Immunization schedule for children, teens updated for 2023

The American Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule has been updated for 2023 and published as a schedule in the Feb. 10 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and online Feb. 9 as a policy statement in Pediatrics.

The two publications summarized the changes to the 2023 Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule, which included new or updated recommendations for the influenza vaccine; pneumococcal conjugate vaccine; measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR); and COVID-19 vaccine. Changes include the addition of a new row for the COVID-19 vaccine; vaccination is recommended for ages 6 months to 18 years.

In addition, recommendations were clarified for certain vaccines, including the dengue vaccine, which should not be administered to children traveling to or visiting endemic dengue areas; a note that live attenuated influenza vaccine should not be administered to close contacts of immunosuppressed persons who require a protected environment; and an update recommending additional MMR doses in a setting of mumps outbreaks.

“We all have a responsibility to ensure everyone can access vaccinations, both for their individual health as well as to prevent the spread of illnesses,” Sean T. O’Leary, M.D., chairperson of the Committee on Infectious Diseases and author of the policy statement, said in a news release. “These schedules provide a roadmap parents and pediatricians can follow to help children get the vaccines they need so their immune systems will be ready to recognize and resist diseases.”

One author from the MMWR publication disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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