One in four US kids is undervaccinated

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found that many children are not getting all their recommended shots -- or getting them at the wrong time.

The study, published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, looked not at how many vaccinations a child received but when he or she received them. Over 17,000 children's health records from a 2005 government study were used for the analysis. About 28% of children age 19 to 35 months did not receive their shot in line with the CDC-recommended schedule.

Two thirds of the study's subjects missed at least one dose of a immunization. The remaining third received all their shots, but either received them too close to each other to be deemed effective or noticeably before or after their optimal window.

Study authors stressed that vaccination rates are still quite high in the US. The vaccination schedule, especially in the first few years of a child's life, requires many well visits to accomplish.