General Recommendations for Immunization Practices in Children and Adolescents

Dae Sun Jo; Eun Hwa Choi

doi:10.5124/jkma.2009.52.3.225

J Korean Med Assoc > Volume 52(3); 2009 > Article

Jo and Choi: General Recommendations for Immunization Practices in Children and Adolescents

Focused Issue of This Month

Well Baby Clinic

Journal of the Korean Medical Association

Journal of the Korean Medical Association 2009; 52(3): 225-232.

Published online: March 31, 2009

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2009.52.3.225

General Recommendations for Immunization Practices in Children and Adolescents

Dae Sun Jo, MD¹, Eun Hwa Choi, MD²

¹Department of Pediatrics, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Korea. drjo@chonbuk.ac.kr

²Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Korea. eunchoi@snu.ac.kr

Abstract

Immunization is the most cost-effective method of preventing many infectious diseases. Recommendations for immunization practices are based on scientific knowledge of vaccine characteristics, the principles of immunization, the epidemiology of specific diseases, host characteristics, and expert opinion of public health officials and specialists in clinical and preventive medicine on vaccine benefit and safety issues. Therefore, recommendations for vaccination practices balance scientific evidence of benefits and risks of immunization programs. Many of the standards for child and adolescent vaccination programs that have been previously published are universal and are applicable to many countries where different public health concerns may exist. However, several updated changes are added to these standards to maximize the benefits from the vaccination services. This report will provide the most recent technical guidance about common vaccination concerns for clinicians who administer vaccines to infants, children, and adolescents.

Keywords: Immunization; Vaccine; Recommendation; Children; Adolescents

References

1. Atkinson WL, Pickering LK, Watson JC, Peter G. In: Plotkin SA, Orenstein WA, Offit PA, editors. General immunization practice. Vaccines 2004;4th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders. 91–122.

2. American Academy of Pediatrics. In: Pickering LK, Baker CJ, Long SS, McMillan JA, editors. Active and passive immunization. Redbook: Report of the Committee on infectious diseases 2006;27th ed. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics. 1–66.

3. Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In: Park BH, Ko WY, Kim MS, Kim SD, editors. Epidemiology and prevention of vaccine-preventable Diseases 2006;Seoul: Korea: Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. General recommendations on immunization. MMWR 2006;55:RR-15.

5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In: Atkinson W, Hamborsky J, McIntyre L, Wolfe S, editors. Epidemiology and prevention of vaccine-preventable Diseases 2007;10th ed. Washington DC: Public Health Foundation.

6. The Korean Pediatric Society. In: Lee HJ, editor. General recommendation on immunization. Immunization guideline 2008;6th ed. Seoul: The Korean Pediatric Society. 14–26.

Table 1

Recommended and minimum ages and intervals between vaccine doses

Hib-H. influenzae type b vaccine; PCV-Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine; PPV-Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine; JEV-Japanese encephalitis killed vaccine; JEVL- Japanese encephalitis live vaccine; HPV-Human papillomavirus vaccine. Modified from The Korean Pediatric Society. General recommendation on immunization. In Lee HJ, ed. Immunization guideline. 6th ed. Seoul: The Korean Pe-diatric Society, 2008: pp 14-26.

^*The minimum interval from Varicella-1 to Varicella-2 for persons beginning the series at age > 13 years is 4 weeks.

^†Two doses of influenza vaccine are recommended for children aged < 9 years who are receiving the vaccine for the first time.

^‡For Hib and PCV, children receiving the first dose of vaccine at age > 7 months require fewer doses to complete the series.

^§Vaccination should not be initiated for infants of age 15 weeks or older. The minimum interval between doses of rotavirus vaccine is 4 weeks. All doses should be administered by age 8 months.

Table 2

Spacing of live and inactivated antigens

Adopted from The American Academy of Pediatrics. Active and passive immunization. In: Pickering LK, Baker CJ, Long SS, McMillan JA eds. Redbook: Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. 27th ed. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics, 2006: pp 1-66.

Table 3

Vaccine storage temperature recommendations

Hib-H. influenzae type b vaccine; PCV-Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine; PPV-Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine; JEV-Japanese encephalitis vaccine; HPV-Human papillomavirus vaccine.

Modified from The Korean Pediatric Society. General recommenda-tion on immunization. In Lee HJ, ed. Immunization guideline. 6th ed. Seoul: The Korean Pediatric Society; 2008: 14-26.