Immunization information system progress--United States, 2004.

One of the national health objectives for 2010 is to increase to at least 95% the proportion of children aged <6 years who participate in fully operational, population-based immunization registries (objective no. 14-26). Immunization registries are confidential, computerized information systems that collect and consolidate vaccination data from multiple health-care providers, generate reminder and recall notifications, and assess vaccination coverage within a defined geographic area. A registry with added capabilities, such as vaccine management, adverse event reporting, lifespan vaccination histories, and linkages with electronic data sources, is called an immunization information system (IIS). This report summarizes data from CDC's 2004 IIS Annual Report, a survey of 56 grantees in 50 states, five cities, and the District of Columbia (DC) that receive funding under section 317b of the Public Health Service Act. The findings indicate that approximately 48% of U.S. children aged <6 years participated in an IIS. Moreover, 76% of public vaccination provider sites and 39% of private vaccination provider sites submitted immunization data to an IIS during the last 6 months of 2004. Overcoming challenges and barriers to increasing the number of provider sites and the percentage of children aged <6 years participating in an IIS is critical to achieving the national health objective. CDC has developed a plan of action to address those challenges. Major components of the plan include, but are not limited to, a multiyear IIS business plan for each grantee and enhanced technical assistance to grantees with unresolved challenges.