Vaccination

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Vaccination Schedule

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website on adult immunization provides excellent resources, including a checklist for contraindications and easy-to-read handouts for patients. (The CDC also has a free app for iOS or Android.)

The 2024 update to the U.S. adult vaccination schedule includes both new products and adjustments to existing protocols.

What's Changed

• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has joined the ranks of vaccine-preventable infections, with Pfizer's Abrysvo and Glaxo's Arexvy both newly available for adults who are 60 or older; they are recommended especially for those with substantial comorbidities. In addition, Abrysvo is recommended in the last month of pregnancy to induce possibly lifesaving antibodies in neonates.

• A new vaccine for mpox (Bavarian Nordic's Jynneos) is available for individuals with sexual risks for exposure.

• COVID vaccination guidelines have been updated to incorporate the current monovalent 2023-2024 products, which can be administered either as a primary series or as boosters.

• Influenza vaccine guidelines have been updated to formally eliminate the obsolete concern about egg allergy. Although egg-free recombinant options are available, preparations manufactured with eggs are safe for all users.

• Meningococcal vaccine options no longer include the old quadrivalent standby Menactra, which is now off the U.S. market. A pentavalent product, Pfizer's Penbraya, is newly available.

• Polio vaccination with the inactivated product now is recommended for all adults whose immunity is known or suspected to be suboptimal, not just for those at a high risk for exposure.

Recommendations for Ages 19 Years or Older, United States, 2024

To make vaccination recommendations, healthcare providers should:

• Determine recommended vaccinations by age (Table 1)

• Assess need for additional recommended vaccinations by medical condition or other indication (Table 2)

• Review vaccine types, dosing frequencies and intervals, and considerations for special situations (Notes)

• Review contraindications and precautions for vaccine types (Appendix)

• Review new or updated ACIP guidance (Addendum)

(Source: Adult Immunization Schedule by Age. Recommendations for Ages 19 Years or Older, United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2024.)

(Source: Adult Immunization Schedule by Age. Recommendations for Ages 19 Years or Older, United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2024.)