The American Academy of Pediatrics has approved the Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule for 2024, which includes recent updates in vaccines and new products for treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
The AAP policy statement, “Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule: United States, 2024,” summarizes the new recommendations for children from birth through age 18. The statement is published in the December Pediatrics (11/16/23 online), a few months earlier than past years to reflect use of vaccines and other immunizing agents recently licensed by the Federal Food and Drug Administration.
“Staying up-to-date on our immunizations helps keep everyone healthy by preventing the spread of disease within our families and communities,” said Pia S. Pannaraj, MD, MPH, FAAP, author of the policy statement and member of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases. “We all share a goal for children to remain active, in school and safe over the holidays when people are often indoors and in close proximity to others.”
The updates to the child and adolescent schedules include recommendations for:
Additional changes to footnotes and tables in the updated schedules will be published in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Report (MMWR) in early 2024.
Traditionally, the online and MMWR publication takes place in February. However, the CDC announced plans to update the schedules earlier and more regularly as the timing impacts insurance payment and the ability of certain health care providers to administer immunizations in some states.
A recent CDC report showed kindergarten vaccination rates have not rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic, and exemptions from school requirements reached an all-time high during the 2022-’23 school year. Another report found vaccine coverage for children by 2 years of age has been relatively stable but disparities continue.
The 2024 version of the immunization schedule is available on the American Academy of Pediatrics website https://publications.aap.org/redbook/pages/Immunization-Schedules and the CDC website (www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/child-adolescent.html). A parent-friendly vaccine schedule for children and adolescents will be available early next year.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 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.