MONDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- New recommendations for childhood and adolescent immunization schedules have been approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Academy of Family Physicians, incorporating several changes from last year, according to an article published online Jan. 4 in Pediatrics.
Joseph A. Bocchini Jr., M.D., chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Infectious Diseases, and colleagues write that the new recommendations for this year include the addition of the influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine as a footnote. In addition, footnotes for other vaccines have been revised to clarify recommendations, and guidance on combination vaccines has been updated. The recommendations cover schedules for children aged 0 through 6 years, 7 through 18 years, and a catch-up schedule for those aged 4 months to 18 years.
Children who have been vaccinated with the meningococcal conjugate vaccine should be revaccinated if they remain at increased risk for the disease, and there are now recommendations for vaccination of both boys and girls with the human papillomavirus vaccine.
"These schedules reflect current recommendations for the use of vaccines licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration," the authors write. "Clinically significant adverse events that follow immunization should be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (www.vaers.hhs.gov)."
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