Sicily ranks last in Italy for childhood vaccination coverage

Sicily recorded the lowest childhood vaccination coverage in Italy in 2024, according to a report released by the Ministry of Health on paediatric and adolescent vaccinations for children born in 2022.

Coverage for the full three-dose cycle against polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and hepatitis B stands at 85.13%, the lowest nationwide, compared with a national average of 94.46%.

Vaccination rates for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (one dose by 24 months) are higher, at 87.98%, but still more than six percentage points below the national average.

For children born in 2021, vaccination coverage ranges between 89.49% and 91.16%, again below the national average of just over 95%, with only the autonomous province of Bolzano performing worse. Results improve for those born in 2020, with Sicily exceeding 93% for most vaccinations, although it remains in the lower ranks compared to the national average of 95%.

Sicily also remains last for vaccinations among children aged five to six, with coverage not exceeding 68%, against a national average above 84%. These include the second dose for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox, and the fourth dose for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio.

Among 16-year-olds, coverage drops to 25% for the fifth dose against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, compared to a national average of 65.6%, while it rises to 96.34% for the first measles dose and 86.05% for the second. For 18-year-olds, coverage for the fifth dose against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough does not exceed 37%, compared with a national average between 69% and 72%, while measles coverage reaches 85% for the first dose and 78% for the second.

Via ANSA