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On August 1, the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) and six
professional societies joined forces to publish a "Dear Colleague"
letter titled
16-Year-Old Patients: Make Sure They Receive Their Annual Well
Visit and Vaccinations. IAC also issued a
press release about this important call-to-action. Highlights
from the letter are reprinted below.
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College Health Association (ACHA),
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG),
American Pharmacists Association (APhA), Society for Adolescent
Health and Medicine (SAHM), and Immunization Action Coalition (IAC)
urge you and your fellow healthcare professionals to make sure that
your patients who are 16 years of age receive the vaccines that are
recommended for them in accordance with the Recommended Child and
Adolescent Immunization Schedule for ages 18 years or younger,
United States, 2019, approved by AAFP, AAP, ACOG, and CDC....
Immunization coverage rates for several adolescent vaccines
are poor*
The coverage rate for the second (booster) dose of quadrivalent
meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY), which is recommended at
age 16, was only 44% by the 18th birthday.
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage for ≥1 dose among
all adolescents was only 66% (69% for females; 63% for males);
and only 49% of all adolescents were fully vaccinated with a
complete series (53% for females; 44% for males).
- Less than half (47%) of adolescents age 13–17 years had
received influenza vaccine....
Vaccination at age 16 years has
been highlighted on the U.S. Immunization Schedule
Beginning in 2017, the official U.S. immunization schedule
implemented a significant format change by creating a stand-alone
column for age 16 years. Like the 4–6 years and 11–12 years
columns, it is highlighted by a gray-shaded heading. The "16 year"
age column was also separated out from the previous "16–18 year"
age range to highlight the need for the recommended MenACWY 2nd
dose at age 16 years.
Along with MenACWY at age 16, influenza vaccine (seasonally) is
recommended. In addition, vaccination with meningococcal serogroup
B vaccine (MenB) is recommended for individual clinical decision
making. Focusing on a 16-year-old visit also allows catch-up on
vaccine doses for adolescents who may have fallen behind on
vaccines such as HPV, Tdap, and others....
For more information, access the complete
"Dear Colleague" letter online.
*CDC coverage rate data reported in the joint letter appeared in
MMWR on August 24, 2018.
Updated coverage data was issued in
MMWR on August 23, 2019.
Related Links
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| This page was updated on
September 26, 2019. |
| This page was reviewed on
September 26, 2019. |
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ACIP Recommendations
Vaccine Information Statements 
