Factors associated with protective antibody levels to vaccine preventable diseases in internationally adopted children.
Laura Patricia Stadler, Stephanie Donauer, Marilyn Rice, Indi Trehan, Shelia Salisbury, Mary Allen Staat
Author Information
Laura Patricia Stadler: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Kentucky, Kentucky Children's Hospital, Lexington, KY, United States.
To determine which factors are predictive of protective antibody against vaccine-preventable diseases in internationally adopted children, we evaluated 562 children with serologic testing for at least one vaccine antigen before receiving a US vaccination. Vaccination status was defined as the number-of-doses recorded and as the presence of an up-to-date and valid record according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices guidelines. The number-of-doses recorded was the best predictor of protective antibody. These findings suggest that other options for immunization verification guidelines for internationally adopted children should be considered by policy makers.
