February 2002 • Volume 8 • Number 2 |
The Academy has released its 2002 Childhood Immunization Schedule, which is updated to include recommendations for high-risk children. The AAFP has issued two prioritization recommendations made in response to shortages of diphtheria toxoids and acellular pertussis and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines.
Regarding hepatitis B, all pregnant women should be screened for the surface antigen, HBsAg. Infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers should receive hepatitis B vaccine and 0.5 mL hepatitis B immune globulin at separate sites within 12 hours of birth. On the immunization schedule, the first dose of hepatitis B is shaded beyond birth to denote that it should be given at birth unless the mother's surface antigen status is negative, in which case the range from birth to 2 months is acceptable.
Because of vaccine shortages, the schedule recommends that physicians not vaccinate healthy children 2 years old and older against invasive pneumococcal disease until appropriate amounts of the vaccine are more widely available. However, physicians should continue vaccinating all infants younger than 12 months and older children who are at increased risk of developing pneumococcal disease.
Prioritization recommendations also apply to DTaP vaccine. The AAFP recommends that physicians with a low supply of the vaccine give priority to vaccinating infants with the initial three doses and defer the fourth dose. If this does not provide enough vaccine, then the fifth dose for other children over 12 months can be deferred.
The updated schedule, released annually in January, is developed by AAFP representatives who collaborate with the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Go to http://www.aafp.org/x7666.xml to download the immunization schedule. You can also request it via fax (see "Quick Fax").
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Copyright © 2002 by
American Academy of Family Physicians.