Childhood Immunizations in Minnesota

Minnesota

Early childhood immunizations are a safe and cost-effective way to protect children from potentially life-threatening preventable diseases, especially when they are most vulnerable. The success of vaccines in controlling many infectious diseases led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to name vaccines one of the Ten Great Public Health Achievements of the 20th century.

In 1994, the Vaccines for Children Program expanded access to life-saving vaccines against childhood illnesses. A 2024 review of the program found that children born between 1994 and 2023 will, throughout their lifetimes, be spared 508 million cases of disease, 32 million hospitalizations and more than 1.1 million premature deaths due to vaccine-preventable diseases. These estimates translate to net savings of $540 billion in direct costs and $2.7 trillion in total societal costs.

According to the National Immunization Survey-Child, the vaccination coverage among young children for the combined seven-vaccine series is higher among:

• Children living at or above the poverty level compared with those living below the poverty level. 
• Privately insured children compared with uninsured children and children on Medicaid.

The CDC supports immunization operations at the local, state and national levels through funding and initiatives such as the Vaccines for Children Program, which provides free vaccines to children whose health insurance does not cover them. The 2010 Affordable Care Act requires health insurance plans to cover preventive services, including immunizations, without charging deductibles, copayments or coinsurance. This legislation allows the Vaccines for Children Program to provide eligible children with access to vaccines at no cost through certain doctors. 

The Community Preventive Services Task Force's recommendations to increase vaccination rates include:

• Expanding home visiting services.
• Establishing vaccination programs and requirements in schools and child care centers.
• Increasing community demand for vaccinations through active outreach, tracking, education, incentives and case management as well as reminder and recall systems.

Healthy People 2030 has several vaccination objectives focused on children, including reducing the proportion of children who get no recommended vaccinations by age 2.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Ten Great Public Health Achievements -- United States, 1900-1999.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 48, no. 12 (April 2, 1999): 241–43. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056796.htm.

Hill, Holly A., David Yankey, Laurie D. Elam-Evans, Yi Mu, Michael Chen, Georgina Peacock, and James A. Singleton. “Decline in Vaccination Coverage by Age 24 Months and Vaccination Inequities Among Children Born in 2020 and 2021 — National Immunization Survey-Child, United States, 2021–2023.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 73, no. 38 (September 26, 2024): 844–53. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7338a3.

Zhou, Fangjun, Tara C. Jatlaoui, Andrew J. Leidner, Rosalind J. Carter, Xiaoyu Dong, Jeanne M. Santoli, Shannon Stokley, Demetre C. Daskalakis, and Georgina Peacock. “Health and Economic Benefits of Routine Childhood Immunizations in the Era of the Vaccines for Children Program — United States, 1994–2023.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 73, no. 31 (August 8, 2024): 682–85.https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7331a2.