Below is a news release on a policy statement appearing in the January issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). To receive the full text of this report, please contact the AAP Department of Communications.

For Release: January 7, 2008 , 12:01 am (ET)

CHICAGO - The AAP policy statement, “Recommended Immunization Schedules for Children and Adolescents – United States, 2008” includes updated schedules for children ages 0 to 6, ages 7 to 18, and children with late or incomplete immunizations. Schedule changes include: a single dose of pneumoccoal conjugate vaccine for healthy children ages 24 to 59 months who are incompletely immunized; expansion of the age recommendations for the use of the live attenuated influenza vaccine to include healthy children as young as 2 years old; a reduced time interval for the administration of the second dose of live attenuated nasal influenza vaccine (when a second dose is required) from 6 to 4 weeks; and a single dose of quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine for all adolescents 11-to-18 year olds, if not previously administered, and for 2-to-10 year-old children at increased risk for meningococcal disease. The schedule reflects current recommendations for use of US Food and Drug Administration licensed vaccines.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.