The recently concluded meeting of the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) resulted in a few major developments on the vaccine front:
- Serogroup B Meningococcal (MenB) Vaccine
ACIP has recommended MenB vaccine boosters in the past for patients between 16 and 23 years of age. However, recent outbreaks prompted discussion of whether that was adequate; ultimately, the committee decided it is not and now says children 10-years-old and up should receive a booster if they have complement deficiency; complement inhibitor use or asplenia; or been exposed to MenB during an outbreak.
- Hepatitis A
Again, ACIP considered the recent history of infection rates in determining that a broader section of patients should be getting vaccinated against hepatitis A. ACIP now says everyone between the ages of 2 and 18 should get vaccinated if they missed the 12–23 months of age window. (Previously, vaccination was only recommended to be “considered” in such patients.) The idea, according to the CDC, is to vaccinate children before they have the chance of being exposed to risk factors later in life.
- Influenza
ACIP is making sweeping changes in its recommendations for the 2019–2020 flu season—all of which are expected to coincide with recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Both groups already recommend flu shots in everyone 6 months of age and older (in the absence of confirmed medical contraindications), but now neither is proclaiming a preference between the inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) and live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) as of now. The CDC also notes that children who require two doses of flu vaccine should still receive the second dose if they turn 9 between doses; this is also consistent with AAP guidance.
Assuming the CDC formally approves the ACIP recommendations, they’ll be published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.