Vaccination coverage against measles in German-born and foreign-born children and identification of unvaccinated subgroups in Germany

Data from the representative German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents were used to identify unvaccinated subgroups that Should be targeted by vaccination programmes in order to interrupt measles transmission. Measles vaccination coverage was low among children below the age of 3, having >= 3 siblings and in foreign-born migrants. Multivariate analyses show that vaccination coverage was strongly related to the place of birth in migrants: foreign-born children have a three-fold odds of being unvaccinated. Odds were also higher in children living in former West Germany, having >= 3 siblings, and it was especially high in children with parents reporting reservations against vaccinations. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.