Pediatricians’ Group Endorses CDC Child Vaccine Recommendations
ITASCA, Ill. — The American Academy of Pediatrics has thrown its endorsement behind updated guidelines for childhood and adolescent immunization released this past week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The “Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule” is a policy statement released each year by the CDC based on determinations by its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Like other editions, this year’s installment, published online Feb. 9 and appearing in the March 2023 issue of the journal Pediatrics, outlines recommendations for the use of vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
As always, the new statement provides pediatricians with a table on recommended pediatric immunizations from birth to the age of 18, and then “catch-up” recommendations for children aged 4 months to 18 years who have started their vaccinations late.
“Vaccines are essential for the health of our whole society, including children and adolescents,” said Sean O’Leary, MD, MPH, FAAP, chair of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases, in a written statement.
“We all have a responsibility to ensure everyone can access vaccinations, both for their individual health as well as to prevent the spread of illnesses,” O’Leary said.
“These schedules provide a roadmap parents and pediatricians can follow to help children get the vaccines they need so their immune systems will be ready to recognize and resist diseases,” he added.
Other groups that have approved the 2023 immunization schedule include the American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Nurse-Midwives, American Academy of Physician Associates, and National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners.
Almost all of the changes over last year’s release are relatively minor. COVID-19 has now been moved into the main text, and a new vaccine, Priorix, from GlaxoSmithKline, has been added to the section for measles, mumps and rubella.
The committee has also changed the layout of the recommendations to improve the readability and usability of the schedule.
This release of this year’s schedule follows word from the CDC that kindergarten vaccination rates declined during the 2021-2022 school year.
In a release on Jan. 13 the CDC reported 93% of the nation’s kindergarteners were fully vaccinated, a drop of 1 percentage point from the year before and 2 percentage points lower than in the 2019-2020 school year.
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