Where children receive Influenza vaccine: Importance of school-located vaccination

Background: There is growing evidence that children are a key link in the chain of influenza transmission, and vaccinating children can decrease morbidity and mortality in the community as a whole. To vaccinate children during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, the New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene used three strategies: school-located vaccination, community-based mass vaccination through ‘Points of Dispensing' (PODs), and medical provider-based vaccination.

Objective: To determine the number of children reached by each strategy and the percent of children that received influenza vaccination for the first time in each strategy.

Methods: Data on the number and source of vaccinations given were obtained from NYC's Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR), an electronic system for tracking immunizations of individual children. Children aged 4-10 with a H1N1 vaccine recorded in CIR and were included in the analysis.

Results: Approximately 112,000 children were vaccinated through school-located vaccination, 47% of whom had no previous influenza vaccine recorded in CIR. PODs vaccinated approximately 5,700 children, 40% of whom had no previous influenza vaccine recorded in CIR. Medical providers vaccinated approximately 130,000 children, 12% of whom had no previous influenza vaccine recorded in CIR.

Conclusions: School-located vaccination and PODs reached almost one-half of all 4-10 year old children vaccinated in NYC. Nearly one-half of these children had no previous influenza vaccine recorded in CIR. Public health campaigns targeting vaccination delivery outside of the provider setting have the opportunity to expand access for children not reached by traditional medical outlets.