2017 U.S. recommended immunization schedule for 0 through 18 years and "catch up" now available

On February 7, CDC published Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents Aged 18 Years or Younger—United States, 2017 as an MMWR Early Release.
 
Each year, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) updates the immunization schedules to reflect current recommendations for licensed vaccines. In October 2016, ACIP approved the recommended immunization schedules for 2017. The "Changes in the 2017 Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule" section of the article is reprinted below.

Changes in the 2017 immunization schedules for children and adolescents aged 18 years or younger include new or revised ACIP recommendations for influenza; human papillomavirus; hepatitis B; Haemophilus influenzae type b; pneumococcal; meningococcal; and diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccines.

Figure 1. Changes to the 2017 figure from the 2016 schedule are as follows:

• The 16-year age column has been separated from the 17–18-year age column to highlight the need for a meningococcal conjugate vaccine booster dose at age 16 years.
• Live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) has been removed from the influenza row.
• A blue bar was added for human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) for children aged 9–10 years, indicating that persons in this age group may be vaccinated (even in the absence of a high-risk condition).

Figure 3. A new figure, “Figure 3. Vaccines that might be indicated for children and adolescents aged 18 years or younger based on medical indications,” has been added. The purpose of this figure is to do the following:

• Demonstrate most children with medical conditions can (and should) be vaccinated according to the routine child/adolescent immunization schedule.
• Indicate when a medical condition is a precaution or contraindication to vaccination.
• Indicate when additional doses of vaccines may be necessary because of a child’s or adolescent’s medical condition. Providers should consult the relevant footnotes for additional information.

Footnotes. Changes to the footnotes for the figures are as follows:

• The Hepatitis B vaccine (HepB) footnote was revised to reflect that the birth dose of HepB should be administered within 24 hours of birth.
• The diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) footnote was revised to more clearly present recommendations following an inadvertently early administered fourth dose of DTaP
• Within the Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine (Hib) footnote, Comvax was removed from the routine vaccination portion of footnote. This vaccine has been removed from the market, and all available doses have expired. Additionally, Hiberix has been added to the list of vaccines that may be used for the primary vaccination series.
• Within the pneumococcal vaccine footnote, references to 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) have been removed. All healthy children who might have received PCV7 as part of a primary series have now aged out of the recommendation for pneumococcal vaccine.
• The influenza vaccine footnote has been updated to indicate that LAIV should not be used during the 2016–2017 influenza season.
• The meningococcal vaccines footnote has been updated to include recommendations for meningococcal vaccination of children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and to reflect recommendations for the use of a 2-dose Trumenba (meningococcal B vaccine) schedule.
• The tetanus and diphtheria toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) footnote for vaccination of pregnant adolescents between gestational weeks 27–36 has been updated to reflect a preference for vaccination earlier during this period. Currently available data suggest that vaccinating earlier in the 27 through 36–week period will maximize passive antibody transfer to the infant.
• The footnote for HPV vaccine has been updated to include the new 2-dose schedule for persons initiating the HPV vaccination series before age 15 years. In addition, bivalent HPV vaccine has been removed from the schedule. This vaccine has been removed from the U.S. market, and all available vaccine doses have expired.

The recommended birth through 18 years and catch-up immunization schedules have been approved by the ACIP, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Related Links

• MMWR article: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents Aged 18 Years or Younger—United States, 2017 (also available in HTML format)
• Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents Aged 18 Years or Younger, United States, 2017 (8 pages in color; PDF format)
• CDC child and adolescent immunization schedule web page, offering a variety of formats

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2017 U.S. recommended immunization schedule for adults now available

On February 7, CDC published Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Recommended Immunization Schedule for Adults Aged 19 Years or Older—United States, 2017.

Each year, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) updates the immunization schedules to reflect current recommendations for licensed vaccines. In October 2016, ACIP approved the recommended immunization schedules for 2017. Changes in the 2017 adult immunization schedule from the previous year’s schedule include new or revised ACIP recommendations for influenza, human papillomavirus, hepatitis B, and meningococcal ACWY and B vaccines. You can read about what changed in the adult schedule and footnotes in the article referenced above.

