| Abstract |
Intoduction-Aim: The aim of this study was to record the vaccination coverage of the adolescents in the coverage area of Kastelli Health Centre, Heraklion, a rural area of the island of Crete, Greece, during the school year 2018-2019, and to compare these data with data of similar studies from Greece and other countries. Vaccine coverage of adolescents was recorded for both adolescence and childhood vaccines. The age at which the adolescence vaccines were administered was also recorded.
Study poppulation – Methods: This study is a cross-sectional epidemiological study. It was carried out by recording the vaccines administered to each student according to the Individual Health Books of the students in the area of responsibility of the RC. Kastelli. Vaccine doses for all vaccines included in the National Vaccine Program for Children and Adolescents from 441 Health Books (out of a total of 598 students, a response rate of 73.99%) were recorded. The data was recorded and processed with IBM SPSS Statistics Version 25.0, and the charts with Microsoft Office Excel 2007 spreadsheets.
Results: Vaccination coverage rates for childhood vaccines (HepB (fully vaccinated 99.3% of adolescents), MMR (98.6%), BCG (96.1%) were remarkably high > 95%). These rates were similar to those in other regions of Greece. Vaccination coverage rates for relatively newer vaccines, which were included in the National Vaccine Program when current adolescents were infants, were lower (HAV 84.4%, Var 77.6%, PCV 66%, MCC 90.5%). The full vaccinations rates for adolescent vaccines were also low. In particular, the percentage of fully vaccinated adolescents with Tdap, ie adolescents who received at least 6 doses of Tdap vaccine or ≥ 1 dose of vaccine after the age of 11, was 80% of the adolescent participants. One dose of MenACWY vaccine had received 78.2% of the study poppulation, while fully vaccinated for HPV was 59.3% of high school female students who participated in the survey. Admittedly, adolescence vaccines are performed relatively later than the recommended age. The median age that the teenagers studied are vaccinated with Tdap is 12,73 years-old (range: 9,92 to 17,48 years-old), MenACWY 12.9 years (range 10.9 - 17.6), while the median age of adolescents girls first vaccine dose against HPV is 13.7 years (minimum 11.67 years, maximum 17.65 years).
Conclusions: The vaccination coverage with childhood vaccines of adolescents in the Kastelli area is high. Adolescent vaccination coverage in this study is lower for adolescent vaccines (Tdap, MenACWY, HPV). Importantly, adolescents vaccinated for these vaccines, receive their vaccines at a relatively older age than the recommended. Key words: vaccines, vaccination coverage, adolescents, Tdap, HPV, MCV4, MCC, HepB, HepA, MMR, Var, BCG Abbreviations
Tdap
diphtheria-tetanus vaccine, acellular pertussis adult type
MenACWY
tetravalent conjugate vaccine against N.meningococcal serogroup A, C, W135, Y
HPV
Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine
HepB
hepatitis B vaccine
HepA
hepatitis A vaccine
MMR
live attenuated measles-mumps-rubella vaccine
Var
live attenuated varicella vaccine
BCG
Tuberculosis Vaccine (Bacille Calmette-Guérin)
MCC
conjugated monovalent vaccine against meningococcal serogroup C
PCV
pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (7, 10 and 13)
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