Do Immunization Registries Work?

In September 2019, the American Immunization Registry Association (AIRA) was awarded a cooperative agreement with the U.S. CDC to inform strategies for improving awareness and utilization of immunization information systems (IIS) among adult health care providers.

By the end of 2020, all US states and jurisdictions had a functional lifespan IIS with the capability and authority to collect and capture adult immunization data.

Data from the 2019 IIS Annual Report (IISAR) indicate that approximately 60% of adults aged 19 years and older are represented in an IIS with one or more recorded vaccinations compared to approximately 95% for children and 82% of adolescents, respectively.

While findings from the AIRA adult IIS capture survey indicated that approximately 63% of jurisdictions actively and routinely capture adult vaccination data.

Several immunization / IIS programs have chosen to prioritize adult vaccination activities and successfully use their IIS to support and facilitate these efforts, whereas some jurisdictions have done very little.

Documenting receipt of a vaccine has also been included as a Healthy People 2030 developmental objective to “increase the proportion of people with vaccination records in an information system.”

This new Landscape Analysis Report provides the insight needed to establish a Strategic Road Map for prioritizing and advancing adult data capture and utilization nationally across all jurisdictions.

Located in Washington DC, the American Immunization Registry Association exists to support and promote the use of immunization information to ensure healthy communities through the development and implementation of immunization information systems as a crucial tool in preventing vaccine-preventable diseases.