Immunizations and African Americans

What is Immunization?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), immunization is a process by which a person becomes protected against a disease through vaccination. This term is often used interchangeably with vaccination or inoculation. Vaccination is the act of introducing a vaccine into the body to produce protection from a specific disease.

What are the Rates of Immunizations among African American Populations?

African American adults are less likely than non-Hispanic white adults to have received a flu vaccine in the past year or to have ever received the pneumonia vaccine.

  • In 2018, Non-Hispanic Blacks aged 65 and older were 10 percent less likely to have received the influenza (flu) shot in the past 12 months, as compared to non-Hispanic whites of the same age group.
  • African American children aged 19 to 35 months had comparable rates of immunization in 2017.
  • African Americans are 10 percent less likely to have received a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as white populations.

Adults (Hepatitis)

Percentage of adults ages 19-49 years, high risk groups, who received 3 doses of the hepatitis B vaccination, 2018

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black /
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
35.443.60.8

Source: CDC 2022. Vaccination Coverage among Adults in the United States, National Health Interview Survey, 2018. Box 3, Table 2.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/ss/ss7003a1.htm

https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/105322

Adults (Influenza)

Age-adjusted percentage of adults age 65 years and older who received the influenza (flu) shot, 2021-2022 season

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black /
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
67.875.70.9

Source: CDC 2022. Flu Vaccination Coverage, United States, 2021–22 Influenza Season.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/coverage-2022estimates.htm

Age-adjusted percentage of adults age 18 and over who received the influenza (flu) shot, 2021-2022 season

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black /
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
42.053.90.8

Source: CDC 2022. Flu Vaccination Coverage, United States, 2021–22 Influenza Season.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/coverage-2022estimates.htm

Adults (Pneumonia)

Age-adjusted percentage of adults age 65 years and older who ever received the pneumococcal vaccine (pneumonia shot), 2018

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black/
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
59.872.60.8

Source: CDC 2022. Vaccination Coverage among Adults in the United States, National Health Interview Survey, 2018; Table 2.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/ss/ss7003a1.htm

Age-adjusted percentage of high-risk adults age 19 to 64 years who ever received the pneumococcal vaccine (pneumonia shot), 2018

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black/
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
25.723.61.1

Source: CDC 2022. Vaccination Coverage among Adults in the United States, National Health Interview Survey, 2018; Table 2.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/ss/ss7003a1.htm

Adults (HPV)

Percentage of women ages 19 to 26, who ever received at least 1 dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, 2018

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black /
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
45.256.50.8

Source: CDC 2022. Vaccination Coverage among Adults in the United States. Estimated proportion of adults aged 19–26years who received at least one dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, by age group, sex, and race/ethnicity —National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2018. Suppl. Box 4. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/105323

Adolescents (Hepatitis)

Percentage of adolescents aged 13 to 17 years who received 3 doses of the hepatitis B vaccination, 2021

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black/
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
92.292.91.0

Adolescents (Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR))

Percentage of adolescents aged 13 to 17 years who received 2 doses of measles, mumps, rubella vaccination, 2021

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black/
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
92.193.51.0

Adolescents (Tdap)

Percentage of adolescents aged 13 to 17 years who received the tetanus-diphtheria booster or Tdap, 2021

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black/
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
90.690.11.0

Adolescents (HPV)

Percentage of adolescents aged 13 to 17 years who ever received the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, 2021

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black/
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
81.774.41.1

Source: CDC 2022. Vaccination Coverage with Selected Vaccines and Doses Among Adolescents Aged 13–17 Years, National Immunization Survey–Teen, United States, 2021. Suppl Table 1. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/coverage/teenvaxview/pubs-presentations/nis-teen-vac-coverage-estimates-2021-tables.html

Children (DTaP)

Percentage of children aged 19 to 35 months who received the universally recommended vaccination – 4 doses of diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP), 2017

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black/
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
79.783.01.0

Children (Hib)

Percentage of children aged 19 to 35 months who received the universally recommended vaccination – full series Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), 2017

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black/
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
77.481.01.0

Children (Hepatitis B)

Percentage of children aged 19 to 35 months who received the universally recommended vaccination – 3 doses hepatitis B (hep B) vaccine, 2017

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black/
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
91.891.11.0

Children (MMR)

Percentage of children aged 19 to 35 months who received the universally recommended vaccination – 1 dose of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), 2017

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black/
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
89.591.21.0

Children (Polio)

Percentage of children aged 19 to 35 months who received the universally recommended vaccination – 3 doses of polio, 2017

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black/
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
91.592.31.0

Children (Chicken Pox)

Percentage of children aged 19 to 35 months who received the universally recommended vaccination – 1 dose varicella vaccine (chicken pox), 2017

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black/
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
89.390.31.0

Children (Fully Immunized)

Percentage of children aged 19 to 35 months who are fully immunized, 2017 (4:3:1:3)

Non-Hispanic BlackNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Black/
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
66.571.50.9

Source: CDC 2018. Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 19–35 Months — United States, 2017. Supplementary Table 1.
https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/59414