The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) annually publishes
an immunization schedule for persons aged 0 through 18 years that summarizes
recommendations for currently licensed vaccines for children aged 18 years
and younger and includes recommendations in effect as of December 15, 2009.
Changes to the previous schedule include the following:
- The last dose in the inactivated poliovirus vaccine
series is now recommended to be administered on or after the fourth
birthday and at least 6 months after the previous dose. In addition, if
4 doses are administered before age 4 years, an additional (fifth) dose
should be administered at age 4 through 6 years .
- The hepatitis A footnote has been revised to allow
vaccination of children older than 23 months for whom immunity against
hepatitis A is desired.
- Revaccination with meningococcal conjugate vaccine is
now recommended for children who remain at increased risk for
meningococcal disease after 3 years (if the first dose was administered
at age 2 through 6 years), or after 5 years (if the first dose was
administered at age 7 years or older) .
- Footnotes for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine have
been modified to include 1) the availability of and recommendations for
bivalent HPV vaccine, and 2) a permissive recommendation for
administration of quadrivalent HPV vaccine to males aged 9 through 18
years to reduce the likelihood of acquiring genital warts (5).
