| Technically Speaking |
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| Monthly Column by Deborah Wexler, MD |
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| Technically Speaking is a monthly column written by IAC’s Executive Director Deborah Wexler, MD. The column is featured in The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education Center’s (VEC's) monthly e-newsletter for healthcare professionals. Technically Speaking columns cover practical topics in immunization delivery such as needle length, vaccine administration, cold chain, and immunization schedules. |
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| Check out a recent issue of Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers. The VEC e-newsletter keeps providers up to date on vaccine-related issues and includes reviews of recently published journal articles, media recaps, announcements about new resources, and a regularly updated calendar of events. |
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| TECHNICALLY SPEAKING |
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| New
“16-year-old Vaccination Platform” Highlighted in 2017 U.S.
Child/Teen Immunization Schedule |
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| Published
February 2017 |
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| Information presented in this article may have changed since the original publication date. For the most current immunization recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, visit
www.immunize.org/acip/acip_vax.asp. |
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently
posted the
2017 Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children and
Adolescents Aged 18 Years or Younger. This online publication of
the new schedule was accompanied by an
article in the Morbidity
and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) describing the changes
implemented in the 2017 immunization schedule compared to the 2016
version.
The first change highlighted in the MMWR is the addition of a
"16-year-old" age column to Figure 1. (Note: Figure 1 is the
multicolored child/teen immunization schedule showing vaccine
names along the left side and age columns listed across the top.)
Previously, a single column designated the broader "16–18 years"
age group. The new "16-year-old" column is further emphasized on
the schedule with the addition of a gray background color in the
column heading, identical to what exists for two other important
vaccination age ranges, i.e., "4-6 years" and "11-12 years." So we
now have three immunization platform visits indicated on the
child/teen schedule: 4-6 years, 11-12 years, and 16 years.
Why the 16-year-old column is important
The new "16-year-old" column brings much needed
attention to the fact that several CDC-recommended vaccinations
due to be administered at 16 years of age are being overlooked by
many providers. These include:
- MenACWY dose #2 — recommended at age 16
- MenB dose #1 — recommended (category B) at age 16
- HPV "catch-up" — needed for those who have not yet
completed their series
- Influenza vaccine — recommended seasonally
- Other vaccines — the 16-year-old platform provides
a "catch-up" opportunity for patients who have fallen behind on
other recommended vaccines (e.g., HepA, HepB, varicella)
According to CDC's most recent
National Immunization
Survey-Teen, a paltry 33 percent of teens (through age 17 years)
have completed MenACWY dose # 2, a vaccine recommended at age 16.
We have unacceptably low coverage rates for many vaccines
recommended for our nation's adolescents, including HPV vaccine
series completion. The addition of a 16-year-old platform provides
a distinctive visible reminder to healthcare professionals (and
perhaps their patients/parents) that 16-year-olds are due for the
important vaccinations shown above.
This new platform has created a perfect opportunity to consider
establishing a 16-year-old vaccination visit in your medical
practice. It will serve as an impetus to improve vaccination rates
for 16-year-olds in your office, a reminder to 16-year-olds (and
their parents) who look at the schedule to check their need for
vaccinations, and the perfect opportunity to help bring teens in
for a visit to receive other essential healthcare services they
may be missing.
CDC resources
IAC materials for healthcare professionals
IAC websites for healthcare professionals
Position statement: The Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine
Establishing an Immunization Platform for 16-Year-Olds in the United States |
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ACIP Recommendations
Vaccine Information Statements 
