Vaccine recommendations are made and updated based on current efficacy, safety, and disease data. Updates provide critical guidance on routine immunizations and outbreak protection for your entire patient panel, from infancy through adulthood.
According to the AAP, infants aged 6-11 months who are traveling outside the US to an area with active measles outbreaks or endemic measles should receive one dose of the MMR vaccine. The vaccine should be administered at least 2 weeks before traveling. This early dose does not count toward the routine series; the standard two-dose series at age 12-15 months and age 4-6 years will still be needed. The MMRV vaccine is only licensed and recommended for children 12 months through 12 years of age.
Learn more about MMR vaccination.
As part of routine vaccination for meningococcal serogroup A,C,W,Y, the CDC recommends a first MenACWY dose at age 11 or 12 years and a second dose at 16 years. For those aged 10 years or older who have never received a meningococcal vaccine, a single dose of MenACWY-TT/MenB-FHbp can be given in place of this two-dose MenACWY regimen; MenACWY-TT/MenB-FHbp is also appropriate if it has been least 6 months since the first MenACWY dose.
First-year college students who live in residential housing should receive at least one dose of MenACWY within 5 years before college entry. In addition to MenACWY, the AAP and CDC recommend MenB vaccination for adolescents aged 16-23 years based on shared clinical decision-making. Considering dormitories are at higher risk for outbreak, MenB is strongly encouraged for such environments. Since it has been more than 6 months since the patient’s first MenACWY dose, a single MenACWY-TT/MenB-FHbp dose is the most appropriate strategy.
Learn more about meningococcal vaccines.
According to the AAP and CDC, the target age for HPV vaccination is 11-12 years, though starting the two-dose series at age 9 years is recommended to increase completion rates. For adolescents starting vaccination at age 15 years or older and for adolescents who are immunocompromised, a three-dose series is recommended. Further, the AAP and CDC state pregnancy testing is not required prior to starting either series; for individuals who are pregnant, HPV vaccination can be started after pregnancy.
Learn more about HPV vaccination.
According to the CDC and specific CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations, if the second RZV dose is delayed beyond the recommended 2- to 6-month window, the series does not need to be restarted.
Although the preferred interval is 2-6 months, a patient is considered fully vaccinated once they have received two valid doses, regardless of the time gap between them. Further, serologic evidence of prior varicella is not necessary for zoster vaccination.
Two doses of the vaccine are necessary regardless of prior history of herpes zoster or prior receipt of zoster vaccine live (ZVL).
Learn more about herpes zoster vaccination.
Current ACIP guidelines recommend that adults aged 19-64 years with certain “at-risk” conditions, including type 2 diabetes, should receive a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Patients without at-risk conditions can begin the series at age 50 years. The two recommended options for both populations are a single dose of PCV20 or PCV21 alone or a dose of PCV15 followed by PPSV23.
PPSV23 is no longer recommended as a stand-alone initial vaccine for most adults; it would only be appropriate if the patient had already received PCV15 at least 1 year (or 8 weeks, if immunocompromised) prior.
There is an app available from the CDC for health care providers to help customize pneumococcal vaccine recommendations for their patients.
Learn more about pneumococcal vaccines.
Editor's Note: This article was created using several editorial tools, including generative AI models, as part of the process. Human review and editing of this content were performed prior to publication.
