ACIP and CDC Guidelines Prompt AAP to Update Immunization Schedule

The landscape of childhood immunization in the United States is undergoing a seismic change. For decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have worked in tandem to provide vaccine recommendations for children and adolescents—a partnership that has long been considered the gold standard in public health. But recent decisions by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the CDC regarding COVID-19 vaccines have fractured this unity, leaving health care providers confused about the recommended guidelines for immunization.

Earlier this year, the HHS Secretary announced that COVID-19 vaccines would no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant patients, a move that prompted the CDC to quietly update its own guidance—without a formal ACIP vote. The CDC now advises “shared clinical decision-making” for healthy children and offers no guidance for pregnant patients. In response, the AAP released its own updated immunization schedule in August, recommending COVID-19 vaccination for all children ages 6 through 23 months and for older children at high risk of severe illness. The AAP also supports making the vaccine available to any child aged 2 through 18 whose parent or guardian requests it.

Laura Knockel, PharmD, BCACP, clinical associate professor at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, shares her perspective on the evolving vaccine landscape. She discusses the implications of the split between the CDC and AAP, the challenges facing providers, and the critical role pharmacists play in ensuring children receive safe and effective immunizations amid a rapidly changing public health environment.

"There's a lot of unanswered questions, and hopefully we'll be getting more guidance soon," Kockel said. "I think it makes the pharmacist's role even more crucial when we're providing immunization services for parents and caregivers. They may have confusion about which vaccines their child should receive."

READ MORE: COVID-19 Resource Center

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