Timeliness of Routine Vaccination, Catch-Up Completion, and Immune Function in Chinese Children with Special Healthcare Needs: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Children with special healthcare needs (CSHCNs) face persistent barriers to timely immunization in China, but comparative evidence across disease groups and vaccines, and data on immune function, are limited. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study linking electronic medical records, vaccination records, and a structured telephone and questionnaire follow-up. We estimated timely vaccination by National Immunization Program (NIP) dose definitions, assessed catch-up completion at follow-up, and compared cellular/humoral/complement immune indices with published pediatric reference ranges. Group differences used ANOVA/Kruskal–Wallis and chi-square (χ²)/Fisher’s exact tests with Bonferroni correction. Results: Timely vaccination was lower than the national healthy child benchmarks for all NIP vaccines (all p < 0.001); the Japanese encephalitis virus (JE; 24.0%) and measles-containing vaccine (MCV; 25.9%) had the lowest timely completion. A subset of CSHCNs did not receive recommended catch-up vaccinations, primarily due to persistent caregivers’ concern and point of vaccination (POV) staff’s hesitancy. Delays clustered in neonatal/perinatal disorders for Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) and hepatitis B vaccine, dose 1 (HepB1). Catch-up completion was highest for hepatitis B vaccine, dose 3 (HepB3) (86.3%) and BCG (81.8%), and lowest for the diphtheria and tetanus vaccine (DT) (49.4%); MCV2 completion was particularly low in hematological diseases. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations were significantly lower in neonatal/perinatal disorders and infectious disease groups versus neurological and immune disorder groups (p < 0.05). No severe adverse events were reported after catch-up. Conclusions: CSHCNs in China face substantial barriers to timely NIP immunization. Timeliness and catch-up vary substantially by vaccine and underlying condition; neonatal/perinatal disorders contribute disproportionately to early-life delays. Disease-specific guidance, strengthened POV–specialist clinic coordination, immunological monitoring, and supportive policies could improve the vaccination coverage and effectiveness in this vulnerable population.