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Health Advisory: New CDC vaccine recommendations

Summary

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) approved new recommendations for pneumococcal, COVID-19, and meningococcal vaccination.

Pneumococcal

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lowered the age for routine adult pneumococcal vaccination from 65 to 50 years. This allows more adults to protect themselves from pneumococcal disease as their risk increases with age. CDC continues to recommend that all children under 5 years old receive pneumococcal vaccination, as well as people 5-49 years old at high risk for pneumococcal disease.

Medical conditions that can increase risk for pneumococcal disease include:

  • Alcoholism.
  • Chronic heart, kidney, liver, or lung disease.
  • Diabetes.
  • Cigarette smoking.
  • Immunocompromising conditions.

COVID-19

Everyone aged 6 months and older should get the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine. CDC now recommends people with compromised immune systems and older adults should get a second dose of the 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine for enhanced protection against severe illness. Also, certain immunocompromised people may need more than two doses and should consult with their healthcare provider to discuss their specific needs and make informed decisions together.

The recent recommendations aim to increase protection for older adults and people with weakened immune systems, as uptake of additional doses has been lower than expected.

CDC now recommends:

  • A second dose for adults ages 65 years and older, 6 months after the first dose.*
  • A second dose for people ages 6 months–64 years who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, 6 months after the first dose.**
  • Consideration 3 or more doses for people ages 6 months and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised based on shared clinical decision-making, with a minimum interval of 2 months between doses.

*If previously unvaccinated and receiving Novavax:

  • ACIP recommends 2 doses as initial vaccination series followed by a third dose of any age-appropriate 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine 6 months (minimum interval 2 months) after second dose.

**If previously unvaccinated or receiving initial vaccination series:

  • At least two doses of 2024–2025 vaccine are recommended. Depending on vaccination history, more may be needed.
  • This additional 2024–2025 vaccine dose is recommended 6 months (minimum 2 months) after completion of initial vaccination series.

Meningococcal

CDC continues to recommend meningococcal vaccination for all adolescents and for children and adults at increased risk for meningococcal disease. There are 3 types of meningococcal vaccines currently in the U.S.:

  • MenACWY (meningococcal conjugate)
  • Men B
  • MenABCWY (pentavalent meningococcal).

MenB vaccination

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new dosing schedule for BEXSERO. It’s approved for ages 10-25 years.

To get maximum protection, you need more than one dose of the MenB vaccine and must use the same product for all doses. Bexsero and Trumenba now have the same schedule, but they are not interchangeable.

CDC recommends a shared clinical decision-making process to decide if MenB vaccination is right for adolescents or young adults. It recommends 2 doses 6 months apart.

The best age for vaccination is 16-18 years, as this period maximizes during ages of highest risk. Healthcare providers should try to see college-bound adolescents during pre-college visits, which provides an opportunity to initiate the MenB vaccine series.

People seeking more rapid protection against serogroup B (e.g., students with less than 6 months before college entry) may receive a 3-dose series (0, 1–2, 6 months) to optimize rapid protection.

Resources

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