NIH Radio
Child Immunization Rates Are Up
Brief Description:
A government report shows young children are more likey to get needed immunizations.
Transcript:
Akinso: The adolescent birth rate has reached another record low, children are less likely to die in the first four years of life, and elementary school age children are scoring better in math. That's the good news to be found in a recently released report called "America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2005." The report also indicates that young children are more likely to receive their recommended immunizations, as we hear from Dr. Duane Alexander, director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Alexander: Rates among the lower income kids are improving significantly, probably as a consequence of the Federal Vaccines for Children program, where the Federal Government is assisting with the purchase of vaccines for children whose families have not been able to afford the cost of them. And one of the things I think we are seeing from this is those rates are improving overall and that there is some "catch up" in the lower income kids, which is encouraging.
Akinso: The report is the government's 9th annual monitoring of the well-being of the nation's children and youth. It was compiled by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Services, and presents a comprehensive look at critical areas of child well-being, including health status, behavior and social environment, economic security, and education. The full text of the report is available on the forum's website, childstats.gov. From the National Institutes of Health, I'm Wally Akinso in Bethesda, Maryland.
About This Audio Report
Date: 7/25/2005
Reporter: Wally Akinso
Sound Bite: Dr. Duane Alexander
Topic: Immunizations, Children
Institute(s): NICHD
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