The recommended adult immunization schedule has been approved by the ACIP, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Related Links

• MMWR article: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Recommended Immunization Schedule for Adults Aged 19 Years or Older—United States, 2017 (also available in HTML format)
• Recommended Immunization Schedule for Adults Aged 19 Years or Older, United States, 2017 (5 pages in color; PDF format)
• CDC adult immunization schedule web page, offering a variety of formats

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February is International Prenatal Infection Prevention Month! Make sure your pregnant patients receive influenza and Tdap vaccines

February is International Prenatal Infection Prevention Month. ACIP recommends both influenza and Tdap vaccines for pregnant women, but uptake continues to be far from ideal.

Influenza
According to CDC, during the 2015–16 flu season, only about half of pregnant women received influenza vaccine. A study published in MMWR on January 17 looked at 113,730 women in Minnesota who had delivered a live birth during March 2013–December 2014, and for whom immunization records were available. Of these women, 46% had received influenza vaccine during their pregnancy. 



Pertussis
The same study of Minnesota women referenced above also looked at Tdap vaccination and found that only 58% of pregnant women had received a dose of Tdap during their pregnancy.

The following resources for healthcare professionals and their patients can help improve influenza and Tdap vaccination rates in pregnant women:

• CDC strategies for healthcare professionals: Making a strong vaccine referral to pregnant women
• CDC strategies for healthcare professionals: Provide the best prenatal care to prevent pertussis
• CDC fact sheet for pregnant women: Pregnant? You Need a Flu Shot!
• CDC fact sheet for pregnant women: You can start protecting your baby from whooping cough before birth
• CDC graphic: Half of pregnant women protect their babies against the flu. Time to bump it up!
• IAC's resource for healthcare professionals and their patients: Vaccinations for Pregnant Women
• CDC's Pregnant Women & Influenza (Flu) web section
• CDC's Pregnancy and Whooping Cough web section

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Eight healthcare organizations join IAC's Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll for mandatory healthcare worker vaccination

There are now 614 organizations enrolled in IAC's Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll. The honor roll recognizes hospitals, medical practices, professional organizations, health departments, and government entities that have taken a stand for patient safety by implementing mandatory influenza vaccination policies for healthcare personnel.

Since January 4, when IAC Express last reported on the Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll, eight additional healthcare organizations have been enrolled.

IAC urges qualifying healthcare organizations to apply.

Newly added healthcare organizations, hospitals, government agencies, and medical practices:

• Ascension Borgess, Kalamazoo, MI
• Gibson Area Hospital and Health Services, Gibson City, IL
• New Vista Nursing and Rehabilitation, Sunland, CA
• New Vista Post Acute Care, Los Angeles, CA
• Parkview Medical Center, Pueblo, CO
• Pediatric and Young Adult Clinic, Oskaloosa, IA
• Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital, Manistique, MI
• Tazewell County Health Department, Tremont, IL

Related Links

• Listing of all honorees by state
• Position statements from professional societies and leading healthcare organizations that support mandatory influenza vaccination
• Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll section on immunize.org, which includes access to the application form (see the gold honor badge in right column, and click on the words "Apply for the Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll")
• IAC's Honor Roll for Patient Safety web page
• IAC's Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll section on immunize.org

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IAC enrolls two new birthing institutions into its Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll; seven previously honored institutions qualify for additional years' honors

The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) is pleased to announce that two new institutions have been accepted into its Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll. The birthing institutions are listed below with their reported hepatitis B birth dose coverage rates in parentheses.

