The new 2016 recommended immunization schedule for children and adolescents reflects the addition of meningococcal B vaccine and various other changes.
Each year, a new immunization schedule is approved and published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
The addition of meningococcal B vaccine is shown by a blue bar indicating vaccination at 10 years for children at increased risk. Non–high-risk persons aged 16-18 years may be considered for vaccination, as indicated by a purple bar. The footnotes indicate that the two MenB vaccines “are not interchangeable; the same vaccine product must be used for all doses.” Also, Bexsero requires a two-dose series administered at least 1 month apart. Trumenba requires a three-dose series, with the second dose at least 2 months after the first and the third dose at least 6 months after the first.
©luiscar/Thinkstockphotos
Trumenba (Wyeth Pharmaceuticals) was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration in October 2014 and Bexsero (Novartis) was licensed in January 2015.
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is now referred to as 9vHPV, to reflect the availability of Merck’s Gardasil 9, which was licensed in December 2014 to replace the prior 4-valent version. A purple bar has been added to the HPV row for ages 9-10 years to indicate that children with a history of sexual abuse are at increased risk of HPV infection and should be vaccinated.
Other changes to the 2016 schedule and footnotes include:
• A change in the order of the vaccines to group vaccines according to the recommended ages of administration, as well as to the order of the footnotes
• The addition of a purple bar for Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine for children aged 5-18 years; this reflects a recommendation to vaccinate certain high-risk children in this age group who have not been immunized.
• A revision to the footnote for the hepatitis B vaccine to clarify the timing as well as the new CDC-recommended interval for postvaccination serologic testing of infants born to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive mothers.
• A revision to the footnote for the DTaP vaccine to clarify recommendations to be taken after an inadvertently early administration of the fourth dose of that vaccine.
• An update to the footnote for the inactivated polio vaccine offering guidance on the vaccination of children who have received all doses of oral-only polio vaccine before age 4 years.
To see the immunization schedule, go to www.cdc.gov/vaccines.