and policymakers should prioritize adolescent vaccination and implement proven program strategies to improve adolescent health worldwide.

A physician's guide to the 2-dose schedule of MenB-FHbp vaccine

Meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) is the predominant cause of invasive meningococcal disease in the United States, with older adolescents and young adults attending college at increased risk. Notably, MenB caused all meningococcal disease outbreaks at US colleges between 2011 and 2018. MenB disease is vaccine-preventable. The MenB-FHbp vaccine can be administered on a 2-dose (0 and 6 months) schedule to healthy adolescents and young adults or as a tailored 3-dose (0, 1-2, and 6 months) schedule for individuals at increased risk. This review focuses on the 2-dose schedule (0 and 6 months) of MenB-FHbp. Clinical evidence demonstrating strong and broadly protective immunogenicity in adolescents after primary vaccination, immune persistence up to 48 months post-primary vaccination (18-61% of subjects across schedules), and immune memory evidenced by robust response to a single booster dose are described. Implementation approaches to ensure adolescents and young adults are fully vaccinated against meningococcal disease are discussed.

Concomitant administration of meningococcal vaccines with other vaccines in adolescents and adults: a review of available evidence

Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), a rapidly progressing and potentially fatal illness, disproportionately affects adolescents and young adults. While IMD is best prevented by vaccination, vaccine uptake in these groups is low. An evidence-based understanding of the safety and effectiveness of concomitant vaccination of meningococcal vaccines, including the newer MenB protein vaccines and the more established MenACWY conjugate vaccines, with other vaccines recommended for adolescents and young adults may help maximize vaccination opportunities. We identified 21 studies assessing concomitant administration of meningococcal vaccines with other vaccines in adolescents and adults. Although studies varied in methodology, concomitant administration generally did not affect immunogenicity of the meningococcal or coadministered vaccines. In some cases, reactogenicity increased following concomitant administration, but no definitive safety concerns were raised. In general, data suggest that meningococcal vaccines can be safely and effectively coadministered with other vaccines.

Public Health Opportunities to Improve Late-Adolescent Immunization

Seven state/local immunization program managers were convened to discuss how public health immunization programs could enhance their efforts to promote adolescent vaccination, with an emphasis on late adolescence (ages 16-18 years). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's revised childhood immunization schedule for 2017 and a recently proposed preventive care platform at 16 years of age provide a unique opportunity to focus on increasing adolescent immunization rates in this population. Public health officials discussed challenges to immunizing this population and suggested key strategies for supporting late-adolescent immunization, including partnerships between public health and immunization providers; nationally supported public information campaigns; and using immunization data specific to this population to track progress.

Current safety issues with quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccines

Invasive meningococcal disease, although rare, can present as sudden, life-threatening disease with high risk of mortality or severe long-term sequelae. The main prevention strategy for invasive meningococcal disease in the United States is the routine vaccination of adolescents and other persons at increased risk of meningococcal disease with quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccines. Two such vaccines are currently licensed and available in the United States, Menactra® (Sanofi Pasteur) and Menveo® (GlaxoSmithKline), and usage in the adolescent population has steadily increased since their introduction. Although early reports raised concerns about a possible association of Menactra with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a comprehensive safety review determined that if such risk existed it was no more than 0.66 cases per 1 million vaccinations. More recently, a study found an elevated risk of Bell's palsy when Menveo was administered concomitantly with other vaccines but no association was found when the vaccine was administered alone. In this commentary, we describe the current state of knowledge with respect to the safety of quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccines, and we identify potential areas for safety research for these vaccines.