CDC updates for Childhood Immunizations

The 2017 schedule, approved by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was published online today on the CDC website and in Pediatrics. The updated schedule was also approved by the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

• Youths ages 9 to 15 can receive two doses of human papillomavirus vaccine instead of three
• All newborns should receive one dose of monovalent hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth
• Live attenuated influenza vaccine not be used for children this flu season
• Children with HIV receive meningococcal ACWY vaccines.
• A single lifetime dose of Tdap is recommended for everyone except pregnant women along with the recommendation is to vaccinate mothers, including adolescent mothers, as early as possible in the 27- to 36-week gestational window.

Other changes to the schedule include:

• A column was added for adolescents aged 16 years to separate them from 17- and 18-year-olds to emphasize the need for a quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY) booster at age 16 years.
• Meningococcal ACWY is now recommended for children with HIV.
• A new table addresses which vaccines may be indicated for children and adolescents who have a specific condition, such as kidney, heart, or liver disease or diabetes, or who have a cochlear implant.