• RC Hospital & Clinics, Olivia, MN (98%)
• Wellspan Good Samaritan Hospital, Lebanon, PA (95%)

The following three institutions are being recognized for a second year:

• Memorial Healthcare, Grand Haven, MI (94%)
• North Ottawa Community Health System, Owosso, MI (90%)
• Shannon Medical Center, San Angelo, TX (96%)

The following three institutions are being recognized for a fourth year:

• Hospital Bella Vista, Mayaguez, PR (96%)
• Lincoln Medical Center, Bronx, NY (98%)
• Sturgis Hospital, Sturgis, MI (95%)

And finally, the following institution is being recognized for a fifth year:

• Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital, Ludington, MI (93%)

The Honor Roll now includes 316 birthing institutions from 38 states, Puerto Rico, and Guam. One hundred three institutions have qualified for two years, 35 institutions have qualified three times, 8 institutions have qualified four times, and 3 institutions have qualified five times.

The Honor Roll is a key part of IAC’s major initiative urging the nation’s hospitals to Give birth to the end of Hep B. Hospitals and birthing centers are recognized for attaining high coverage rates for administering hepatitis B vaccine at birth and meeting specific additional criteria. The initiative urges qualifying healthcare organizations to apply for the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll online.

To be included in the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll, a birthing institution must have: (1) reported a coverage rate of 90 percent or greater, over a 12-month period, for administering hepatitis B vaccine before hospital discharge to all newborns, including those whose parents refuse vaccination, and (2) implemented specific written policies, procedures, and protocols to protect all newborns from hepatitis B virus infection prior to hospital discharge.

Honorees are also awarded an 8.5" x 11" color certificate suitable for framing and their acceptance is announced to IAC Express’s approximately 50,000 readers.

Please visit the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll web page that lists these institutions and their exceptional efforts to protect infants from perinatal hepatitis B transmission.

Related Links

• Give birth to the end of Hep B web page on immunize.org
• Fact sheet about the birth dose honor roll: Do you qualify for the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll? If so, apply today. Also available in black & white.
• Fact sheet about the importance of the hepatitis B vaccine birth dose: Give birth to the end of Hep B. Also available in black & white.
• Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll web page
• 84-page guidebook, Hepatitis B: What Hospitals Need to Do to Protect Newborns, which contains a wide range of resources to help birthing institutions establish, implement, and optimize their hepatitis B vaccine birth dose policies
• Give birth to the end of Hep B slide set, includes script (43 slides)

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Reminder: Nominations are still open for the National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit Excellence Awards

The National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS) is soliciting nominations for the 2017 Immunization Excellence Awards. These prestigious awards recognize individuals and organizations that have made extraordinary contributions towards improving vaccination rates within their communities during 2016. The awards focus on individuals and organizations that exemplify the meaning of the "immunization neighborhood" (collaboration, coordination, and communication among immunization stakeholders dedicated to meeting the immunization needs of the patient and protecting the community from vaccine-preventable diseases).

The national winner in each category will be invited to present their program at the 2017 NAIIS meeting, to be held May 9–11 in Atlanta, Georgia. The deadline for receipt of nominations is February 24.

Nominations are being accepted for the following six award categories:     

• NEW: Non-Healthcare Employer Campaign
• Laura Scott NAIIS Immunization Excellence Award for Outstanding Influenza Season Activities Campaign
• “Immunization Neighborhood” Champion
• Adult Immunization Champion
• Corporate Campaign
• Adult Immunization Publication Award

Related Links

• Access the 2017 nomination form for the NAIIS Immunization Excellence Awards
• NAIIS website
• NAIIS newsletter: The Summit Buzz

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IAC HANDOUTS

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IAC posts updated handout for the public titled "Human Papillomavirus (HPV): Questions and Answers"

IAC recently revised its handout for the public titled Human Papillomavirus (HPV): Questions and Answers. Changes were made to update the data on HPV and associated cancers, to add information about the new 2-dose schedule for people who begin their series before the age of 15, and to remove references to Cervarix which is no longer distributed in the U.S.

Access all IAC's Questions and Answers handouts for 18 vaccine-preventable diseases.

IAC's Handouts for Patients & Staff web section offers healthcare professionals and the public more than 250 FREE English-language handouts (many also available in translation), which we encourage website users to print out, copy, and distribute widely.

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