Pediatric, Adolescent Vaccination Schedule Updated

The updated 2018 immunization schedule for children and teens has been released by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The immunization schedules are revised annually with the most current recommendations for the use of vaccines licensed by the US FDA, and changes are based on recommendations made by the ACIP in October.

In the 2018 schedule for hepatitis B, information was added recommending that vaccination should be administered within 24 hours for infants with a birth weight of more than 2000g who are born to mothers that are negative for hepatitis B surface antigen. Updated recommendations have also been made for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines. The 2018 MMR schedule offers new guidance regarding use of a third dose of mumps-containing vaccine during a mumps outbreak.

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