KEYWORDS:
Vaccine shortages, American Indian/Alaska Native, VFC

BACKGROUND:
Unprecedented vaccine shortages occurred in 2001 and 2002,with many states having to adopt modified vaccination schedules. Some vaccine shortages, such as the DTaP shortage, disproportionately affected vaccine procured through the Vaccines For Children (VFC) program (i.e. public sector vaccine), while other vaccine shortages affected both private and public sectors equally. All American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) children are eligible for VFC vaccine, and the Indian Health Service (IHS) and tribal facilities that report immunization coverage to IHS are VFC providers. An examination of vaccination coverage levels over time in this population allows us to estimate the impact of vaccine shortages among a subset of VFC users, and to examine the regional variation of the impact of vaccine shortages.

OBJECTIVE:
To determine the impact of vaccine shortages on coverage levels among a subset of VFC users.

METHOD:
IHS collects regional immunization coverage data on AI/AN children 3 – 27 months of age on a quarterly basis. By monitoring vaccine coverage over time, the impact of the vaccine shortages on coverage can be determined for each region.

RESULT:
Vaccine shortages resulted in lower vaccine coverage levels in the AI/AN population, though the degree to which shortages impacted coverage levels varied considerably by region.

CONCLUSION:
While vaccine coverage in this VFC-using population was affected by vaccine shortages, considerable regional variation highlights the uneven distribution of vaccines to states, as some states were more severely impacted than others. Comparison with the NIS data in the future will also provide an idea of the extent to which vaccine shortages impacted the public sector vs. the private sector.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Understand the impact vaccine shortages had on a subset of VFC users.
Demonstrate regional variation of vaccine shortages