Military Children Aren't Up-To-Date On Their Vaccinations, CDC Survey Shows

New information published in the journal Pediatrics shows that up to 28 percent of military kids aren't up to date on their vaccinations.

A survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spoke with children and parents across the country regarding various health information.

Epidemiology for the CDC Dr. Angela Dunn worked with colleagues to analyze the database of the National Immunization Survey (NIS) that interviewed over 104,000 children across the country between 2007 and 2012 ranging from 19 to 35 months.

They assessed the vaccination rates of the children by checking if they were up to date on recommended vaccines up to the age of three, including doses of DTaP, polio vaccines, measles, mumps and rubella, the Hib shot for bacterial infections, the hepatitis B vaccine and one for chicken pox.

After dividing children based on military familial backgrounds, an analysis revealed that military kids' vaccination rates were seven percent lower compared to other children. Furthermore, 28 percent of them were not up to date on their vaccines when compared to 21 percent of the non-military counterparts.

"Any community, military and non-military alike, depends on herd immunity to keep the most vulnerable safe from vaccine preventable diseases," said Dr. Angela Dunn, an intelligence service officer at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), via NBC News. "Measles, for example, requires a community to have 90 to 95 percent vaccination coverage rate to achieve herd immunity. This is why we recommend all persons who are able to receive vaccinations do so."

However, researchers believe the difference may be due to these constant transfers and lost medical records that could delay doctor's visits and vaccines.

"If the family forgot about a move, or a health care provider, the study would not be able to capture the data," Dr. Robert Frenck, a retired Navy pediatrician who currently practices at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center who is not part of the study, said via Reuters Health. "Also, if the family has lost their immunization record, the new provider would not have a record."

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).