The majority of infants in the U.S. are being vaccinated against serious medical diseases, according to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2013 National Immunization Survey (NIS).

Although immunization coverage either increased or remained balanced in 2013, coverage for recommended childhood vaccines varied by state. States and communities with low coverage may be vulnerable to outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases.

Immunization coverage remained over 90 percent for the vaccines used to prevent hepatitis B, varicella, poliovirus, measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). Coverage increased slightly for rotavirus and hepatitis A. The number of children who did not receive any vaccinations remained quite low, at less than one percent of all children in the U.S. in 2013.

Although coverage of immunization rates remained high in 2013, getting children to receive their recommended doses in their second year of life still posed a challenge, particularly for parents living at or below the poverty line. The vaccines recommended during the second year of life include those that fight Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP) and Pneumococcal disease (PCV).

Immunization coverage also varied by state, and ranged from 82 percent in Rhode Island to 57 percent in Arkansas. The most crucial coverage variation occurred in the 17 states that had under 90 percent coverage with the MMR vaccine.

The CDC encourages all children to be vaccinated as per the recommended immunization schedule.