Childhood Immunization schedule updated for 2020

New guidelines for the childhood immunization schedule have been released. The changes provide updates that have proven to be safe and effective at preventing specific diseases at various stages of a child’s development.

The approved schedules include recommended vaccinations from birth through 18 years as well as recommended catch-up schedules for children four months to 18 years who started late or are more than one month behind the recommended age for various vaccinations.

The immunization schedules are approved and released annually by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. This year, the American College of Nurse Mid-Wives has also been added to the list of approving organizations.

Changes to the 2020 childhood immunization schedule include:

• Additional guidance regarding adolescent revaccination of children who received the meningococcal serogroup ACWY vaccine;
• Addition of Tdap vaccine as an option for booster doses and remaining doses of the catch-up series; and
• Supplemental guidance for DTaP and Tdap doses received between seven and 10 years of age, including that children 10 years of age who receive a Tdap do not need to receive a routine Tdap dose at age 11-12 years

The full revised schedule is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website including the table by age, by catch-up status, by medical indication as well as parent-friendly versions of the new schedule.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Here are additional resources to support a better understanding of 2020 changes.

• A detailed article cataloging all changes to the 2019 schedule from the American Academy of Pediatrics
• A detailed article on 2020 changes from the Committee on Infectious Disease

CDPHE Guidelines for Valid Vaccinations

These guidelines are intended to help providers reduce the frequency of invalid doses on vaccinations as well as encourage providers to repeat doses when prior doses are deemed invalid.

• CDPHE collects immunization data from schools and child care centers annually. During this data collection, invalid doses are identified and parents and providers are notified.
• Doses identified as invalid need to be repeated to ensure protection from disease.
• Vaccine doses should not be administered at intervals less than the minimum intervals or at an age that is younger than the minimum age. Doses that do not meet these requirements are not considered valid doses and do not meet school requirements.
• Vaccination providers should adhere to recommended minimum ages and intervals for each vaccine dose.
• Administration at recommended ages and in accordance with recommended intervals between doses of multi-dose antigens provides optimal protection.
• Doses of any vaccine administered ≥5 days earlier than the minimum interval or age is not counted as a valid dose and should be repeated. If the vaccine is a live vaccine, ensuring a minimum interval of 28 days is recommended between doses.

The Colorado Immunization Information System (CIIS) includes robust immunization evaluation and forecasting functionality designed to automatically determine the recommended immunizations a patient needs when they visit a clinic for care based on their age and known immunization history. The CIIS evaluation and forecasting functionality aligns with vaccine recommendations developed by ACIP. For more information about CIIS, please contact the CIIS Help Desk at (303) 692-2437, Option 2 or CDPHE.CIIS@state.co.us.