Each year, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) reviews the immunization schedules for people living in the United States and approves a recommended schedule for the upcoming year. The ACIP is a group of medical professionals and public health experts that determines the best approach for using vaccinations to control disease in the U.S. The committee’s recommended schedule is viewed as public health advice, and is intended to reduce the number of disease that can be prevented through vaccination, and promote safe use of vaccines.
The ACIP is made up of fourteen voting members who are medical experts and one voting member who is a consumer representative that gives a perspective on the social and community aspects of vaccination. These fifteen members are selected by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services after an application, interview, and nomination process. In addition to these 15 voting members, there are 38 non-voting members who provide added insight and expertise on immunization processes and the impact of immunization.
Here are the changes in the 2016 Adult Immunization Schedule as recommended by the ACIP.
- Interval change for 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) followed by 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) from “6 to 12 months” to “at least 1 year” for adults aged ≥65 years who do not have immunocompromising conditions, anatomical or functional asplenia, cerebrospinal fluid leaks, or cochlear implants. The interval for adults aged ≥19 years with any of these conditions is at least 8 weeks (more).
- Serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) vaccine series should be administered to certain groups of persons aged ≥10 years who are at increased risk for serogroup B meningococcal disease (more).
- Men B vaccine series may be administered to adolescents and young adults aged 16 through 23 years (preferred age is 16 through 18 years) to provide short-term protection against most strains of serogroup B meningococcal disease (more).
- Nine-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (9vHPV) has been added to the schedule and can be used for routine vaccination of females and males against HPV (more).
Contact your primary care physician for more information on adult immunizations.