| Every year, the National Immunization Program (NIP), along with the American Academy
of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), issues a
recommended childhood immunization schedule. This schedule tells parents and health care
providers which vaccines children need to receive, and when children need to receive
those vaccines. The currently recommended vaccines protect all children against 11
common infectious diseases.
Highlights
- A child�s best defense against many dangerous childhood diseases is to be
immunized on time.
- Immunizations protect children against: hepatitis B, polio, measles, mumps,
rubella (German measles), pertussis (whooping coughs), diphtheria, tetanus
(lockjaw), Haemophilus influenzae type b (causes a type of meningitis),
pneumococcal disease (also causes meningitis), and chickenpox. All of these
immunizations need to be given before children are two years old in order for them
to be protected during their most vulnerable period.
- Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention�s (CDC) Advisory
Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) reviews the recommended childhood
immunization schedule to address changes in the use of both previously- and
newly-licensed vaccines.
- The schedule is updated every January.
Recent Updates to the Childhood Schedule
The immunization schedule was last published in January 2001. The ACIP, AAP, and AAFP
have made the following changes:
- Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, which was licensed in February 2000, has been
added to the schedule. It is routinely recommended for all children aged 2-23
months, and for certain children aged 24-59 months.
- Recommendations for hepatitis A vaccine have been expanded to include adolescents
through age 18 years and persons in certain high-risk groups.
CDC, National Immunization Program: http://www.cdc.gov/nip
Last updated: August 2001
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